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[Chi 666]

as sir Eddie Izzard once said " its 70% how you look, 20% how you sound and only 10% what you say" thats how the yanks get through there national anthum.

[Larsen B]

Originally Posted by Swingin' Ryan

1. Read lots of other peoples lyrics, just to see how different people do things.

2. Like Icarus Falls said, if you're going to write about a subject, make sure you know about it. If you're writing something political for example, make sure you're read up on it. This is why people like the Manics and Zach De La Rocha come off better than Pennywise. There's nothing worse than someone trying to write 'scathing' political comment and not knowing what they're talking about.

3. One really good phrase or line can be enough to build a song around.

4. Alliteration is a good thing, and when you're writing lyrics, be aware of words that sound good when they're sung. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) is very good at that. The Thesaurus is not a kind of dinosaur, it is your friend, use it.

5. Don't be afraid to write something that makes no sense to anyone but yourself. In the world of lyrics, specificity and personal experience are king. If you're constantly thinking "is this the kind of line people will singalong at festivals" the lyrics will generally be shit.

Hope this helps.

Please e-mail number five to Danny McNamara.

[bladeola]

this thread is awful.

im sorry but if youre not inspired then dont write lyrics at all...some of the ideas in this thread are terrible.

[R.Borlax]

i only ever really write when i feel its the right time too

whenever i force myself or try to stay on topic and not let the words flow freely, i look at what i wrote the nex day and think its shite

just always have a pen and lyric book handy

[daveofficer]

Originally Posted by bladeola

this thread is awful.

im sorry but if youre not inspired then dont write lyrics at all...some of the ideas in this thread are terrible.

jeez ben, you're so negative all the time

i think it's a valid thread, no two people come up with ideas the same way. maybe the kid just needs a helping hand to find inspiration. how do you come up with your ideas for lyrics? how do you go about getting them on paper and arranging them with a melody? give the guy some help instead of shooting the thread down.

[daveofficer]

Originally Posted by R.Borlax

i only ever really write when i feel its the right time too

whenever i force myself or try to stay on topic and not let the words flow freely, i look at what i wrote the nex day and think its shite

just always have a pen and lyric book handy

i'm exactly the same. although normally it's anything i write i look at the next day and think it's shit. ho hum.

[Lester Burnham]

I tend to start of with someone I'm irritated/pissed off with... then write lyrics along with music... take out any segments which are too specific to the situaton... replace with nice words like "lollypop" or "shit" and KAPOW... you have yourself some lyrics.

I rather like my lyrics... all lyrics are dependant with how many beats there are in that section and thus there is a need to swap out words etc etc.

[stevealex35]

Originally Posted by bladeola

this thread is awful.

im sorry but if youre not inspired then dont write lyrics at all...some of the ideas in this thread are terrible.

Nope, i dont agree with that. Some people may have the inspiration, and determination to create songs, but lack experience in creating/structuring lyrics. Nothing wrong with asking for a bit of help before developing your own style/confidence.

Steve

[bladeola]

its not the structuring advice im having a go at. its the advice on subject matter.

[betamax]

Originally Posted by Lester Burnham

I tend to start of with someone I'm irritated/pissed off with... then write lyrics along with music... take out any segments which are too specific to the situaton... replace with nice words like "lollypop" or "shit" and KAPOW... you have yourself some lyrics.

I rather like my lyrics... all lyrics are dependant with how many beats there are in that section and thus there is a need to swap out words etc etc.

I also find our sessions where we shout random filth and shit at each other for about an hour with the only criteria being ''say awful stuff that you cant actually use in a song'' followed by quickly writing down all the really bad bits.

Definately the most amusing way of being creative.