Der Musikblog für Musiker und Bands und alle Musikinteressierten.
  • Current
  • Topics
  • Popular
  • Team
  • musician search
  • English
    • Deutsch
musician search
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.

Songwriting8 Min. Reading time

5 steps to meaningful song lyrics

Written by Philipp Steigner

Songwriting, book and notebook image

Music connects people and is an expression of personal feelings, stories or tensions. This is true for spontaneous jam sessions as well as for written songs. In addition to the musical arrangement and the instruments, the lyrics play a particularly important role when it comes to emotionality. More than anything else, it reveals a lot about the intention and emotion of the song and shows the personal attitudes of the songwriter. Today we'll show you how to put your first own song lyrics on paper and what you can look out for when writing song lyrics.

The song lyrics and its meaning for music

New and emotional songs are not written on the fly. The lyrics and the story associated with them are often the main reason for devoting oneself to one's own feelings and expressing them in the form of a song. Even though the way of making music is constantly evolving, the form of creating new lyrics and their content has hardly changed.

Of course, new song lyrics can also be processed several ideas and feelings. So it is of course possible for several people at the same time, such as a band, to create real and direct music. The most important characteristic of a good lyric is that you can identify with its content. Especially the first lyric will probably keep you busy for a long time, because you will deal very intensively with your own feelings, at least if you decide to write autobiographical lyrics.

So that you can start your first own lyrics, you first need a kind of foundation. This doesn't have to influence the course of your song, but it will give you some orientation from a content point of view. For example, do you want to deal with political topics, emotions, a story or other areas? So set yourself a theme and then build on it. This way, not only will you be able to identify with your song in the end, it will also be easier for your listeners to understand the emotion behind the lyrics.

What does the lyric structure look like in songwriting?

Even though songwriting is a very emotional and rather intuitive process, some rules can help you to approach it in a structured way. For example, your song is usually composed of a chorus and several verses. The chorus is the most important component at this point, as it will be repeated in the same way several times throughout the song. At the same time, the content of the chorus should be understandable even without the verses. They accompany your chorus and tell the story behind it.

Within the verses, songs usually follow a certain arc of tension, which in turn works towards the chorus. Linguistic images, stories and accentuation offer listeners additional added value and allow them to delve deeper into the song lyrics. In a good song lyric, the verses and the chorus are therefore directly connected, which, in conjunction with the background music, provides the necessary recognition value.

In 5 steps to your song text base

If you are still thinking about how to put your first song lyrics on paper, the following aspects will certainly help you. This will help you organize your story a bit better and create an initial plan. It's best to take a piece of paper and a pen to make your first notes on the following areas. They can help shape your lyrics and help you get started writing:

1. Thematik

What do you want to talk about in your songs? The easiest way is to start with a general topic. Examples would be politics, love, society, personality, development, success or other areas of your choice. Of course, you can also process personal experiences, emotions or stories with your first song lyrics. But make sure that you are 100 percent honest - anything else will be noticed in your lyrics.

2. Protagonisten

In many songs, several people play a role who also have a personal connection with you. If this is also the case in your first song text, create a corresponding mesh in advance and define your protagonists. These can be you, your friends, strangers, celebrities or possible independent narrators.

3. perspectives

Not every song text refers exclusively to your personal perspective. With music, you have the best means at hand to depict inner conflicts and areas of tension that influence your actions. Feel free to think about which point of view you want to portray in advance. You can also try to depict different perspectives in your lyrics and cleverly combine this with the different components of your song.

4. Feelings

Feelings and emotions are the aspects that give life and individuality to your song lyrics. A certain progression can also be quite suitable for the effect of the lyrics, for example, to express brokenness or ambiguity. Creativity is the key to success here. Dare to show your innermost with your song lyrics.

5. Detailed planning

Once the basic questions of the direction of your song text are clarified, you can look at the details and the division of the individual text modules. Divide up the individual verses as accurately as possible, gather clues for the chorus and put the two parts together.

Four ears usually hear better than two

Every lyric is a collection of linguistic images and details that let you share your ideas and feelings with others. Storytelling is probably the most important approach at this point, giving you credibility and giving your lyrics the depth they need. Work as much as possible with metaphors, symbols, and synonyms that get to the heart of your thoughts. A mind map can help you find and implement new ideas.

Of course, once you start working on the details, friends or other music enthusiasts can help you. Once you have the lyrics, one of the biggest challenges will be linking them to the melody. It's best to have friends who can be a part of your music accompany you during your creative phases. The more people you have involved in songwriting, the more creativity you'll have in your first lyrics.

The combination of melody, chords and lyrics

Even though this guide is aimed primarily at beginners, a little musical background knowledge in songwriting is quite beneficial. A chord contains at least three different notes at the same time, resulting in a harmonic sound. The chords and melody can underscore the content of your lyrics and give them even more expression. Repetition makes both the lyrics and the melody easier to follow.

If you are still looking for suitable partners for new projects, our musician search is a good approach for you. This way you can find the best players for each instrument and drum up your new band. Musical know-how will also have an effect on your new lyrics, which will be better received by your listeners. If you are still looking for suitable musicians, we will be happy to help you through our portal.

