How do I write better lyrics?

read some poetry shit, preferably those that were written between the 15th and 19th centuries

>>72762448
yeah read good poetry and read about what makes good poetry good

If you don't have the artistic understanding to write good lyrics than reading poetry or even trying to write profound or meaningful lyrics is going to result in you sounding like a poser try hard.
Name your 3 favorite lyricists and I'll determine if you can write good lyrics.

(I have what some people call *clears throat* GOOD TASTE)

>>72762547
>Name your 3 favorite lyricists

Kanye West
Stephen Sondheim
I don't have a third

>>72762609
what the frick

>>72762646
What, I can't like rap and musicals?
Sondheim is brilliant.
I was tempted to say Stephen Schwartz for third because I love Pippin and The Prince of Egypt, but realized I pay more attention to the score for those than the lyrics. Same with Jason Robert Brown.

>>72762723
Sondheim is a good writer, no hate

>>72762448
listen to a lot of lil pump

having something to say helps

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>>72763291
Huh. Maybe that's the problem.
I know what I want to say and what things I want to write about, but that's not necessarily the same as having something to say, right?

>>72762448

literally just stop trying. All my worst lyrics come when I actually think I have a message to say and want to convey it. Good lyrics are all about imagery and metaphors. Just use simple phrases that provoke imagery. Example from something I wrote recently:

Broken Mirrors
Empty Spaces
How do you fall in love,
Without falling?

basically I just take choppy phrases that don't really have to make sense right? But it sounds cool in the context of music. Let the music do the talking an the words don't matter. The more you try to focus on the words the more cringey it sounds IMO

>>72763662
>broken mirrors
>empty spaces
>how do you fall in love,
>without falling?
I didn't know this was a cringe thread anon

>>72763662
Those lyrics aren't good anon. I'm sorry.

>>72763678

yeah but I just wrote that shit in 5 minutes. Literally just come up with some cringey one-liners and string them together

>>72763678
>>72763733
All lyrics sound dumb written

sometimes i take a line from a song i like and use it as a building block for the rest of the song. When the song begins to take its own shape and theme, i remove or change the line i used.

>>72763757
wrong
>freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose
>nothing don't mean nothing, 'cause its free

Get your heart broken, live in misery

>>72763662
>basically I just take choppy phrases that don't really have to make sense right? But it sounds cool in the context of music.
I'm trying to write hip-hop though, and I just can't stop thinking/trying.

>>72763819
>freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose

she's literally just doing what I said to do here but better example:
>>72763662

literally has nothing to do with the rest of the song, it's just a cute phrase she probably spent a lot of time coming up with

>>72763819
Those are horrible, but you didn't quote the lyrics correctly.

>>72763856
>live in misery
Done, I hate myself and have clinical depression + anxiety.
>Get your heart broken
Never been in a relationship, but I've lost a lot of friends.

>>72763888
>I'm trying to write hip-hop though

NIGGA NIGGA BOOGA BOOGA
WHITE PUSSY
BLACK DICK
YING-YANG MOTHERFUCKER THAT REAL SHIT

SHIIIIIIIIIIT YEAH MUFUCKA WOOPALOOOPADEDOOP

>>72763806
That's a great idea, I'll try it, thank you.

tfw wanna post lyrics but scared someone will take them

>>72763941
>how to be insecure hater of black culture

>>72764173
no one's gonna take your shit lyrics

>>72764173
The best way to look at it is whether YOU like them.

Pop music: dumb it down to like 5th grade level, write about what teenagers like, love, texting, emojis, stickers

Non pop music: be really vague and poetic, less is more in a way, keep people in mystery, dont just blurt out "i love you, yeah yeah"

>>72764750
9gag: The Post

>>72763662
>broken mirrors
>empty spaces
>how do you fall in love,
>without falling?
What did he mean by this?

>>72762547
Mark Kozelek
Joanna Newsom
Phil Elverum

>>72764670
Except rap songs are usually about sex. Listen to any rap song this decade and I bet you there will be sex in it. He didn't even mention that hip hop was exclusive to black people
See; Eminem

>>72765745
>Kendrick Lamar - Most Of DAMN.
>Death Grips - On GP
>Danny Brown - Hell For It

But by in large, you are correct.

