How do you write your lyrics?

I've been browsing this forum for a while, and it seems to me that a lot of people write their lyrics forcefully (I can tell by there being no flow or structure to the lyrics).
By forcefully I mean that they feel that they have to write them, even if they have no idea where it is going to go.
Personally, I only write when something pops into my head. From here, I develop a central idea to base my lyrics around, and to make sure the story I'm trying to tell is clear.
I've never written about a personal experience (drug addiction, suicide, going unnoticed etc.), but my story is clear because of the way I develop my ideas.
I have never forced myself to write, and if something isn't working the way I want it to, I close MS Word and don't save it.
I also write in complete silence. I turn the tv or my music off, and begin.
I also sing my lyrics as I'm writing them, to make sure they (the words) fit the style and the flow is working (I find this helps a lot).
Then, I record a brief part of the lyrcis (I can't sing at all though), just so when I look back over them, I know how the rhythm goes.
I don't do drafts.
Once the lyrics have been written, I do one proof read and then post it on a few websites so I can receive criticism. If the need is there, I might alter a line or two, but that's all that I'll do.

All this usually takes under 1/2 an hour (including all the pre-development stages).


What I'd like to know is how you approach your writing.

I write songs from my personal experiences, my song notebook is like a diary to me .

how can you criticize other peoples flows and structure when all of your songs are basically just poetry; a verse or two worth of lyrics with no chorus. dont just openly criticize people on this forum when you yourself have lots of work to be done. providing feedback on songs when asked by the creator is one thing, but this is just arrogant.

Originally Posted by EWAG1994

how can you criticize other peoples flows and structure when all of your songs are basically just poetry; a verse or two worth of lyrics with no chorus. dont just openly criticize people on this forum when you yourself have lots of work to be done. providing feedback on songs when asked by the creator is one thing, but this is just arrogant.

Wait what?
Have you actually read any of my lyrics?
Think you have me confused with someone else...

And as for the purpose of this topic, I'm just interested to see how people come up with their ideas and lyrics, and the way in which they approach it.
I'm not saying my way is superior to your way or anything. Different things work for different people.
I also hope that this thread can give people some ideas on how they can improve their way of writing, and hopefully if people participate properly, I'll be able to get the same in return.
Different things work for different people.

I write mine from personal experience, or other peoples experiences. Usually something will just pop into my head, and sometimes it works as a song, sometimes it doesn't. When that happens I'll save it and work on it later, or save it and not touch it again.

Also songs don't have to be the standard verse, chorus, bridge etc just write how you feel. Let it flow, its yours, do what you want with it. I feel like I can't put most things I think about when writing a song into a standard 3.30 length song, and I'm okay with that. I know the songs I write have no structure whatsoever, well some do, but most don't. I don't care though, I like the songs I write and I like the way I write. That's all that matters at the end of the day. If you have confidence and believe it, your audience will believe you too. You can't sugarcoat your feelings, not if writing is your only way to express how you feel.

"Personally, I only write when something pops into my head."

Same here. I can be anywhere and the suddenly a line will float around in my head and then once I write it down, the rest comes along right with it.

"I've never written about a personal experience"

Oh, boy, yeah I have. When something happens that's when the best lines come. A lot of the time, though I do end up just writing about something that has absolutely nothing to do with me, but it's kinda rare.

"I also write in complete silence"

Same here, I can't listen to anything while I'm writing, especially other music. I just get confused.

"I also sing my lyrics as I'm writing them, to make sure they (the words) fit the style and the flow is working (I find this helps a lot)."

Same here, only I don't sing cuz I might scare the neighbors. (JK) I just say them and make sure I have the rhythm going right.

"I don't do drafts."

I don't do them either. It's just like writing research papers or books, which I write too. You're supposed to be intent on just getting all your ideas on paper first. Than, if need be I'll change a word or two.

That's about it. I also have to get comfortable before I write. I have to have my feet propped up, a blanket, and a snack maybe. Just some more trivia I guess.

I will most often write lyrics at night, when I can't sleep, behind the glow of my laptop. This is when my mind becomes active and I get really creative. I made a T-Rex out of beer cans last night xD

I won't force myself to write, sometimes I put off sleep because I am thinking about something that I want to tell people, a concept or idea that I really care and inspires me often floats into my head, or I'll be mulling over it for a few days and so I convert it to lyrics

I like to write in 4 Bar chunks as I only write rap, and I thought it was obvious to rap/sing the lyrics aloud as you write them? I have to, and I tap my leg as a beat.

