Songwriting
Lyric writing: show, don't tell (without the cliché)
May 4, 2025 · 6 min read
Strong lyrics aren't poetic. They're specific. The line that wrecks you usually contains a brand name, a street, a temperature — something you can picture. Vague feelings don't move people. Specific images do.
Replace adjectives with nouns
'I was sad' is forgettable. 'I ate dinner standing up' is a whole movie. Concrete actions imply emotion better than naming the emotion ever does.
One specific per verse
Just one anchor detail per section is enough. Too many and you sound like you're listing. Too few and you sound like a horoscope.
Write the boring true thing first. Then ask if the line could only have been written by you. If yes, keep it.
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