5 Simple Songwriting Exercises to Transform Your Lyrics

Thank you so much for this I am going to try the 5 metaphors

Another great example of contrast is the song "running" by ibejii.

With lyrics like
Hell may turn cold, like a lava stone but my heart for you will never.

Absolutely gorgeous.

I knew something when i saw you.. Thats beautiful!!

Our love was a death trap: you placed roses on bear traps and left my blood tracked in the snow. Oh I think you know.

i want to write a song for an audition but i don't know where to start, nor have the inspiration to do so. what do i do?

Soooo

“Anger is a storm and I’m the eye of it” works right?

Very practical and insightful advice. Thanks 🙏🏻

the like button when she said click like 💀💀

I couldn't care less about lyrics. You could sing a load of gobbledegook for all I care, as long as it's got a good melody to it.

Very Useful Information. Thank you so much!😉

Thank you

My favourite lyrics is the lyrics of Serve the Servants. My favourite song that has bad lyrics is probably something like hysteria-muse

Such good advice. I also get anxious with lyric writing in my music, which leads to avoidance. Everything you said reminds me of Sade's song Pearls. Thank you. New subscriber here.

great advice

This is concrete advice, with real examples, and it’s incredibly helpful. Thank you! I’m a composer wanting to learn how to write good lyrics, instead of just the music. I can use this!

I really appreciate you. This is really good. And straight to the point. Grateful!

This is one of the BEST videos I’ve ever seen on lyrics

You just changed my world hahah tf! So cool

Very helpful, thanks!

Hi Keppie, do you have a video on how to match chord progressions to the metaphors in your lyrics to set a mood?

By far the greatest tutorial ever!

Someone's driving this car way too fast. A senior, with one hand down in his pants. There is play in the wheel, tires showng steel. It predictable were all about to: Never take vacations, wont go out to eat, and if you keep your roof, you can affort the heat. Im praying to my Lord, because the nukes right in reach of a senior drving backward, on one way street.

You are such a good teacher.Thank you. I absorb all the best teaching. Everything you say is useful.

I should've thanked you before, but here it is.
30+ years of writing (radio and landlines then)
At least I know now that your channel proves that music transcends time.
Thank you

Seriously: Who in their right mind are going to sing those lyrics...don't you think most people respond to the pitch and tone of the lyrics being sung.
Also...is it a bad thing to rewrite/add to the lyrics of a published song when you think your additions work better? Is it bad manners to change lyrics to a published song and post it publicly?

Your advice is great, unfortunately our taste in music is so far apart that all your examples fall flat for me. That said it was a really helpfull video for helping my daughter write a song for her school. Thank you for the video

Have you done a video about how to check that you aren't copying off an old song?
If not, could you do one?

Thanks so much for this extremely useful video. It helped me out a lot in the writing process! :)

'School Night' - one of my favourite Ani songs. The guitar tuning is murder though but I figured it out - feeling chuffed.

I LOVE your channel! And YOU are fantastic. I'm inspired on my new songwriting journey. Thank you!

Words with a 'er' at the end rhyme with words with an 'a'

I have runaway stuck in my head

was listenin' to the ocean
I saw a face in the sand
But when I picked it up
Then it vanished away from my hands, dah
I had a dream, I was seven
Climbin' my way in a tree
I saw a piece of Heaven
Waitin' in patience for me, dah
And I was runnin' far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
And I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain
But no, take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore
I was painting a picture
The picture was a painting of you
And for a moment I thought you were here
But then again, it wasn't true, dah
And all this time I have been lyin'
Oh, lyin' in secret to myself
I've been putting sorrow on the farthest place on my shelf
La-di-da
And I was runnin' far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
And I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain
But no, take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
No, take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
No, take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore
But I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall
And I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall
And I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall
And I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall
And I was runnin' far away
Would I run off the world someday?
But no, take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
No, take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
No, take me home, home where I belong, no, no
No, take me home, home where I belong, oh, oh, oh
No, take me home, home where I belong, no, no
No, take me home, home where I belong
I can't take it anymore

This helped so much. Been listening to hella tool and Maynard Keenan’s writing is just so genius I wanted to make music heavily inspired by them.

I'm old now. I recorded two songs I wrote a long time ago and just uploaded them. Just 2 songs. I'd love to just get any feedback. Please don't troll me, and I know i'm not a great singer. Just poking around songwriting channels in hopes of constructive critiques.lyric changes/i can commission an actually good singer and a guitarist to actually play the two songs well. Lyrics are in the description area of the two videos. I'm not trying to get views, I have maybe 9 subscribers that are random people or bots. i don't know.
Just reminiscing on times and found an old phone i recorded the 2 songs with a bit ago. Thanks all!

Thank you so much! I often have some anxiety around writing the lyrics to my music causing me to avoid the process but this actually motivated me to get started! <3

thank you so much! very helpful!

Thank you i’m learning so much from you ❤

Lyrics and melody are my strong point. They come so simple for me. My trick is "don't make them too difficult, make them clever". I am always complimented on my lyrics by nonplayer friends and my , melodies by my musician friends. But I live in the Midwest. There's no-ne hearing me beyond those folks.

If you’re looking for a case study is amazing lyric writing check out David Wilcox (American musician). His writing on the album how did you find me here is one of my all time favorites

I know you're mostly right about adverbs and adjectives... but I wouldn't go to an extreme. Think of these classic songs:

Isn't she lovely
Tiny dancer
Psycho killer
Brown-eyed girl
Beautiful Boy
American Girl
Purple Haze
Comfortably numb
Born to be wild
And the most classic of all: We are never ever ever getting back together - 4 adverbs in one line! ;P

This is a great tutorial - thanks v much 👊

The tap's been on a while and the water's beginning to clear. Thank you Keppie & Bennie for all the wonderful tips and exercises to help clean the pipes!

Another great video Keppie, thank you 🙏

Anger is a storm - metaphor

The clouds of your mind gather, darkening in your eyes. Your  words are lightening, striking out at the nearest touch point - your voice swells and spills, and I harden like ice. My dark glances rumble on the horizon of our days. - extended metaphor 👏👏👏👏👏

Great video thank you. I would love to hear your views on Marc Bolan's mystical lyrics during his pre T Rex days.The lyrics in these magical songs I still listen them today. His Unicorn album was a really special treat.

Excellent and inspirational! You are passionate about this and it makes all the difference!

Thanks, appreciate the tips!