>>72763662
I respect you putting yourself out there, but those are laughably bad

Example from something I wrote recently:

Broken Condoms
Empty Refrigerators
How do you put your penis in a girl,
Without a penis?

>>72766156
kek

>>72762448
Stop caring about writing good lyrics and just write whatever comes to mind. It might not be deep shit about death and feelings and shit. It might just be a song about pants or sandwiches. Or it might be about feelings. I just find that the best stuff for me tends to be the stuff that comes effortlessly. And I happen to have a lot to say about SportClips and not that much to say about love or death.

>>72763662
kek

>>72765745

>anon who has never heard of conscious Hip-Hop


whats wrong with talking about women and trying to fuck them anyways? you arent GAY anon, right?

Hate capitalism, be misanthropic, be nihilistic, dont be in a relationship

>>72765070
Kek

>>72766278
I hate everything that comes to mind, it's absolute shit.

>>72766528
Literally just look around at random shit and then write a song about it. See a bowling alley? Write a song about bowling. It can be as dumb as you want and it will come out good. Do you think I wanted to write a song about God damn SportClips? No. I wish I could write a song about class struggle or some shit. But I saw a piece of junk mail from SportClips and wrote a song about it and it's the best thing I've ever done lyrically. I'm never going to write any other way again. It's just so much easier and better to write about McDonalds or whatever the fuck I happen to look at. I don't even know if I've been in love before, but I've probably eaten thousands of fries in my life. I'm like an expert on fries. I have tons of opinions on PF Chang's. Why would I write about anything else?

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>>72766650

Search and read some berklee songwitring books and make the exercise until you get something good.

>>72766727
I could write a song about the damn Ninja turtles if the perfect one didn't already exist.

write when you're emotional. try to make yourself more emotional if you're not.

read literature and make obscure references to it.

study well-regarded lyrics and poems. aside from memorisation, one method is to create a parody or a pastiche (basically a non-derogatory parody) while maintaining the basic form of the original.

e.g. Two headed boy, with pulleys and weights, creating a radio played just for two, in the parlor with a moon across her face -> Six cornered star, which bullies and hates, inciting a racewar concocted by Jews, on a Chinese-cartoon site whose members lack brains.

it doesn't really matter if it's good or not, just as long as it's not complete nonsense. the process alone will make you more conscious of the rhythms, word variations, rhyme schemes, and other things which comprise eloquence but which largely go over our heads when we're listening casually. do it enough times and eventually your brain will start to assimilate the patterns into your unconsciousness, where they need to be if you don't want to sound contrived.

>>72766783
which one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaACrT6Ydik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bojx9BDpJks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNXDORibqkE

Trying to write a bass line
Drawing a blank
Like a gun with no bullets
Your mommas pussy stank

See? Meaningful lyrics don't have to be intricate

Almost all lyrics look bad when they're written. It's about how you translate them into melodies that matter.

>>72763662
>How do you fall in love,
>Without falling?
this line is actually pretty cool. You could work with this. I don't think the broken mirrors/empty spaces bit fits in though

>>72766337
capitalism is the root of all emptyness anon you have to know that there are ways to fill the void with meaningless things before you can express to others that the void in you exists you must embrace it to push it away is to deny that the void exists at all

get your rhyme schemes down first and the rest is creativity

>>72766885
Rhyming is overrated desu

Here's the dealio. Take drugs, write about your trips. example:

All around, the silly sounds
That almost seems to breath
They are for worse or better
Filling spaces in between

It's alright I found the time
The time to try to find
But some things are forgotten
And others never die

Alternatively, find out what genre of music you're r writing and see what the original artists of that genre wrote about. If you like lo-fi indie stuff, it's probably about being a young teenager or how bored you are with everything or some sleepy love song.

