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what makes a great lyricist?

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imapiratearg:
I love his lyrics too, though I would have used "A King and a Queen."

But these guys are right, especially Khar.  Basically, you want to create a vivid image, or convey a feeling so that the listener will actually feel like like they are experiencing what the song is about.  I think with music, you've got a bit more freedom to experiment with rhyme and meter.  I often forget meter when I'm writing lyrics, so I have to scrap most of them.  I have no problem rhyming though.

My favorite lyricist is John Samson of The Weakerthans:


--- Quote ---My city's still breathing (but barely it's true)
through buildings gone missing like teeth.
The sidewalks are watching me think about you,
sparkled with broken glass.
I'm back with scars to show.
Back with the streets I know
Will never take me anywhere but here.
The stain in the carpet, this drink in my hand,
the strangers whose faces I know.
We meet here for our dress-rehearsal to say " I wanted it this way"
Wait for the year to drown.
Spring forward, fall back down.
I'm trying not to wonder where you are.
All this time lingers, undefined.
Someone choose who's left and who's leaving.
Memory will rust and erode into lists of all that you gave me:
a blanket, some matches, this pain in my chest,
the best parts of Lonely, duct-tape and soldered wires,
new words for old desires,
and every birthday card I threw away.
I wait in 4/4 time.
Count yellow highway lines that you're relying on to lead you home.
--- End quote ---

KharBevNor:
I was trying to decide on some lyrics to post. 'The Carnival is Dead and Gone' by Current 93, that is what I think I shall post.

Dear Sir, Dear Lady
This carnival is dead and gone
And never any way
Alas, this party never yet began
The chairs and tables, dust of dust
Yes verydust of veryrust of verymust and farewell trust
(I thought I saw You in the crowd, dearheart
You turned away from me and then you dissolved into light)
The broken lights and faded buntings
Call to us all: The Inmost Light
And don't glare wide Your eyes in wonder
They will flick back inside Your mind
And on the bonescreen of Your skull
They watch no music-hall salutes
(So thoroughly modern now we are)
But the last reel of all time
The Inmost Night
(Its frames are glared and slow and out of focus
Valentino, Vallee, Moss-all dead!
The Inmost Night)
And the little bells go tinkle
And Your eyes begin to twinkle
And the joints and sinews crack
It's the expansion of Your mind, Death!
Death!
Death!
Death!
(The Inmost Night)
The cat's face glares from shiny card
The deadcats from my past
You tumble, You froth and fun forever:
An orchestra from another time
Another world, all dead
(The church bells silent; the rain-stained glass of God is smashed)
And You take Your choice,You sup with the devil,
You choke on Your pride for ever and ever
My memory of my Inmost Light
It tumbles, froth and fun forever
Vulvaic memories imagined of my wouldbelife
Well that won't be
And that won't be
And that won't be
And for my troubles and my pain
And for the losses and the Wains
I get a picture in my mind
The slyly smily smiling kiss
Of Your sweet Heart and Face
And Your legs in some final benediction
Your inmost warm heart says ta-ra
The Inmost Light
And I wished to die inside of You
And push up into Your heart so violently that
Face to face with matrix creatrix am
The Inmost Light
The Inmost Night!

I dare say there will be scoffing, but seriously this is good shit. The imagery! And he's only getting better with age.

imapiratearg:

--- Quote from: KharBevNor on 27 Oct 2007, 07:53 ---bonescreen
--- End quote ---

Is that like a kenning or something?

jimbunny:
Don't fill space.

kablaaamo:
Know when to stop, is my advice. I am not really a lyrics person: really REALLY good words can still make me stop and go 'oh', but otherwise, it is all about the melody of a tune. Don't focus on lyrics at the expense of doing something interesting with the musical part. It's about being able to do both; an effective song will make good lyrics better.

Along those lines, I like it when a lyricist pays attention to the sounds the words make rather than strictly their meaning. Carl Newman from the New Pornographers is pretty good at this sort of songwriting; if you listen to his lyrics, they make pretty much no literal sense, and he claims that there is nothing deeper to them; it's all about the assonance and dissonance as part of his melody.

Zach Condon is a good lyricist in this respect as well, I think. He doesn't really write many words for each song, and they're nothing particularly profound; it's more about adding his voice, as instrument, to his arsenal. Lots of long vowel sounds for that; "liiiiiiiiiiiiife, life is alright on the rhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine". Yep.

I am not a musician. I have no constructive advice about how to achieve this sort of thing, or even if this is a good goal, or even further if used the right terms and all that to express properly what I meant.

(oh and John K. Sampson, Dan Bejar, Spencer Krug and John Darnielle.....they're also pretty amazing.)

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