Alright, let’s talk about writing lyrics for musicals and plays. This isn’t just about rhyming words; it’s about telling a story, revealing characters, and moving the plot along. Think of it as weaving different threads together to make something truly special. I’m going to break down how to create lyrics that really connect with people and move the story forward.
It All Starts with the Story, the Character, and Why We’re Even Singing
Before you put anything on paper, you need to understand the core of what you’re trying to do. Lyrics in a staged production are never just there for fun; they always serve the bigger picture.
What’s Happening in This Scene? My Checklist Before I Even Write a Word
Every song comes from a specific part of the story and has a clear reason for being there. So, I always ask myself these questions:
- What just happened? Where are the characters emotionally and plot-wise leading into this song?
- What needs to happen because of this song? What’s the main dramatic job of this song? Is it spilling a secret, kicking off a fight, making a character act, or giving everyone an emotional release?
- Who’s singing? What are they feeling right now? What do they want? What’s going on inside their head, and what external stuff is getting in their way?
- What do I want the audience to feel or understand by the end of this scene/song?
- What’s the “punchline” or the main takeaway? How does this song set up the next scene or push the story forward?
Here’s an example: If I have a scene where a character, who’s been walked all over, finally decides to fight back, the song’s point isn’t just “they’re angry.” It’s “they’re going from being passively angry to actively fighting, and they’re going to tell us exactly how brave they are now and promise to confront the person who’s been oppressing them.” This level of detail guides every word choice.
Give Your Character Their Own Voice: Keep it Real
The words have to sound like they’re coming straight from the character. Their vocabulary, their life experiences, their outlook on the world – all of that should shape the lyrics. A kid from the streets isn’t going to sound like a grizzled army general, and a hopeful, innocent young woman won’t express herself like a cynical, jaded person.
- What’s Going on in Their Head? Think about how this character talks to themselves when they’re alone. What thoughts keep coming back? What are their deepest fears or their wildest dreams?
- How Do They Talk? Do they use slang? Are they formal? Do they say a lot or do they get straight to the point? Do they interrupt themselves? Do they have phrases they always use?
- Their Emotional Journey Within the Song: Even a two-minute song can show a small emotional shift. Does the character start scared and end up determined? Do they start confused and find clarity? The words you choose have to show this change.
For example: If my character is a cynical, world-weary detective, their lyrics might be full of dry observations, rhetorical questions, and a general distrust of everything. They wouldn’t suddenly burst into a flowery, romantic song unless that was a deliberate choice to show a big change. On the flip side, a child’s song should reflect their simple understanding of the world, what they actually see, and maybe their budding hopes or fears.
How to Tell a Story with Lyrics: From Big Ideas to Tiny Details
Lyrics are like condensed storytelling. Every line is a little piece of the narrative, carrying information, emotion, or action.
Show, Don’t Just Tell: Paint Pictures with Your Words
Avoid just saying things directly. Instead of “I’m sad,” show why they’re sad. “The rain outside my window mirrors the tears I can’t let out” is much more powerful and specific to the character.
- Use Your Senses: What does the character see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Touch? Ground the lyrics in the physical world of the play.
- Strong Verbs: Use powerful verbs that show movement, emotion, or purpose. “He lurched through the door” is much more impactful than “He walked in.”
- Specific Nouns: “The chipped teacup on the windowsill” is stronger than “a cup.” These small details add depth and realism to the world.
Case in point: Instead of a character singing, “I hate this town,” they might sing: “Another morning, the same dull bricks, the same tired dust on every street / The whispers of their judging eyes as I drag my worn-out feet.” This connects the emotion to real, frustrating details.
Themes: Weaving in Deeper Meaning
Lyrics are a great way to explore the big themes of your play. Without being preachy, subtle hints, recurring ideas, and different character viewpoints can make the themes much richer.
- Key Words and Phrases: Find words or ideas that are central to your theme and bring them back subtly in different parts of the show.
- Metaphors and Imagery: Develop a consistent set of images or metaphors that relate to your theme. If your theme is oppression, maybe imagery of cages, shadows, or heavy chains keeps popping up.
- How Characters See the Theme: How does each character, through their personal song, show a different side of the play’s main idea?
For example: If a play’s theme is the cost of ambition, one character might sing about the excitement of climbing to the top (using mountain imagery), while another sings about the loneliness there (using imagery of empty rooms or fading applause).
Structure and Rhyme: Building Your Lyrical House
While lyrics aren’t exactly poetry, they share a rhythm and structure.
