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round my head, just about to go insane, it's all in my mind, heaven above, deep inside, hanging on the wire, I was lost and now I'm found, I give it to thee, turn to stone, cold as ice, by your side, sweeter than/taste like wine, get me through,
get on down, heart like a stone, catch me/you if I/you fall.
In pop lyrics, prediction is an easy business: mountains tend to crumble into the sea, rivers always flow to the sea
and stars fall from the sky. Try not to use filler words – well, baby, just, really. These add nothing to the sense and
only occupy space in a line.
Redeeming Clichès
One way to redeem a clichè is to exploit its latent meaning. This requires looking at it with a fresh eye to see how it
might be developed in an unexpected direction. In 'Clubland' Elvis Costello came up with "The long arm of the law
slides up the outskirts of town", and in 'Possession' he wrote "You lack lust – you're so lackluster". Robert Plant's
'Heaven Knows' has the wordplay "You were pumping iron as I was pumping irony'', and 'Substitute' has a
memorable line that was created by replacing "silver" with "plastic" in "I was born with a plastic spoon in my
mouth".
First Lines
A good opening line is valuable. Not only does it set you, the writer, up for the rest of the lyric, but it grabs the
listener's attention. Here are a few fine opening statements that show different approaches:
"When I met you at the station you were standing with a bootleg in yourhand' (character)
–'Hi Hi Hi'"Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate' (imagery)
–'This Charming Man'"I may not always love you' (the unexpected)
–'God Only Knows'"He always runs where others walk' (enigmatic)
-'Thunderball'"Stopped into a church I passed along the way' (dramatic)
–'California Dreaming'"Why do birds suddenly appear' (question)
–'Close To You'"A long, long time ago' (story)
–'American Pie'"This is the modern world' (title and declaration)
–'This Is The Modern World'"The screen door slams; Mary's dress waves' (cinematic)
–'Thunder Road'"There must be some kind of way out of here' (problem)
–'All Along The Watchtower'"I am an anti-Christ' (defiance, blasphemy)
–'Anarchy In The UK'"I blame you for the moonlit sky' (apparently illogical accusation)
–'Sleeping Satellite'
Word-Play and Titles
Titles themselves can be inspiring. Sometimes they fix a mood long enough for