Poetry and lyrics are like a brother and sister - similar features, but with some very important differences. Understanding those differences can have a huge impact on the quality of your writing.There is a lot of good info at the end of this post, but before I get to it I'm going to make you read two untitled passages. One is a poem and the other is a lyric. Can you guess which is which?
In the Red Corner
With you at the diner working from nine until seven
And me working nights at the factory and quitting at dawn
It’s lucky for me to be home when you leave in the morning
I try to be early but most days you’re already gone.
So I crawl into bed, I can smell your perfume
I can still feel the warmth where you lay
And it kills me inside to be living our lives this way.
We’re like the moon chasing the sun
Somehow we’ve become
Intimate strangers.
And as the stars fade in the light
We both know it ain’t right
To be alone every night
Like intimate strangers.
You’ll be home by now, reading the note that I left you
But “Darling I love you” was all I could think of to say.
Because I miss you much more than four words can explain
And I don’t really know what to do
When the weight of the world comes between me and you.
We’re like the moon chasing the sun
Somehow we’ve become
Intimate strangers.
And as the stars fade in the light
We both know it ain’t right
To be alone every night
Like intimate strangers.
Why don’t you quit at the diner - we can make it on just my pay
I’d rather give it a try and barely get by
Than keep living life this way
Like the moon chasing the sun
‘Til somehow we’ve become
Intimate strangers.
And as the stars fade in the light
We both know it ain’t right
To be alone every night
Like intimate strangers.
Copyright 2003 Aaron Cheney
In the Blue Corner
The seeds lay cast on stony ground
In ragged rows of red and brown
And yet he knew the field was good
Despite the stones he understood
And let the seeds fall where they would
He stayed to work the empty field
And in those days the clay did yield
Just blood and tears and weathered hands
And whisperings of barren land
A tired but unbroken man
Like tides the seasons came and went
The years in fruitless labor spent
While sickles languished in the dust
In somber hues of cankered rust
As every tool unneeded must
But still he toiled with endless passion
Tilled each row in loving fashion
And left his lonely benchmark there
Untiring and earnest care
Until at last an answered prayer
And now I see the crop he grows
For golden wheat stands in the rows.
The harvest of a lifetime’s plea
Now finally at the end I see
The seed was him, the field was me.
Copyright 2002 Aaron Cheney
Ready….Fight
So...can you tell which is which? I'll bet you can. The first is the lyric, and the second is the poem. More importantly, can you explain why you know which is which? Can you pinpoint the differences? Understanding and leveraging the subtle differences will help you write stronger lyrics (and better poetry). Let's examine them one at a time:
1. Songs have a repeating word or phrase that all the other lines lead back to, and poems do not.
Look back at the lyrics. Can you guess the title? I'll bet you concluded it is "Intimate Strangers", and you are correct. You know that because that phrase appeares six times over the course of the song. The rest of the lyrics were important as well, but they were merely orbiting one central idea: the title. Now, what’s the title of the poem? Haven’t a clue? Could it be "The Farmer"? Nope. How about "Seeds"? Nope. The actual title is "Empty Fields", and that phrase is only mentioned one time.
2. A person should be able to identify the title of a song after one listening.
The repeating word or phrase is usually the most prominent part of the chorus. The job of the other parts of the song - the verses and the bridge - is to lead the listener back to the chorus, where the title is again repeated. There are always exceptions, of course; Poe’s "The Raven" comes to mind. You’ll notice, however, that even though the word "nevermore" is used repeatedly throughout that poem it is not the title. A good song is memorable, and that begins with the title. Make it prominent, and return to it often. Make sure every line of your lyrics is working to bring around the title again.
3. Modern lyrics are conversational.
Lastly, look back again at Empty Fields. You’ll see a few phrases like “the years in fruitless labor spent” and “as everything unneeded must”. Lines like those are another dead giveaway: poem. That isn’t how anyone living today talks. Modern songs don’t use arcane language. If you want your song to be successful in today’s world, you have to sing it like you say it. No "Yoda-speak"!
Let's Call it a Draw
Lyrics are to poetry what a fiddle is to a violin - the same instrument played differently. Though closely related in appearance, each manipulates words in unique ways that are only appropriate in the right context. Always work to ensure your lyrics make the title obvious, work back to the chorus, and use conversational speech. No one goes to a hoe-down expecting to hear Paganini.
*Photo by RobHelfman
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