Writing Verses

Verses give the details of the song and move the story along from beginning to end. While the chorus is the "catchy" part of the song, the purpose of the verse is to tell a memorable story and move the song along emotionally. Verses are also sometimes called stanzas and in a song they are usually four to eight lines in length.

When writing verses it is important that all verses throughout the song have the same number of lines, otherwise the inconsistency will be glaringly apparent. Memorable verses usually employ some of the same poetic devices used in writing other forms of literature.

Metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification, point-of-view, repetition, meter and rhyme are poetic devices that professional lyric writers pay attention to when building the lyrics for a song.

Meter and rhyme are the most common elements that speak to the rhythm and sound of the song, while elements such as metaphor and personification speak to the imagery evoked.

When writing verses, it is important to keep these poetic devices in mind and use them as needed when building the music lyrics. It is also important not to use every poetic device under the sun as this is a sure sign of amateur lyric writing.

Some professional lyric writers also rely on the conflict-resolution strategy when writing memorable lyrics. The first verse will set up the conflict in the song and the next verses and chorus are used to resolve the conflict. This is a successful strategy that will usually leave the listener feeling uplifted at the end. This is a popular technique for "empowerment" types of songs such as "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

Meter and rhyme are also important elements in writing verses. Meter is the syllabic stresses on the words in each line, which need to be consistent throughout the song. Rhyme may be internal or end rhyme and also need to be consistent as well.

Probably the most important element in writing memorable verses is not in the writing but in the rewriting. First attempts at writing poetry or lyrics, may sometimes make it into the finished piece, but more often this is not the case. When writing verses, it is important not to "fall in love" with your writing and be open and flexible enough to make changes. This is especially true for love lyrics where writers feel a deep personal connection.

Writers who are humble in regard to rewriting their own work will most often go further in their career than those who stubbornly refuse to make changes. Writing anything professionally is mostly rewriting and writing verses for lyrics is no different.