Learn some basic forms of structure. ABAB AABB. That sort of thing.
NEVER SAY EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN! Lyrics are interesting because you are representing something in a creative way. There is nothing creative about "my life sucks, she won't talk to me". If that's your point, sell it to me. Make me feel it. Maybe zoom in on why it sucks. Maybe it's bland and uninteresting like rice. Well then write about rice. Obviously rice is kinda silly but you see the process.

>>72766961
Good lyrics desu
Would write sadboy indie rock to

>>72762547
Biran Wilson
Peter Gabriel
Joanna Newsom

>>72767042
>all memes

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>>72767084

>>72767084
Elaborate

>>72766984
Thanks.
The trick with lyrics HONESTLY is just to write all the time. 65% is chance until you get really good. Every once in a while you will make something good but most of it is cheesy garbage.

You should look at life and try to see the deep allegories in things. If you get anything, write about it.

>>72762547
bob dylan
captain beefheart
bruce springsteen

>>72767157
Do you write music too or are you Bernie Taupin style?

>>72766800
>write when you're emotional. try to make yourself more emotional if you're not.

I'm always emotional, I have clinical depression. But it's really hard to communicate those feelings, especially when the depression makes me almost completely apathetic to anything but wanting to kill myself violently.

>>72763888
Same rules apply, if anything its easier because so many mediocre rappers do just say the same thing in different ways and not only that but you can hop from subject to subject from line to line

>>72766848
I'm writing hip-hop though.

>>72767204
Well, hiphop has its own form of melody called flow, yo

Also next time you realize youre just idly wasting away on the internet, waiting in line or whatever, write instead. posting some throwaway lyrics
Grain can make bread or it can make liquor
Two ways to force feed your problems and make them get bigger
youre cheaper than free cutting down dads apple tree trunk we flunked failed to fix amends but were drunk uncle sam wants to throw me in the slam but we dunk no prohibition in this kitchen is there a ship in this bottle my feet are bound as the sea sunk pleading guilty free speech treason this trials so out of season i tried as hard as i could and im giving you every reason
Did you really pull yourself up by your diamond studded bootstraps
Maybe if we kiss enough ass we can earn a few food scraps
When i think too much i vomit so pass me that gin that tonic yes im just so damn ironic wear my che t shirt with the price tag still on it

>>72767201
>if anything its easier because so many mediocre rappers do just say the same thing in different ways
hey, hey, don't mean to come off as a cunt, but did you consider that I don't want to be a mediocre rapper? Or do you think me actually trying will stand against people like Yachty that don't try at all? Probably, but I don't want to be another J. Cole.
>you can hop from subject to subject from line to line
I actually have so much trouble with that. Most rap songs cover a multitude of topics switching from bar to bar, but it's about impossible for me to write lyrics without a specific overarching theme which is ironic considering I hate storytelling and concept music.

>>72767216
I guess that's true.

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>>72767306
>yes im just so damn ironic wear my che t shirt with the price tag still on it

Rate my rap I wrote while smoking a reefer outside

Canada, my country, the only one for me
And I'm relaxin' here, in my degeneracy
The degenerate life, it's all I need
since I'm relaxin' here, degenerate and free

But one thing I'd love, is a degenerate wife
Picture me and my degenerate wife
Living our degenerate life, casually
Living degenerate, and living free

We could even generate some life, love
And never generate no strife, because
That's for those degenerates, who degenerate life
Instead we love and live degenerate, me and my wife

>>72766871
This

>>72762609
>Sondheim
you know what, okay
I accept this

>>72767365
count your syllables

>>72767416
I mean when I rap it it works fine

I heard some bro science that youre most creative when you wake up or before you go to bed so I've been writing before I go to bed every night for the past 2 months forcing myself to write even when I'm beyond lazy I've definitely gotten better comparing what I did at the start to now

basically
>>72766800

dubs dont lie

>>72767332
I wasnt implying that your goal is to be mediocre but that its pretty easy to be an average feature rapper if you just follow the criteria. If you follow the criteria loosely but actually have some insight and an ear for rhythm and melody then youre just as good as j cole or logic etc. Being able to focus on a concept or idea consistently is great but you also need to keep it interesting by approaching said concept in a non beaten path, like even if its just a verse from another persons perspective. Obviously you can get more creative than that too, i mean some kendrick songs are literally in an essay format

>>72767591
I'm such an asshole, you're trying to help and I can't think of a single nice way to respond to this post.

