Writing lyrics?

[johnbro23]

Anyone have any advice on writing lyrics? I'm gettin a headache trying to come up with some. I've already written a verse and chorus for the guitar that I think is good even without words. Its just that anything I try just doesn't seem to make sense with the song. Maybe if I post what I've come up with, you guys can critique it:

You'll find that man
We'd all like to be inside us all
Insignificant is that little man
Oh, so small
Our concience guides us with a light
This guiding light
Only we never see it
Only think it
Day and night

Lets see just see
What can be done
All it takes is one

I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm sure they're not too good. But even with those lyrics, I can't even get them to sound good with the song. Its almost like I need a good melody or something.

[puck6two4]

what my band does is we play the song, then try to hum a melody to go over it, then just find words that would fit that melody and make sense

[Dancing Ants]

don't TRY to write stuff...you'll get little premonitions and such...a line will come to you a stuff...just open your mind...and observe things.

[johnbro23]

That all makes sense, except I couldnt see Dave just strumming the chords to Seek Up and coming up with such deep lyrics just by rambling. But who knows.

[PKSConrad]

That all makes sense, except I couldnt see Dave just strumming the chords to Seek Up and coming up with such deep lyrics just by rambling. But who knows.

Dave used to ramble through many of the earlier Say Goodbyes...he did a damn good job at it as well....

[GLR87]

Lyrics will eventually become deep as the song progress'

[johnbro23]

Dave used to ramble through many of the earlier Say Goodbyes...he did a damn good job at it as well....

Yea, and I guess he makes up new lyrics to #40 everytime. It makes it even more amazing now that I know how hard it is to write lyrics even when its not live in front of 20,000 fans.

[saxman1083]

it has to just come...something that cant be forced. also...maybe you have a melodic brain. some people just cant write lyrics for shit but can come up with the most lyrical melodies (dont need words) i for one...am good with lyrics but have the hardest time writing out a good melody. the lyrics just come to me.

[CheeseBergr]

i for one...am good with lyrics but have the hardest time writing out a good melody. the lyrics just come to me.

Saxman, i sit in my dorm hallway with my guitar and just write melodies chorus' verses like there is no tomorrow.....i try and fit words and i feel like i am a pre-school child trying speak in complete sentences. We are the complete opposite. I bet if we sat down for an hour or so we could write some killer songs! Haha, well thats my input...i try and write words and i fail, but the music just flows. I am still trying to find a secret or something to the writing of lyrics myself.

[secretzman]

Get into a completely heartbreaking relationship. Seems to work for a lot of songwriters.

[GLR87]

I used to not be able to write lyrics, because I was trying to hard, now they just come to me, and I've written a song a day since then.

[saxman1083]

Get into a completely heartbreaking relationship. Seems to work for a lot of songwriters.

i feel ya man....

it definitly does work how i got started

[DMBFan920]

Get into a completely heartbreaking relationship. Seems to work for a lot of songwriters.
yeah, I liked this one chick alot, but nothing could happen, so I would write some awesome lyrics and poems and such in class, I still have a few of them, but one of the (and one of the best) blew away in the wind at 7-11 on a cold and windy day (my gas cap was frozen on!), but yeah, def. if you wanna write good lyrics, just go out and get your heart broken

[jeremy_9]

Or do drugs, many legions of rock and rollers went that route, though I think it can be done sober too.

[delfuhd]

It's all about experience mate. You can't write unless something's happened.

[PKSConrad]

I used to not be able to sing well while I was playing. If you have the capacity to do so, try it. Record your songs, and drive around and sing or hum a melody w/out playing. Shit starts flowing, you pick out melodies you like to sing. Then you put words to those melodies. This has worked for me wonderfully, I can now write songs and come up with words on the spot.

Patience is key b/c it took me a year or two to be able to sing/create lyrics.

Good Luck!!! :multi

[lzldmb]

That all makes sense, except I couldnt see Dave just strumming the chords to Seek Up and coming up with such deep lyrics just by rambling. But who knows.
That is a very good point. Though, Stairway to Heaven was just written on a napkin at the fireplace when Plant was listening to Page play the partial riff...

[dpresti]

You'll find that man
We'd all like to be inside us all
Insignificant is that little man
Oh, so small
Our concience guides us with a light
This guiding light
Only we never see it
Only think it
Day and night

Lets see just see
What can be done
All it takes is one
.

i like this, reminds me more of a poem, similar to a jim morrison style. something that could be spoken over some rifts, rather than sung...

[DreamingTree34]

"You have to live it before you can write it.."
-David Bromberg-

Dave writes deep lyrics to stuff because he's seen things and done things and been in places that provide that inspiration....which is why I'm sure peopel like Howie Day and others only write love songs because they don't have the capacity to write anything else.....good song writers are hard to come by these days