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how do you come up with lyrics


hobojones

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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

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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.

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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 ...

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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.

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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.

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  • 3 weeks later...
1. Read lots of other peoples lyrics' date=' 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.[/quote']

Please e-mail number five to Danny McNamara.

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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 :p

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.

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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' date=' i look at what i wrote the nex day and think its shite

just always have a pen and lyric book handy[/quote']

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.

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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

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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.

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i have different ways of writing songs doing words on a subject like a relationship or the news or summin like i've imagined my friends dying or a dream or something and write the music around that. Or coming up with a riff and ideas for parts and randomly thinking of lyrics that can fit in.

"You can sing anything you can say" - M J Fox

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I always write the tune first then fit in lyrics to suit. I have a big box of reciepts/fag packets/bus tickets that I've scribbled ideas on in rare inspirational moments - some of them dating back 15 years. I just write a tune, look for an idea from the box (tombola style) and I have a tune going in no time. It's impossible to write anything if you aren't in the mood though. Force it and you will just get angry with yourself. And look out for words you like the rythm of - they can turn into songs practically by themselves.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i am also new to the music scene i am away to turn 14 and i have been playing the drums for 7 or 8 years and i am being tought by bill kemp he organised me to get in a band we have only jammed once it was okay but they werrent the style i liked so i gave up was it the best decision i dont know any way i thought to my self i would like to be a mucician when i am older so i tried writing lyrics to a well cool heavy metal beat the beat was excellent but the lyrics was crap i guess i am in the same boat i have took some of your advice but i still strugle please can u give me more

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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).

Yes Fish used to do that too I think. I think a fun thing sometimes is mishearing other lyrics or taking a random phrase and thinking it could be part of a different tale altogether.

I still think Hal David is the best lyricist ever, because his lyrics only work fully in conjunction with the music, and the images are so rich yet so easy to understand. "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" is a particular favourite. I like early Paul Weller and in places Fish too. Could never handle lyricists like Tori Amos!

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