>>72762547
Rodger Waters
Frank Zappa
MF DOOM

>>72762547
Andre 3000
Frank Ocean
Mark Kozelek

>>72767174
Yeah man. I would be the biggest thing right now if I had a decent voice. I've been writing for a long time. It sucks to see yourself hit a wall because of something you have no control over though. I have a few basement tier recordings me and a friend did if your interested.

>>72762547
Mark Hollis
Bob Dylan
GZA

Eat my ass
All you ever was to me was a burden
One I couldn't carry
My arms are tired

There just wrote some lyrics right off the dome, what do you guys think?

>>72762547
Jeff Mangum
Mark Kozelek
Robert Pollard

>>72767653
Its chill, im just throwing ideas out cause o know theres at least a few people on here with a legit artistic vision but its just so easy to get pulled into a sea of self doubt, shortsighted scenes, halfhearted commitment and just plain laziness, and never reaching your potential or being heard or appreciated

>>72767873
Try it like this:
My ass
Eat it
All yoo-ou ever was to me-ee
Was a burden
A burden I couldn't carry
Too tired yeah
I said
I said my arms are too tired
Baby
Baby
Baby
Eat it
Eat it baby

How do you set lyrics meaningfully to a melody?

>>72767947
Listen to the melody first. What does it make you think of?
Usually the melody of someone's speech has certain trends. Like they will raise the pitch when they are saying the subject. Stuff like that will help the two things feel more unified.

You also should think about what sounds good when you sing it. Certain vowel can be weird in places. As far as coming up with stuff most people just sing the melody over and over throwing in words until something fits a little and they have something to build off of.

>>72767747
Sure I always like hearing music made by anons

>>72767306
Doom go to bed pls

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>>72763662
if you can't make these lyrics work you'll never be a good singer

>>72766871
For shits and giggles I turned it into a poem.

I am that I am,
self seeking self,
A stubborn ram
Being past help.

I am that I am,
self seeking else,
Could I be a lamb
Without an ewe?

How do you fall in love,
without falling?

I was that I was,
Mind breaking mind,
not knowing because
shivering blind

I will be,
I will be,
another--
not me

How do you fall in love,
without falling?

Read some poetry

>>72762448
Listen to good music that has a lot of good lyrics.
A example would be Nas from 1991-1997

>>72767969
https://soundcloud.com/minusmondays/thank-god-that-orwell-had-it-wrong

This is one I made a few years back that has always had a certain charm even though I have grown to dislike some of the lyrics. You should check out "nothing left to see" while you're at it. We recorded that while really high on weed and adderal and always refer to it as our masterpiece haha.

>>72767197
W R I T E
A B O U T
T H A T
I swear people don't listen to enough slowcore/DSBM/Screamo and Emo

lyrics don't matter, all that matters is the vocalist, the voice is just another instrument

>>72762547
Mark Kozelek
Sufjan Stevens
Johnny Cash

>>72762547
Joanna Newsom
Isaac Brock
MC Ride

>>72763757
Some of it really does not.
Lots of Modest Mouse lyrics read like poetry and Joanna Newsom does too, especially if you remove all the na na na na's and oh oh oh's.

The best way to determine whether or not the lyrics are good is 1) if they sound good with the song or spoken aloud and 2) if they also look good on paper.

If one qualifies but not the other, you've got some shitty lyrics.

>>72762448
>Name your 3 favorite lyricists and I'll determine if you can write good lyrics.

omg no

>>72767084
(not true by the way)

>>72762547
Joanna Newsom
Frank Ocean
MC Ride

>>72762448

Write words around the melody, never the other way around. Incredibly poetic and complex lyrics can also be shit if they don't go well with the melody.

>>72768126
That's really well written. You have talent, anon. Keep doing what you're doing.