Song Form: The Blueprint for the Emotional Ride
Most musical songs follow pretty standard structures (like verse-chorus, AABA, verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-out), but these aren’t strict rules. The form has to serve what you’re trying to do dramatically.
- Verse: This usually moves the story forward, introduces new information, or develops the character’s situation or argument.
- Chorus: This is the emotional core, the main idea, or the big question that keeps coming back. It should be memorable and sum up the song’s main message.
- Bridge: This offers a change in perspective, brings in new stakes, creates a turning point, or makes the emotion more intense. It breaks the pattern before coming back to the chorus with new meaning.
- Pre-Chorus: Builds excitement or anticipation leading into the chorus. It often sounds similar to the chorus melody but with slightly different words.
- Outro: Gives a sense of closure, a lingering thought, or a dramatic ending that pushes the audience into the next scene.
Think about this: A character’s first verse might describe their boring life. The pre-chorus builds their frustration. The chorus expresses their desperate wish to escape. The second verse details an opportunity. The bridge acknowledges their fear of change, and the final chorus is sung with new determination, showing they’ve made a decision.
Rhyme Scheme: A Quiet Helper, Not a Loud Show-Off
Rhymes should feel natural, not forced. Their main job is to add a sense of musicality and make the lyrics memorable, not to make them sound like a nursery rhyme.
- Purposeful Rhyme: Does the rhyme highlight a key word, create a funny moment, or drive a point home?
- Be Subtle: Don’t go for obvious, predictable rhymes. Use near rhymes, slant rhymes (words that sound similar but aren’t exact, like “moon” and “tune,” or “love” and “prove”), or internal rhymes to add sophistication.
- Meaning and Character Come First: Never sacrifice clarity, a character’s voice, or the story just to get a rhyme. If a perfect rhyme gets in the way of the dramatic purpose, change it.
- Rhyme Schemes (AABB, ABAB, ABCB, etc.): Play around to find what fits the song’s energy and message. A simple AABB can work well for a whimsical or direct song, while an ABCB might give you more freedom for a complex story.
Example of a forced rhyme: “I absolutely must leave, or I’ll certainly grieve.” (Predictable, a bit clunky.)
Example of a more natural or slant rhyme: “The city’s walls begin to close, a heavy, suffocating weight / I long for skies where freedom flows, before it’s truly, truly late.” (“Weight” and “late” is a slant rhyme, creating a softer, less obvious connection.)
Meter and Rhythm: Speaking to the Music
Lyrics are meant to be sung. They need to fit a musical rhythm and melody. While you’re not writing the music, having a feel for meter (the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables) really helps.
- Natural Speech: Read your lyrics out loud. Do they flow naturally? Do they sound like something someone would actually say? Awkward phrasing will sound clunky when sung.
- Syllable Count: Be aware of how many syllables are in each line, especially if you’re aiming for a consistent rhythm or working with a composer. Any changes should be on purpose.
- Stress Patterns: Figure out where the stressed syllables are. These often line up with important words or emotional moments.
For instance: Take the line “The wind howls through the empty halls.” The stressed syllables (marked with ) give it a clear rhythm. If you wrote: “My, the *wind, it howls through halls that are empty,” the rhythm is less consistent, potentially harder to set to music.
The Rewriting Process: Making It Shine
No first draft is perfect. The real skill in lyric writing is in constantly refining and revising until it’s just right.
Be Ruthless: Cut What Doesn’t Serve the Purpose
Every single word has to earn its spot. If it doesn’t help the story, the character, or the emotion, get rid of it.
- Clarity: Is the meaning clear? Can the audience grasp it just by listening once?
- Conciseness: Can you say the same thing in fewer words? Get rid of repeats and unnecessary adjectives/adverbs.
- Impact: Does each line deliver maximum emotional or narrative punch?
- Flow: Do the lines transition smoothly? Are there any awkward phrases or changes in tone?
Here’s an example: Original: “I really, truly feel that I need to go to a different place to start a brand new life.”
Revised: “I need a new horizon, fresh life’s start.” (More concise, active, and poetic).
Working with Others: Your Composer is Your Partner
If you’re writing for a musical, chances are you’ll be working with a composer. This relationship is incredibly important.
- Communicate Your Intent: Clearly explain the dramatic purpose and emotional journey of each song to your composer.
- Be Open to Changes: Be willing to adapt. A phrase that looks beautiful on paper might not sound right with a melody, and vice versa. Sometimes, changing just one word can open up completely new musical possibilities.
