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The Verse
The verse is lyrically where you lay out the situation and establish the song's style. Verses are anything from about eigh
in length, usually in a figure divisible by four. Verses of any length can have their own internal structure. Two lines of l
four-bar four-chord turnaround repeated, or four lines to four times round:

C Am G F (x4)

It would be more interesting to use the turnaround only three times and then change to something else:

C Am G F (x3) G F G F

This type of 3 + 1 formula is very common, as is the making of a verse by constructing an eight-bar sequence and repea

C G F G F Em Am G (x2)

Notice how this stays off the key chord, C, until the start of the next eight bars. 'Hotel California' is a famous 8-bar prog

I Vmaj VII IVmaj VI III IV Vmaj

Bm F# A E G D Em F#

Sam Cooke's 'Cupid' does this with just four chords:

IVIIIVI V I V

CAmC F C G CG

Notice how it never loses touch with chord I. The changes are like short steps away from the key centre, not a long journ
'Hotel California' where once the music has left the key chord of B minor it does not reach it again until the start of the n
Mann's 'Fox On The Run' has a lovely chorus progression:

I V II IV II V IV I

CGDmFDmG F C

Notice how the second Dm is poignant because somewhat unexpected and the approach to the last C via F is softer than
G.
A common trick is to repeat an eight bar phrase with a change of the last chord second time around. Big Star's 'The Ball
this:

I IV II V III VI IV bVI

G C Am D Bm Em C Eb

The second time through Eb is replaced by F.

Verse Asymmetry
A verse could have an odd number of bars tacked on the end, sometimes to allow a few extra words to be added. These
extensions can be great touches because they break the "tyranny of four". The chorus might appear a