>>72768734
this this this holy shit OP

you can be a brilliant writer/poet but if you aren't using the beat or instrumental as framework it won't matter

>>72762547

Mark Kozelek
Robin Pecknold
Joanna Newsom

>>72762547
Jay Z
Paul Simon
The Barenaked Ladies guy

>>72765745
I ain't mad atcha

>>72765745
Fuck the police
Tradin War Stories
Lifes a Bitch
All Falls Down
3005
Rhinestone cowboy
For Sale?
Ready To Die
Ain't no fun (kidding)
99 problems

>>72762448
you don't have to try to write poetry
you could just write like you're telling someone something
idk i find lyrics that are very "everyday language" have a more immediate impact on me at least

>>72763941
these are actually really cool lyrics desu

>>72767365
Literally Shit

>>72767747
Bob Dylan has a shitty voice and so do a lot of indie rockers, just sing, if you practice you'll get better anyway.

>>72762448
Read more and do more drugs.

>>72767365
not enough degenerates

>>72763662
gayest shit I have probably ever read congrats

>>72767930
>get pulled into a sea of self doubt, shortsighted scenes, halfhearted commitment and just plain laziness

Yeah, exactly.

>>72762609
Sondheim is brilliant.

And Musicals make me sick to my stomach for the most part.

>>72763662
kek

>>72768477
No, I don't listen to any of that shit, I'm not into it.
I said I don't know how to not vocalize, lyricize isn't a word.
I don't know how to translate these thoughts and feelings into simple rap lyrics.
Kanye does it so flawlessly, but he's not as insecure as I am, I think his depression is more recent whereas I haven't felt like a real person for 6 years.
I think I may also be having an identity crisis.

>>72768734
>>72768743
So I should learn how to produce?

>>72762547
Bob dylan
Leonard cohen
Spencer moody

>>72762547
robert plant
jim morrison
ian curtis
please answer

>>72765745
uh, i m fouteen and hate3 this generations music ?
its all stupid songs about hoes sex and drugs like nicky minaj and little wayne
io wish more poeple apreciated this kind of music

>>72766337
>don't be in a relationship
that's the one that works best for me

>>72765095
3.5/4
>>72767042
3/4
>>72767160
3/4
(Beefheart is carrying Dylan)
>>72767662
2/4
>>72767730
1.5/4
>>72767855
2/4
>>72767892
3.5/4
>>72768551
3.5/4
>>72768555
3/4
(Isaac Brock is carrying this one)
>>72768662
2/4
>>72768761
3/4
>>72769316
1.5/4
>>72772639
3.5/4
(Leonard Cohen is really carrying this one)
>>72772882
3.5/4

I was only asking him but since I'm such a kind connoisseur, I provided your ranked potential. You may not like it, but is, after all, good taste.

>>72762448
Read more, write more, develop a personality.

>>72762448

I find that I'm most inspired when I listen to lyrics from really good songwriters that I haven't heard yet

That's why I'm scared to get through the entire catalog of songwriters like Dylan, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell, etc. because I'm scared I won't feel the magic anymore

>>72768734

Didn't Dylan write his lyrics first and music second?

though I assume we don't have any Dylans in this thread

>>72763421
lyrics don't matter. not one person can give me 5 rock albums that have important lyrics. it's an impossible task.

>>72773628
dylan barely "wrote" music. his older stuff is just appropriated folk and blues, and his later stuff was studio musicians playing whatever they wanted. and not in a brian wilson way.

>>72773813
>dylan barely "wrote" music
Are you serious? He has his fair share of cover songs, but he did write The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin', Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, etc.
>and not in a brian wilson way.
How is this not a good thing?

>>72773785
Again, I'm writing hip-hop.

>>72773916
well there are 2 types of hip hop. fun dancey stuff and storytelling/societal analysis.

so i would recommend if you take yourself too seriously to tell an interesting story or have a unique opinion.

