Black Bat Records

In the first part, we created atmosphere and music. In today’s part, we’ll take a look at how to write lyrics.

It’s important to mention that lyrics have different levels of importance depending on the genre. They can consist of one striking sentence that carries the core idea of the entire composition. In that case, the music is the dominant and primary medium of communication that drives the whole piece. At other times, the lyrics are dominant and the music merely supports their meaning and gives them atmosphere. Often, the lyrics are also in direct contrast with the music. Personally, I see the voice and lyrics as one of the instruments in a composition—something that enhances the atmosphere. In some moments, it takes a solo and dominates everything; in others, it blends in and simply colors the atmosphere of the space, as we showed in the previous part of this production series.

The basic prerequisite of lyrics is the rhythm of the music. If we write the lyrics first, the music follows the rhythm of the text. If we compose the music first, then the lyrics follow the rhythm of the music. We created the music first, so now it’s time to look at what we’ve created and decide where something needs to be said—not where lyrics might simply “fit” (although that intuitive sense of where lyrics are needed is often part of the process).

Rhymes

There is a basic rule of rhyming when it comes to the context of lyrics. If we are expressing something positive—or something that does not emotionally disturb the listener—we work with perfect rhymes.

Example of perfectly rhyming words:
light – sight – night – bright

Notice that all the words end with the exact same syllable.

However, if we want to express emotional turmoil—something depressive or painful—and we use perfect rhyme, we won’t succeed in conveying emotional breakdown. First, our brain perceives the text as a playful children’s rhyme. Second, the listener may perceive a mismatch between the emotional content and the sound of the lyrics.

That said, for example in my song Obsession, you will find perfect rhymes. Why? Because in that song, perfect rhyme expresses the twisted, disturbing playfulness of someone who has no problem killing a sexual predator in their sleep.

So how do we express emotional turmoil, sadness, grief, etc.? We can grade it by using imperfect rhymes. Depending on the intensity of the emotions, we gradually alter letters in the final syllable—up to words that do not rhyme at all. We can also gradually change the number of syllables.

Example of words that still rhyme but express greater dissonance:
night – line, stay – save, mind – time (Near rhyme)

Further stages of gradation:

Slant rhyme: light – silence, stay – fading, heart – darkened

Broken rhyme: light – hurricane, stay – unravel, heart – machinery

Full dissonance: light – collapse, stay – concrete, heart – winter

– changing multiple consonants
– removing a syllable
– completely changing the syllable count and ending with words that no longer rhyme at all

In music, it usually works better to remove a syllable rather than add one—but sometimes adding one serves the purpose.

Try writing a text and then edit it so that the rhyme structure aligns with what you are trying to express emotionally.

Adjusting Lyrics for Singing

It happens that the way lyrics are sung can ruin the entire song. Singing is essentially an extension of speaking, and the way we sing should reflect that. Lengthening short vowels does not sound good. For example, if you sing the word “morning,” it shouldn’t sound exaggerated and distorted—it should respect the natural pronunciation of the word.

Prepositions or minor words should not occupy the dominant melodic positions—key words should.

For example, in the line “Under the shadow of days,” the dominant word is “shadow,” so it should occupy the dominant position in the melody. What does that mean? The word “shadow” should be placed higher in pitch than the words “under” and “days.”

If what lies under the shadow of days is important in the text, then the melody of the following line should rise again—at least to the same pitch as “shadow,” if not higher.

All solo instruments in a composition have their peak. This means that the highest note played by a given instrument is part of the song’s overall gradation. That highest note usually appears only once in the composition. The same rule applies to the vocal melody.

That highest climactic note should be reserved for one key word that represents the core idea of the song. It cuts through all the other instruments and creates the emotional impact we want to achieve.

This highest point often appears in a climactic chorus that differs melodically from the previous choruses. It may be slightly higher or partially altered melodically. The climactic section can also have different lyrics, with the key word placed on that highest note.

The Practice of Writing Lyrics

Writing lyrics is a highly intuitive and creative process, and it may seem counterproductive to think about these rules while creating. Remember that exceptions confirm the rule, and no template for writing good lyrics should disrupt your creative flow.

There are also genres that prefer a robotic rhythm, where breaking the composition with a highest climactic note would not be appropriate. Instead, emphasis might come from repeating a meaningful part of a line in a different way.

My advice is to take this framework and analyze your favorite songs in your genre. Do these rules apply? How do your favorite artists build lyrical gradation? Write down what you discover and try applying it in your own genre.

I’m not encouraging you to copy what works, but to uncover the hidden rules that function precisely for what you want to express. Write your lyrics in a state of creative passion—and during the editing phase, use these principles to refine them.

I wish you joyful creating, and I’d be happy if you shared some of your work in the comments.