Lyric Writing Techniques

Below are various exercises for writing lyrics that I have found useful as a starting place when I'm stuck. Some are exercise to practice various parts of writing and to help you not get stuck. Others are methods for, as Jeff Tweedy puts it in How to Write One Song.

Hot pen

Set a timer. Write until the timer runs out. Do not let yourself stop until the timer is done. Write nonsense if you have to.

Begin each line with the last word from the previous

This works well in conjunction with hot pen. Try to make a line that starts with the last word of the prior line. This create an artificial sense of continuity and may reveal relationships between ideas that you have not previously considered.

Cutup technique

see [[Cut-up Technique]] for more.

Transcribe a conversation

I learned this in Jeff Tweedy's How to Write One Song, which is excellent. Record or recall a conversation you had with someone or one you overheard. Adapt lines from the conversation as song lyrics.

Noun/Verb ladder

This is also from Jeff Tweedy's How to Write One Song. Pick 10 nouns and 10 verbs. Create 10 lines that combine nouns and verbs that aren't used together often. This helps make lines that are surprising or striking. Take the best of these as a starting point for lyrics.

Related to [[Cut-up Technique]] and combines well with it.

The Dreaded Adjective

From Jeff Tweedy's How to Write One Song. Pick 10 adjectives and 10 nouns/verbs. Create 10 lines that combine adjectives and nouns/verbs that aren't used together often. This helps make lines that are surprising or striking. Take the best of these as a starting point for lyrics.

Related to [[Cut-up Technique]] and combines well with it.

Adapt a poem you like

Use a poem as a jumping off point. Adapt lines from the poem as lyrics. You can use these just to get a sense of the rhythm and flow of the song and then replace them with your own ideas. You may also choose to keep them. However, if you keep the adapted lines, indicate that the song is an adaptation of their poem and, if they are alive, ask their permission.

Mumble Translation

Record yourself singing nonsense over a track. Listen to the result and try to transcribe what was sung. If you like what you have, keep it. If not, what other words could fit that structure?

Auto complete

On your phone, type a random word that pops into your head. Accept the auto suggested words. Change the sentence to make it make sense to you.

Spell check suggestions

Type gibberish... use a spell check system like vim's :spell to auto suggest words. Change the sentence to make it make sense to you.

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