>>72762547
David Byrne
Sufjan Stevens
Syd Barrett

i guess jandek too, i have a fuckton more but it's just 3
>>72762609
Sondheim is awesome, but i sadly haven't heard enough of his stuff to say for sure if he's as great as i think he is
>>72766800
i argue sometimes it CAN be complete nonsense and work out well
people can make connections and read into allusions where none may actually exist, look at captain beefheart
>>72767157
yeah, the trick with a lot of things is to practice
>>72773611
Yeah, it's cool when you find a new artist and can really connect to their lyrics and don't want to lose that perception of them

I wouldn't worry about neil young or joni anymore, they're still capable of good lyricism

>>72772121
I don't know man. Dylan has a sweet for for a lot of things. I tried smoking cigarettes like he did for a while. I would smoke like crazy while recording and purposely try to cough to rough up my voice. A lot of the time I would record while hungover from drinking whiskey because it lowers your voice like Jim Morrison. I just wanted to have a cool early Lou reed sound or be able to scream like john Lennon.

>>72762547
Captain Beefheart
Jeff Mangum
Nico

>>72772121
>Bob Dylan has a shitty voice
Different doesn't mean bad. When did he sing out of tune and use pitch correction?

>>72773955
thanks I guess

>>72774048
>but i sadly haven't heard enough of his stuff to say for sure if he's as great as i think he is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBF5KO4iuK4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xaxP_kErTU

David Byrne is the Talking Heads guy, right? Once in a Lifetime and Road to Nowhere have great lyrics, I really need to listen to more.
I downloaded Remain In Light a few days ago. And I've been wanting to get into Sufjan, I'm gonna try Age of Adz again, the 22 minute song threw me off.

>>72767365
Rhyming wife and life doesn't become less boring when you precede them with the same word over and over

>>72767365
every time i read "me", "my," or "I", I wonder whether what you're saying is important on a personal level which would translate to other people. And the answer is no, you're not saying anything interesting or at least relateable in a unique way.

Reading poetry will not make you better at writing songs.

You don't have to be intelligent to write a song. You have to write so your voice/melody is similar to the beat. Try and write more obtusely instead of straight up.

>>72768741
t-thanks

>>72763941
cringe

>>72772355
kanye doesn't rap about depression

>>72773196
Animals as Leaders
Tortoise
Tim Hecker

>>72776973
heh

Beefheart
Isaac Brock
Leonard Cohen

>>72762547
Ian Curtis
Leonard Cohen
Elliott Smith

ANSWER

>>72763757
false

To think that I would die this time
Isolated in the room where the bed rises
Photographic ordinary people are everywhere
Extraordinary histories, ordinary histories, ordinary histories

I'll find sleep, I'll find peace
Or in death you'll sleep with me

To figure that it was my fault
Or so I've come to realize life is not about
Love with someone (ordinary people are everywhere)
Extraordinary people are, ordinary people are, ordinary people are

Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn
Illness is watching, waiting its turn

Did I go at it wrong?
Did I go intentionally to destroy me?
I'm suffering in noise I'm suffering in (touching ordinary bodies)
The burning from within the burning from with (ordinary hysteria)
I could not be at rest, I could not be at peace (extraordinary hysteria)

So do yourself a good, or do yourself a death from ordinary causes
Or do yourself a favor, or do yourself a death from ordinary causes

Illness likes to prey upon the lonely, prey upon the lonely
Wave goodbye, oh, I would rather be, but I would rather be fine

I want to be well, I want to be well
I want to be well, I want to be well (x8)

And I forgive you even
As you choke me that way
With the pill or demon
And the shrouded shalom
Under conversation
In tremendous weight of
A crowd of ages outside
Dressed for murder

And shall I kiss you even
As you take me that way?
With the pill or demon
As my body changes
Apparitions gone awry
They surround me, all sides
But from within I see an unholy change

I'm not fucking around

>>72776834
Wrong.

>>72776901
Yeah, not really.
But his music is still very relatable to me, I don't know how to explain it, maybe knowing that he has depression and anxiety makes me hear things he doesn't explicitly say, like reading between the lines. Some particular lines/bars I find relatable:

>And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid

>Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns
>Like "Man, these niggas that much better than me?"

