What’s Your Song?

Writing song lyrics is a great way to express yourself. What are you thinking about? How are you feeling? What makes you mad, sad, happy, or afraid? What do you wish for? Write about it in a song.

Don’t know where to start? Listen to your favorite songs. Write out the lyrics. If you can’t make out all the words, search for them online. When you have the words in front of you, study them. What do you notice? Is there rhyming? What’s the pattern? Notice what is the same and what is different in the songs you like.

Song lyrics are made up of verses and a chorus, the part that gets repeated during the song. Many songs have a bridge, a part that is different than the verses and chorus. It provides more variety to your song. But let’s not concern ourselves with bridges at this point. Let’s keep it simple.

Do you play music? If so, you can start by developing a melody you like and then adding the words to it. Or, you can begin with the lyrics. Select your topic and stick to it as you write. One way to write lyrics is to start with a title. Ask yourself what you want to say about the title. Then, say it in your verses and chorus. Try to create a rhythm in your lines that sounds good when you say them aloud. If you’re using rhymes, make them consistent. Use an online rhyming site to help you.

When you’ve finished, you can add music if you haven’t already done it. If you don’t play an instrument, you can create the melody with you voice. Or, you can find someone who can add the music. That’s what I’ve done. I showed some of my lyrics to a guy who has been in the music business for 40 years, who’s been in bands, made records, and written his own music. He really liked the lyrics I showed him and has been creating the music to go with them. The songs will be made into a CD when we have enough.

I’ll share an example of lyrics I wrote. These words were written with Liam, my first grandson, in mind. But, it’s also a message I have for everyone, wishing them well (“…and a million stars up above.”).

Liam Scott Young

 

I Wish You

 

This place ain’t easy

It won’t take long to see

You’ll learn the ropes along the way

And the cost to be free.

 

I wish you

A world of wonder

Lightning with no thunder

Miles and miles of love

And a million stars up above.

I wish you.

 

The rain will shout

The wind will scream

But you’ll stand tall against the storm

Just like it was a bad dream.

 

I wish you

A world of wonder

Lightning with no thunder

Miles and miles of love

And a million stars up above.

I wish you.

 

And when your time is over

And all that’s left is night

You’ll load up all your memories

And step into the light.

 

I wish you

A world of wonder

Lightning with no thunder

Miles and miles of love

And a million stars up above.

I wish you.

Robert Young, Real Writing Unlimited, 2020

 

So now, it’s your turn. Explore your thoughts and dreams. What is it that you’d like to say? I invite you to click on Comments tab and share it.

8 comments

  1. Brenna Moore says:

    I love it Mr. Young P.S. It is one of the girls from Emerald Christian Academy I am the one who asked you for the card

  2. Oria says:

    I have something I wrote, it sounds like a theme song

    “I cant reap what I sew ,I don’t know what I can’t know, I don’t see what I can’t see, but I can predict the future”

  3. Bellafia Berkana says:

    I am in a band and my friend leni(band mate) writes songs and with the help of my other friend Elizabeth (band mate) they wrote a beautiful sappy love song, here it is:
    Metaphor

    You tried to give me the glasses lens
    To see that we were always friends
    But in the end
    it never even makes any sense

    So we tried to parachute to mars
    But instead we landed among the stars
    So maybe now we’ll fall in love
    ‘Cause loving is my only defense

    Our love is like a metaphor
    You can open a window
    But it wont open a door

    Our love is like a metaphor
    Is it real or not
    I dont even know anymore

    You tried to put the words inside my mouth
    To show me that this is only going south
    But in the end
    I cant do much but doubt

    So we tried to climb the rope again
    But right away we fell to our end
    And i thought maybe then
    But we never fell in love

    But still Our love is like a metaphor
    You can open a window
    But it wont open a door

    Our love is like a metaphor
    Is it real or not
    I dont even know anymore

    But i wont stop loving you
    I’ll either break a friendship
    Or break my own heart

    But i just cant stop loving you
    Even if we’re worlds apart

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