I write in total silence, and in the dark, so I can only see the screen. I think about what I want to say, and then put it down in a way that represents the feel of the theme. I usually write about frantic or explosive things, in which case I use loads of words that rhyme in the same bar, EG. " There's no stopping me from properly dropping atomically."

At the end of it, it doesn't matter how you write, as long as you get something out of it. Even better if some one else takes something from it.

I write them like sonnets, I make sure they have a certain rhyme scheme, and that their pattern of syllables repeat stanza from stanza. I don't always do it perfectly, but I think it makes it nicer.

Personally, I write my lyrics based on things I see and hear, whether it be something that's happened to me, a movie I've watched, or whatever. It could be something as small as hearing a line in a song on the radio. Once something catches my attention, I try to think of a key phrase that correlates to the idea and develop the concept from the inside out. From that phrase, I can figure out the tone and pace for the rest of the song. Everything else is just trying to convey whatever ideas I have the stay within the confines of the initial concept and develop some sort of story behind it. Regardless of the topic, I at least try to either get into the subjects head or bring myself into the role to make it more real.

As for rhyming, I've always viewed lyrics as poetry put to music, so that's how I typically write. But in the end, it all comes down to what works for the song.

Sewn Up I agree a lot with how you write. I sometimes hear a song or line from a movie and it just inspires the rest of what I write. Other times it just comes out. Sometimes I listen to music, metal/grunge rock mostly, while I write. If it gets confusing, I stop the music. Most of the things I write have a meter and rhyme scheme, but sometimes I just free verse it. Lately I've been liking Disturbed's lyrics for the "choppiness" they present, while having a clear beat. Music is my release.

I must say that in the past I have forced myself to write. In the past something has happened to me that has inspired me to write a song about a certain thing. I remember I watched a terrible film called 'The Guru' which inspired me to write a song based on themes in the film though it was nothing to do with the film.

Sometimes though I get a good riff on the guitar and I think it needs to be a song so I just think 'ooh what kind of words will make it into a good rock song or whatever'. In these instances I know I need to make up some lyrics so I do force myself.

A lot of people say you can't force out lyrics. Obviously it is easier if you start writing after you have an idea, but sometimes forcing lyrics simply means you need to come up with the idea first. Sometimes I fail miserably and I have to leave it. Other times though one pops into my head. Often the ideas are really simple resulting in lyrics that aren't exactly ground breaking but fit the song and compliment the music.

All of my songs come from me when i'm on emotional highs or lows. Its easier for me to tap in to my creativity when i'm feeling strongly about something. Thats why most of my songs, have a lot of emotion in them or at least i think they do.

I just write anytime an idea pops into my head. I plan to come back to it and finish it, but I hardly ever do, and as a result I have loads of verses and choruss that don't relate

Most of my ideas come from other songs. Like I might just hear a line of a song which makes me think, and so I write a verse or a chorus based on what that line means to me.

Originally Posted by Tracy-Turnblad

Most of my ideas come from other songs. Like I might just hear a line of a song which makes me think, and so I write a verse or a chorus based on what that line means to me.

Yeah sometimes I'll think I hear a line in a song and I might check the actual lyrics. If I miss-heard it then I think 'great, I can use it!'

Originally Posted by alexmarkmylyrics

Yeah sometimes I'll think I hear a line in a song and I might check the actual lyrics. If I miss-heard it then I think 'great, I can use it!'

This same thing happened to me a little while ago. I was driving around and heard Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy". The song, in my opinion, wasn't that great, but the "If I Were..." concept was really intriguing to me, so I made it mine and wrote something called "Dead Man Walking". It's all based around the concept of "If I were a dead man walking, what would I want people to know about me?" I think it came out pretty good.

I plug in the guitar when i get a melody that pops in my head. then i try to build something out of that and then make the lyrics.

My lyrics usually start off as notes that I save on my phone, that way I can get it straight down as soon as an idea comes to me wherever I am, then once I have an idea that I think is good it usually starts to flow and I get all of my idea's down of lines, verses, words etc. I would want to be in the song, regardless of whether or not it all flows and makes sense at this point. Then I sit down and write it all out then look at everything I have and just polish it all up by wording things better, putting the verses in the order I want, taking things out, adding things in etc.

I can't write lyrics with music on, it throws me off. I'll find a song i like, pretend I'm rewriting their lyrics, then I'll go from there and put my own styling in. It's easiest for me to write from personal experience, but if someone gives me a topic, I can write a decent lyric for them.

mine come from anywhere like my song shadow man i heard somone say shadow man on tv
lots of my songs will start off about personal experience but by the end ive changed it so much its about something comp[letely different