>What more could you ask for? The international asshole
>Who complain about what he is owed?
>And throw a tantrum like he is three years old

>I'm a deadbeat cousin, I hate family reunions

>Switched up the number, I can't be bothered
>I cannot blame you for havin' an angle

>I'm always blamin' you, but what's sad, you not the problem
>Damn I forgot to call her, shit I thought it was Thursday

>My wife said, I can't say no to nobody
>And at this rate we gon' both die broke

>I'm not out of control, I'm just not in they control

>Real family stick together and see through the mirage
>The smokescreens, perceptions of false reality

>Checkin' Instagram comments to crowdsource my self esteem

>Let me not say too much or do too much
>Cause if I'm up way too much, I'm out of touch

>So go and grab the reporters
>So I can smash their recorders

>I know I got a bad reputation
>Walking-round-always-mad reputation

>Hey, you remember where we first met?
>Okay, I don't remember where we first met

There's probably a bunch on MBDTF, 808s, and Graduation too, but I'm gonna stop there. It's not really rapping about depression or anxiety, but kind of what it feels like, depression in action.

>>72777928
fuck this post came out long

>>72777928
you're trying to hard to connect with it. he's a millionaire married to a kardashian living in hollywood. he's not depressed

>>72777962
I'm not trying hard at all, I try hard to connect to other artists, but I only really relate to Kanye.
>he's a millionaire married to a kardashian living in hollywood. he's not depressed
Depression is a mental illness.

>>72778032
a 'mental illness' he doesn't have lol. plenty of depressed rappers out there, listen to them. maybe you'll connect more.

>>72778293
I've listened to all the "depressed" rappers out there, and I can't relate to any of them.
Isn't it confirmed that Kanye has depression, but the signs are pretty prevalent, and he definitely has anxiety.

This any good?

I was walking down a street
And i saw someone smiling
She was giving him a token of her appriciation
I guarentee when he gets home its going straight into his dressing draw

Sometimes it happens
Sometimes its bound to happen

>>72778469
I think the first part is kinda weirdly written, but other than that I like it

>>72777928
Dog you're projecting sooo hard.

>>72778449
Anxiety? Definitely not. I don't think people act like an arrogant extrovert. Try listening to a white rapper like Lil Ugly Mane, his music is mostly centred around mental illness.

>>72778504
Yeah i guess the syllables dont line up, but it fits with what ive got planned i think

>>72763662
w e w

>>72762448
Go get inspiration from doing shit off of the internet, going outside and making stories/memories with the ones you love then just translate that into a song

>>72778565
He DEFINITELY has anxiety, and it's obvious you don't.
Don't try to talk about how people with anxiety and depression act if you don't have it.

https://rutube.ru/video/3c75a0afbb6e36ef6bafbf763770a893/

>Try listening to a white rapper like Lil Ugly Mane,

>>72778515
I'm really not.

>>72779329
Kanye is the antithesis of anxiety.

>>72779418
You don't understand what anxiety is.

>>72779478
How does he have anxiety?

Is everyone just posting poems and lyrics? Well, for inspiration I'll post a poem I made years back. Damn this one is really emo

I feel so alone, enjoying temporary fun
In reallity very distant from everyone.
Like a glacier broken off from the mainland
Forever to drift, to misunderstand.
The body is going insides are stationary.
Never to let go just to carry.
Carry the coldness that is always here.
Eventually hit someone else that is near.
Make contact for a short while
But they never stay, it's a cheap smile.
One day I'll stop and make a genuine connection
maybe one day I'll feel genuine satisfaction
For now I just keep looking for that warm sun
I feel so alone, enjoying temporary fun

>>72762547
Kevin Barnes
Jim Morrison
Paul Simon

>>72762512
>>72762494
For the most part, I disagree. The best lyrics do not work as standalone poetry. You have to let the feeling of the music dictate the words or they will have no power. That's what makes Sound of Music so great, that's what makes Brother Ali so great, that's what makes Pink Floyd so great. Good poetry is nothing like good lyrics, except that they are both constructed with words and sometimes attached to meter.

>>72762723
Listen to all of Hamilton, at once. I've never been so moved by anything before. It's smart, powerful, and diverse. You will hear some of the bet "musical" style music (well enunciated singing, more complex arrangements), some pretty good rap in many different styles (although very little of it has the energy and complexity that rap I usually like has, mostly because they have to enunciate in a way that is better understood than "rap" enunciation), and one of the best stories ever told in musicals in this opera(?). It's amazing.

