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[hobojones]

all right everybody I'm new here so treat me nice,

anywhoo I need some damn help with making music, well thats not realy the problem, what I want to know is how the hell you come up with lyrics, I have ideas but I don't know how to get on paper and make it seem like...well a song basically, it just seems like random crap to me that has nothing to do with what I'm actually thinking about

anybody willing to help out, anything at all would be appreciated

[Paulscoconutass]

Pick a subject and try to take a non-conventional view on it. My latest song is called "Please come out tonight" and it's about all the closet homosexuals in my work, nothing rocket science but it's a decent enough thing to get a whole song from.

I also write down cool phrases or words whenever i hear them, in a phone, on my hand, paper whatever. Church posters are my favourite source of inspiration.

[WeirdAl]

Also a good idea is to pick something you know about ... something that annoys you or whatever. If you get even the slightest idea, consider writting it down, even if it's just a single line as, if nothing else, it may even help you to establish how you want the vocals to go i.e. how your going to sing them.

The one thing that I cannot stress enough though ... even if you think the lyrics you have written are absolutely gash, have someone take a look at them. When you read your own lyrics they can seem really cheesy but others will almost always think very differently. It might also be worth mentioning that you can always change any lyrics you do write, even if you've been playing the song live for several months as I have seen done.

Hope this helps ...

[hobojones]

yeah cheers guys that should help, much appreciated

[Keilan 303]

Thanks to being exposed to mainstream radio 8 hours a day for the past year my creative juces have been entirely exhausted, I can't even remember how good music/lyrics go anymore...

[Tubthumper]

Please don't write about hating Bush or shite like that...it got tiring a few years back.

[Icarus Falls]

Just read a lot mate. If you want to tell a story, read similar poetry and literature, if you want to make a point do your research first. It annoys the fuck out of me when bands claim to be political and their message is absolute pish. Like Tubthumber said don't try and write the same tired old shite you hear on the radio.

[hobojones]

also good well cheers to those who were kind enough to help out a new-commer to the music scene, 148 views and only 5 replies haha now thats courtisy for ye (but fair enough if you couldnt actually help)

[incredibledisc]

You could also try taking what you have written an cutting the phrases up and re-arranging them in a different order to get suprising results. Kurt Cobain (among others) was apparently a fan of the technique (I think he pinched it from writer William Burroughs).

[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.