How to Write Lyrics has everything you need to stimulate the words for your songs. A comprehensive guide to the lyricist's art, it takes you step by step through the writing process, from initial idea-to-finished song. It offers 30 methods for finding inspiration, explores choosing a title, advises on the use of metaphor and simile, and provides helpful guidance on rhyme and rhythm. It explains how to broaden your subjects by writing beyond the confessional first person and freeing your imagination to tell other stories than your own. And it discusses overcoming writer's block, the difference between lyrics and poetry, avoiding clichés, handling narrative, and more. New to this revised edition are examples of taking a lyric from rough sketch to final text, and a gallery of sample lyrics illustrating different styles, plus updated artist and song references to reflect today's musical trends. These feed into a large sourcebook of potential subjects with references to famous songs that use those themes, showing how they are used in rock and pop lyrics. To back up the advice, the book closes with interviews with nine celebrated songwriters, including Aimee Mann, Nick Cave, David Crosby, and Chuck D, all of whom offer valuable insights into the songwriting process.

Book jacket.