Writing Better Lyrics
Page 19
Combinations Of Two Lines
Here are all the possible two-line sections, listed from most to least stable. Stable asks you to stop:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
A little bent and really broke
a
4 =A
It stops. You can feel the resolution.
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4
A little bent and really tired
b
4
Even though the lines don't rhyme, their matched lengths give a feeling of balance or stability. Not as much as if they rhymed, but enough to keep you from wanting to lunge forward. It feels a little more stable than this:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4
A little bent and broke
a
3
Even though these rhyme, they rhyme in different positions — most likely on different beats in the musical measure. There's a little stronger push forward here. So line length is a stronger motion creator than rhyme, huh? Yup. Unstable lines ask you to keep moving:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4
I couldn't find a ride
b
3
This is the least stable. It leans forward really hard.
Here's an interesting lesson in motion: a longer line, followed by a shorter line, like this:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4
I couldn't find a ride
b
3
leans ahead harder than the opposite:
I couldn't find a ride
a
3
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
b
4
The longer line has matched the shorter line on its way by. Which is not the case here:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4
I couldn't find a ride
b
3
You can feel the difference. Remember this, since it will also apply to larger structures: Longer followed by shorter is less stable than shorter followed by longer.
In working through these examples and the ones to follow, we'll stick to the staple four-stress, three-stress, and, later, five-stress lines that make up most lyrics. But once you absorb the principles, you'll be able to apply them to any line lengths.
Combinations Of Three Lines
The possibilities of three lines, listed from most stable to least stable, are:
AAA
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
She said the day had come to go
a
4 =A
A little bent, a lotta broke
a
4 =A
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
This is the most stable of the three-line sequences. It seems almost to close down — almost to resolve. You can look at it as AA+A, and it depends on whether you see the third line leaning back or looking forward for more. The principle of sequence says it's looking to pair off, since we heard a pairing (a resolving couplet) after line two. Even if we feel the third A leaning back, the structure still feels a bit off balance. Either way, it feels less than complete.
If you think otherwise, remember that sometimes what you're saying can influence your structural ear. In the sequence above, line three is about what he did because of what she said. The idea feels completed. But he still doesn't feel happy about it. But look at this:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
She said the day had come to go
a
4 =A
This feels a little less resolved, since the idea is less resolved. This is where it gets fun. Watching structure influence content, and content influence structure. Composition, in regard to songwriting, is the activity of mixing and matching these elements.
John Mayer uses the AAA effectively by simply repeating the title of his song “Your Body Is a Wonderland”:
Your body is a wonderland
Your body is a wonderland
Your body is a wonderland
After the first and second verse, it feels like he wants more, leaning ahead. Only after the bridge does he finally say it four times, bringing the events to their conclusion.
EXERCISE 26
Write an AAA structure, first using ideas that come to a conclusion, and then using ideas that feel less resolved. How much difference do you feel in the stability of the section?
ABB
It rained like hell the day I left my place
a
5 =A
She said the day had come to go
b
4 =B
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
b
4 =B
The longer first line actually seems to create a bit of expectation for a matching A at line four. Though this is still unstable, it is relatively stable for a three-line sequence. Perhaps there's a difference if we begin with a shorter line:
It rained the day I left
a
3 =A
She said the day had come to go
b
4 =B
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
b
4 =B
Now, it doesn't seem to lean as hard as it did with the longer first line. With the shorter first line, it feels more stable — almost like its own section. The singer feels almost resigned to leaving, like he's accepted his fate. Interesting.
EXERCISE 27
Write an ABB structure, first with a longer first line, then with a shorter one. Keep them as much the same as possible. Do you feel a difference in attitude between them? Structure can support or even sometimes determine the attitude of the character.
XXX
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
x
4
The waitress stared and smiled at me
x
4
I stopped to rest a little while
x
4
This more “floats” than leans forward. There is no rhyme sequence established here, so few expectations are raised. It sort of “suspends” him — he feels like he's just hanging out, waiting to see what happens next, but with no hurry.
AAB
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
I stopped a little while
b
3 =B
This leans pretty hard, too, though not in the same way, since our expectations are a little less clear; maybe the resolution would be AABB, or maybe AAB AAB. If we complete it either way, it becomes a stable section. But if we use it as a three-line section, it would be pretty unstable.
If it were a pre-chorus or bridge, we could maybe use the third line's vowel sound from while (which is asking to be rhymed) to illuminate an important vowel sound in the oncoming section — for example, in an oncoming chorus where the title of the song was something like “For One Smile in a Million.” The while in line three, hanging there unrhymed, will emphasize smile in the chorus. Nifty tool, eh?
EXERCISE 28
Make up your own title, and, using it as the first line of an oncoming chorus, write an AAB structure leading up to it, with the third line targeting a vowel sound in the title. Try not to target the end rhyme. Instead, give the words inside the title a sonic boost. Then rewrite the third line (B line) to target a different vowel sound in the title. As in the sample that follows.
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
> a
4 =A
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
I stopped, completely dumb
x
3 =B
Now the third line targets the short-u sound in the title's one, high-lighting it and emphasizing it in the chorus.
There's also:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
I stopped, completely still
x
3 =B
For one smile in a million …
Now the third line targets the short-i and l sounds in million, highlighting it and emphasizing it in the chorus.