Our tip: Don't set the title until the end!

For many amateur musicians, the title comes first, and then numerous text modules are to be created. However, it is easier to choose only a rough theme at first. Through your personal feelings, the appropriate sections arise during the songwriting, to which you can choose a title after completing your first idea. At this point, the title should fit the lyrics and melody as well as possible. This way, your song will meet the expectations of the listeners, who will usually choose you from a large song list based on the title.

Listen to yourself and reflect your feelings

Around your chosen theme, the personality within your song should never be lost. If it were just about general areas and party hits, songwriting would certainly not be a big challenge for many. However, if you want to concoct a song lyric that is technically and content-wise convincing, you will have to take a bit more time. Always write down your feelings and opinions about the chosen topic before you sit down to write your song lyrics.

Not every structure you come up with for your new song lyrics in the evening will still meet your expectations the next morning. For songwriting, a blank notepad is your most important tool for letting your creativity run free at every stage. This will let you organize your new thoughts at any time and bring them back into the desired structure. The same approach applies to songwriting: practice is the key!

Our company for your musician search

If you have any further questions about your search for musicians, we will be happy to help you with words and deeds via our portal. We support you in finding new musicians who can accompany you musically around your song lyrics. Feel free to check out our other posts where you can learn more about marketing your music or learn about new instruments and techniques. We're happy to help you find musicians and support you with your first song lyrics.

Originally published on April 13, 2021, updated on January 7, 2022

Share the post with your friends
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.
Recent Posts
Young woman streams music via her mobile phone to the article Music streaming services in comparison

Music streaming services compared - the differences

19. July 2022

Practice effectively - Someone sits on a blanket with a guitar, notebook and coffee

Practice effectively - this is how you get audible results quickly and effectively

14. July 2022

Man in a dress shirt plays the piano - Postal image on the topic: The piano and its facets

The piano and its facets - instruments at a glance

14. July 2022

labyrinth to mukken metaphors in songwriting | blog

Metaphors in songwriting - How to create visual images in the minds of your listeners

14. July 2022

The artist MADANII aka POC Pop Princess in the mukken blog feature

MADANII aka POC Pop Princess

14. July 2022

Looking for a band 
or musician?

Musician search
Here you'l find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.
Recommended by mukken

Post-punk-catharsis - this rage is real

News & more5 Min. Reading time

Belting - a singing technique with two medal sides

News & more9 Min. Reading time

How to export single tracks from Logic Pro for external Mixing?

Music production9 Min. Reading time

Looking for some more?

Subscribe to our newsletter and let us provide you with the latest news, tips & tricks and everything you need to know about the music scene.
Don't worry, we don't spam - we promise!
loader

Your data protection is important to us. We used your email address to contact you about relevant and new content. You can unsubscribe from any communication at any time. You can find more information in our privacy policy.
Discover more topics
Marketing
Music business
Music instruments
Songwriting
News & more
Coaching
Concert reviews
Features
Music production
Books & Movies

mukken shop

Shop now
Back to overview

Looking for a band or musician?

Music is passion – an enthusiasm that is best shared. We have realized a platform that brings music creators together. This is where Europe's largest search for musicians is being created.
Register now
Hier findest du spannende, aktuelle und wissenswerte Beiträge rund um die Musikwelt.
We bring musicians, bands, music teachers and producers together. Register for free.
Follow us
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Pinterest
Instagram
Regionen & Städte
Baden-Württemberg
Bayern
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hessen
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Niedersachsen
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regionen & Städte
Rheinland-Pfalz
Saarland
Sachsen
Sachsen-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Thüringen
Frankfurt
Essen
Dortmund
Stuttgart
Städte
München
Potsdam
Wiesbaden
Schwerin
Düsseldorf
Mainz
Saarbrücken
Dresden
Magdeburg
Kiel
© 2022 mukken, a brand by simplefox GmbH
Privacy policy
Imprint
Young woman streams music via her mobile phone to the article Music streaming services in comparison

Music streaming services compared - the differences

New post

twitterfacebooklinkedinyoutube-playinstagrampinterest-p
Your cookie settings
Wir verwenden Cookies, um die Leistung der Website zu analysieren und personalisierte Inhalte bereitzustellen. Durch Klicken auf „Zustimmen“ stimmst Du der Speicherung von Cookies zu. Du kannst Deine Einwilligung jederzeit widerrufen. Erfahren mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung. ablehnen Einstellungen
More options
Manage cookies

We use cookies to save your login data, offer a secure login experience, collect statistics to optimize website functionality, and to provide content and advertising that is tailored to your interests. You can find detailed descriptions of the types of cookies we use in our data protection declaration .

Essential Cookies

Cookies that are essential for the function of mukken.com .

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies enable the collection of usage and identification options by first-party or third-party providers, in what are called "pseudonymous usage profiles".

Marketing-Cookies

These cookies enable us to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and to adapt our ads to your interests.

Accept all