Lyric Writing
Summary
Abstract
Lyric writing is the most discussed topic in songwriting-talk with 304 categorized messages — the channel’s dominant theme. The community’s philosophy centers on emotional honesty over technical craft, with oaklandmatt’s “write embarrassingly honest songs” and Rob Domos’s “incriminate yourself” principle as foundational ideas. The strong consensus is that lyrics come first — 90% of professional songwriters oaklandmatt has worked with are “lyric forward,” putting feelings into words before melodies.
Detail
Lyrics-First Philosophy
The channel’s defining songwriting principle:
Source
Author: oaklandmatt — Date: 2021-10-19 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 16 reactions “Write embarrassingly honest songs about your life. What’s exciting you stressing you making you sad making you uncomfortable etc. PS, all the A level songwriters I’ve worked with are super lyric forward. Most people think it’s finding a melody then writing lyrics to it, but 90% of the great writers I know are putting their feelings into words well before they’re getting on the mic.”
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Author: oaklandmatt — Date: 2024-03-23 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 17 reactions “I would focus almost all your energy on becoming a better, more truthful, richer lyricist. That’s the only place you’ll be original because there’s only one you. Paradoxically, it’s also the way you’ll write songs that have a universal appeal because the more personal you get, the more the underlying universal emotions will resonate with people.”
Emotional Honesty and Vulnerability
The community identifies vulnerability as the primary engine of great lyrics:
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Author: Rob Domos — Date: 2021-04-26 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 16 reactions “I once got in a lonnnnnnnnng philosophical conversation with this mastering engineer who was mentoring me back when I was still an artist and he gave me the best assignment ever. He said ‘I want you to incriminate yourself. Write whatever you least want people to hear from you.’ I did and it was the best response I’d ever gotten on something I’d made at that point. It completely changed the way I write.”
This “incriminate yourself” principle is one of the most transformative pieces of advice in the channel — the idea that the songs you’re most afraid to share are usually the ones that connect most deeply with listeners.
Lyrics and Melody Relationship
oaklandmatt’s position is that lyrics generate melody naturally:
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Author: oaklandmatt — Date: 2024-03-23 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 17 reactions “When you have something to say, it’s surprising how little you pay attention to the melody. The melodies and structural components seem to just come when your heart is already in the story.”
However, Rob Domos shares a counterpoint from legendary lyricist Alan Burgman (age 98, credits include Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones):
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Author: Rob Domos — Date: 2023-11-24 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 12 reactions “He has a strong preference for melody being written before the lyrics, which is particularly interesting considering his career is as a lyric guy.”
The Longevity Test
Alan Burgman’s test for great songwriting, shared by Rob Domos:
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Author: Rob Domos — Date: 2023-11-24 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 12 reactions “Writers these days are more interested in immediate appeal than they are in a great song. They aren’t the same thing. A great song is only a great song if people will want to cover it in 30 years.”
Don’t Intellectualize While Writing
A strong recurring theme — analysis kills the creative spark:
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Author: oaklandmatt — Date: 2023-02-19 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 15 reactions “The best songs are never calculated, they’re always just felt as they’re being created. They are magical/incalculable moments. As soon as people start analyzing — ‘is this too generic?’ ‘maybe we should have a part like insert artist’ — the song loses its magic.”
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Author: oaklandmatt — Date: 2024-02-07 — Channel: songwriting-talk — 11 reactions “Anytime I’m intellectualizing when I’m writing, the song gets worse. If you’re editing or producing or prepping, it’s definitely good to intellectualize some of the time. If you’re going to write for pitch, I would suggest thinking about it in your prep and in your production/finishing, and completely ignoring it when you’re creating.”
Rhyme and Craft
The channel debates the role of formal craft elements:
- Slant rhymes — Rob Domos and Alan Burgman debated “phonetic tension and release” at Thanksgiving dinner; generational divide between traditional perfect rhymes and modern looser conventions
- Word choice — oaklandmatt emphasizes learning great lyrics by singing them daily, reinforcing “good sounding words”
- Journaling — writing lyrics in journals and notebooks vs phone; the community is split, with some preferring paper because “you CAN SEE WHAT YOU ERASED”
Practical Application
- Write from personal experience and emotional truth — the more specific and personal, the more universal
- Try the “incriminate yourself” exercise: write about what you least want people to know
- Put lyrics before melody — let the emotional content generate melodic ideas naturally
- Learn great lyrics by singing them daily (not just reading them)
- Separate writing mode from editing mode — don’t intellectualize during creation
- Write a song a day for a month to build fluency and overcome preciousness
Common Mistakes
- Waiting for inspiration rather than building a daily practice
- Intellectualizing or analyzing during the writing phase
- Prioritizing melody or production over lyrical content
- Being too protective of lyrics — not sharing vulnerable material
- Confusing “immediate appeal” with lasting quality
- Writing about abstract concepts rather than specific personal experiences
See Also
- Creative Process and Songwriting Practice — daily routines and overcoming blocks
- Co-Writing and Collaboration — collaborative lyric writing dynamics
- Songwriting and Arrangement — song structure and arrangement decisions
- Music Theory for Producers — chord progressions that support lyrics
- Vocal Mixing — delivering lyrics in the mix
Source Discussions
Discord Source
Channel: songwriting-talk — Date Range: 2021-04 to 2026-02 Key contributors: oaklandmatt, Rob Domos, Slow Hand, ehutton21, Matthew The Cooke, Brian Reynolds Message volume: 304 categorized messages (Lyrics & Lyric Writing)