Now we've targeted the rhyme position. Note that the effect not only highlights it, but it also creates a bit of a sense of resolution. It feels like:
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
x
4 =X
She stared at me
x
2 =X
I stopped, completely still
a
3 =A
For one smile in a million
a
3 =A
Targeting the rhyme position is neither wrong nor right. It creates a different, usually more resolved feeling than if you target interior vowel sounds. It depends on the feeling you want to create. You control it.
ABA
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
I stopped a little while
b
3 =B
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
This is not only the most unstable of the three-line sequences, it also positively cries out for a resolving fourth line with three stresses and a rhyme with while. This three-line structure establishes a clear pattern, so we know what's coming next.
With this structure, we're looking at three-fourths of a common meter section, so the conclusion is more than obvious. It's interesting to see how the same principle would work with a different arrangement. Instead of longer / shorter / longer, let's try shorter / longer / shorter:
I hitched the Tulsa road
a
3 =A
I stopped a while to grab a bite
b
4 =B
She stared before she spoke
a
3 =A
You can still feel the strong lean forward, now expecting a four-stress line rhyming with bite. It seems to lean even harder with a five-stress line in the second position:
I hitched the Tulsa road
a
3 =A
I stopped a little while to grab a bite
b
5 =B
She stared before she spoke
a
3 =A
I'm not sure why this raises more expectations than the four-stress line. Perhaps it's because it feels like more of a departure from line one.
Of course, if you complete the sequence, you have a stable four-line structure. If you leave it as a three-line sequence, then you'll be moving pretty strongly into the next section. Perhaps this might make an interesting pre-chorus structure. Again, you could use a sound at the end of line two to target an important sound in the chorus. For example:
Pre-chorus
I hitched the Tulsa road
I stopped a little while to grab a bite
She stared, and then she spoke
Chorus
Baby I like what I see …
We hear like with more intensity: “Baby I like what I see.” We could try targeting baby:
Pre-chorus
I hit the Tulsa road
I stopped a little while to grab some shade
She stared, and then she spoke
Chorus
Baby I like what I see …
We hear baby with sensual overtones. Compare this to if we don't target:
Pre-chorus
I hitched the Tulsa road
I stopped a little while to grab a drink
She stared, and then she spoke
Chorus
Baby I like what I see …
Now we get no extra sonic action in the chorus, and line two's drink is still waving his arms for attention, wondering if he'll ever meet a nice noun or verb to hook up with.
EXERCISE 29
Make up your own title, and, using it as the first line of an oncoming chorus, write an ABA structure leading up to it. Make the second line's ending vowel target a vowel sound inside your title. Then rewrite the second line's ending again to target a different vowel sound in your title.
COMBINATIONS OF FOUR LINES
Understanding basic three-line motion helps you understand how to move a section forward and how to stop it. It gives you the ability to control motion, and therefore use the way a structure moves and feels to support your ideas — for example, making the structure move haltingly when the protagonist is unsure of what to do next. Your study of three-line sequences not only helps you understand how and why lines float or raise expectations by pushing forward, it also shows you how to resolve the section, often with just one more line.
We'll now look at four-line sections from most stable to least stable; some of them pretty stable, some that fool you a little, some with little surprises, and some that are still unstable and moving forward.
AAAA
She stared at me before she spoke
a
4 =A
She said the day had come to go
a
4 =A
A little bent, a lotta broke
a
4 =A
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
Lots of stability here — it's basically Eenie Meenie Miney Moe. It has two balancing points: at the end of line two and at the end of line four. This is as solid as a structure can get. Relatively speaking, it doesn't move much, since it stops you in the middle, breaking into two matched two-line sections. The third A connects a bit with the first two, so, as we saw in the three-line AAA section, the lean forward toward the last line is pretty weak. So the last line isn't quite as much a “point of arrival” as it will be in other structures. The spotlights aren't as bright. If this were a chorus, it would be a good opportunity to put the title in both the first and last line:
A little bent, a lotta broke
a
4 =A
She said the day had come to go
a
4 =A
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
A little bent, a lotta broke
a
4 =A
It's a nice surprise to hear it repeated, but we weren't being pulled inexorably toward it. The journey was much more steady, almost matter-of-fact. The structure portrays an attitude.
EXERCISE 30
Match the AAAA structure above using your own words and your own title at the top and bottom.
AABB
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
A little bent, a lotta broke
a
4 =A
I stopped a bit to get a bite
b
5 =B
Found myself a quarter light
b
5 =B
With AAB we get a stronger push forward than AAA gave. We've heard a different sound and now are looking to pair it with another B. We still get a complete stop at the end of line two, and then again creating two two-line sections. A very stable structure. When the protagonist says something using this structure, he/she's telling the truth. It's a stable fact.
ABAB
I hitched to Tulsa worn and soaked
a
4 =A
I stopped to get a bite
b
3 =B
; A little bent, a lotta broke
a
4 =A
A single quarter light
b
3 =B
Boy, does this stop dead. Common meter, fully resolved but full of motion. We get a push forward by the shorter line two, then a big push when we hear line three match line one in length and rhyme. As before, ABA raises strong expectations for the repeat of B. This is called common meter for a reason. It's everywhere.
EXERCISE 31
Find five examples of common meter in songs you know. It shouldn't take long.
XAXA
I hitched to Tulsa tired and worn
x
4 =X
I stopped to get bite
a
3 =A
A little bent, a lotta broke
x
4 =X