- Listen Carefully: Pay attention to how your lyrics sound when sung. Does the music enhance or detract from their meaning? Is the emotional emphasis correct?
Illustration: A lyricist might write “The world is crumbling ’round my feet.” The composer might set it to a delicate melody. The lyricist might then change it to “The world shatters ’round my feet,” to better match the intended musical intensity, or the composer might adjust the music to reflect the original lyric’s sense of slow decay.
Think Like the Performer: Can They Deliver This?
Consider the actor who will perform your lyrics.
- Pronunciation: Are there any tongue-twisters or awkward vowel/consonant combinations that will be hard to sing clearly?
- Breath Control: Are the phrases too long without natural places for the singer to breathe?
- Emotional Journey: Does the way the lyrics progress allow the actor to truthfully build and reveal the character’s inner world?
- Actability: Are there moments for the actor to truly react, pause, or use their body? Lyrics aren’t just spoken words; they’re acted.
For example: A line with rapid-fire internal rhymes like “The flickering, trickling light, just a quick little fright” might be vocally challenging and sound messy if not carefully written. Reworking it to allow for more open vowels or fewer dense consonant clusters improves clarity for the singer.
Advanced Techniques: Adding More Depth
Once you’ve got the basics down, explore ways to make your lyrical storytelling even better.
Subtext: What’s Underneath the Words
Lyrics don’t always need to explicitly state everything. Often, what’s implied carries more weight.
- Double Meanings: A character might sing about the weather, but the audience understands they’re really talking about their emotional state.
- Figurative Language: Use metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole to convey meaning indirectly.
- Contrast Between Lyrics and Action/Music: A character singing optimistic words while their actions or the somber music betray their true feelings creates dramatic tension.
Example: A character sings about “waiting for spring,” but the audience knows they’re actually waiting for a loved one to return from war. The “spring” becomes a metaphor for hope and reunion.
Recurring Motifs: Like Musical and Lyrical Themes
Just as composers use leitmotifs (recurring musical themes), you can echo phrases, images, or even single words throughout a character’s journey or across multiple songs.
- Character Arcs: A character might sing “I’m lost” at the beginning, then “I’m found” or “I’m charting my own course” at the end, showing their development.
- Parallelism: Two different characters might sing about similar struggles using different imagery, highlighting a shared human experience.
Consider this: In a play about a family dealing with a secret, different characters might sing about “shadows,” “locked doors,” or “things left unsaid,” uniting their individual struggles under a common lyrical idea.
Pacing and Dynamic Shifts Within a Song
A song isn’t just one continuous thing. It moves through highs and lows, quiet moments and explosive declarations.
- Vary Line Length: Short, impactful lines can create tension or emphasize a point. Longer lines can convey exposition or a stream of consciousness.
- Vary Rhyme Scheme/Meter: A sudden shift can indicate a change in emotional intensity or a dramatic realization.
- Build-up and Release: Where does the song need to build emotional tension? Where does it need to resolve or release that tension? Lyrics must support this vocal and musical dynamic.
For instance: A song might start with short, anxious phrases, build to longer, more desperate declarations, then finally burst into a powerful, anthemic chorus as the character finds their resolve.
Comedy and Humor: The Art of the Clever Line
Humor in lyrics is more than just punchlines. It’s about character, situation, and wit.
- Character-Specific Humor: What would this character find funny, or what makes them seem absurd?
- Irony and Sarcasm: Letting the audience in on a secret the character doesn’t realize, or using understatement for comedic effect.
- Unexpected Rhyme or Pun: If it serves the humor and character, a clever, unexpected rhyme can really land a joke.
- Exaggeration: Over-the-top descriptions or reactions can be inherently funny.
Example: A haughty, self-important character might sing: “My genius, though often misunderstood / Is merely proof I’m too terribly good.” The humor comes from their sincere belief in their own superiority.
The Ultimate Question: Does It Move the Story Forward?
Every lyric, every rhyme, every verse must ultimately serve the dramatic purpose of the musical or play. Lyrics that are just pretty poetry, no matter how well-crafted, don’t belong in this context. They have to propel the plot, deepen our understanding of characters, amplify emotion, or reveal crucial information.
Hold every line accountable: Is it essential? Does it earn its place? If the scene would be just as powerful, or the character’s journey just as clear, without that particular lyric, then you need to re-evaluate it. Lyrics for the stage aren’t just art; they are tools in the grand machine of storytelling. Master them, and you will unlock powerful new dimensions in your theatrical narratives.