>>72778631
>>72772206
>>72772159
>>72766303
>>72766088
>>72765070
>>72763678
>>72763733
ITT: Motherfuckers who don't have any clue about lyrics. You're super lucky if lyrics sound good outside of the context of song AND within the context of song. Lyrics are part of music, they're not poetry. Poetry is different.

>>72763819
>>72763856
>>72777662
I don't think those sound good, as poetry. But I haven't heard the song, so I don't accidentally automatically contextualize them with music like you do, so I can actually judge them as poetry. Which is apparently what you guys want, which is retarded, because poetry is different than music, only music has lyrics.

>>72779802
>rhyming couplets
Never been a fan of couplets, it segregates verses into two line sets; there's rarely any good flow between couplets in general.

>>72781711
This, ish. They make good conclusions.

Write shit that either writes itself or that you are passionate about enough to think about lyrics, if you try to write about something you don't wanna it won't be good.

>>72774048
3/4
>>72774105
4/4
>>72777655
4/4
>>72780576
3.5/4

Wow, you lot have a bright future ahead.

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>>72781413
Did you really think I would've not listened to Hamilton, my guy? What's your favorite song on the soundtrack?
>one of the best stories ever told in musicals
I love it, but I don't know if I'd take in that far, I haven't seen/watched enough musicals.

One of my only problems with Hamilton, which isn't a real problem, is that it's mostly in the vein of 90s hip-hop (in terms of production).
That's what Lin grew up with, it makes sense, but it creates a disconnect considering that one of the purposes of the musical is to make history more exciting to youth.
If there's a film adaptation I think the music might need to be updated a bit, and actual rappers would need to be cast.

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>>72765745
>rap songs are usually about sex

>>72776973
0/4
>>72777569
4/4*
(You cheeky cunt)

The main thing that most people ITT are forgetting is that you actually need something to write about. A lot of what's been written here (calling them lyrics is generous) just sounds like generic whiny high school poetry about being isolated or alone; and that's it. It's just lines upon lines of a single subject quagmire.

You can't write genuine, heartfelt or thought provoking lyrics if you squander your life on a Rwandan metric conversion forum. Go out there and fuck your life up for real - then you'll have something to sing or mumblerap about.

>>72781867
>best track
not who you were responding to but The World was Wide Enough is top tier, glad to see Hamilton getting some talk, it's really fucking good.

>>72781922
Pink Moon is the most poetic album ever released and it's entirely about that actually. (Not the 4chan part)

People just can't write good lyrics because they're generally shitty artists.

>>72781922
>You can't write genuine, heartfelt or thought provoking lyrics if you squander your life on a Rwandan metric conversion forum.

And why is that? Do I not have thoughts and feelings?

>>72772959
great job faggot

>>72782062
>Do I not have thoughts and feelings?
They're restricted by your limited scope of the world. 'Travel broadens the mind' and all that jazz. There's only so many ways you can write lyrics about how traps aren't gay

>>72781963
>The World was Wide Enough
Great choice. I don't know if you browse /tv/ at all, but there generally seems to be more Hamilton discussion (and musical discussion in general) there, we've had quite a few threads.

>>72782127
Oh, I don't but I'll probably check to see those threads, thanks for the heads up.

>>72781848
I'm >>72780576, edit out paul simon with Jeff Mangum. How does this change my score?

>>72782123
>how traps aren't gay
Jesus Christ. I've really reached this point in my life. I was completely with the "traps are gay" mindset when I first started browsing, but 6 years later and I have sissy porn saved.

I agree with you that I'm restricted, it seems that way, but I hate that shit. I hate "unrestricted" normie music and if I got to the point where that's what I was writing I'd feel like I sold out and I'm not myself anymore. Besides, I figure that my restricted view and lack of experiences would make me a more unique artist. Everybody's making the same shit in the same way. I haven't experimented drugs or alcohol. I'm almost 19 and I've never been kissed or on a date. Shit, I think I see what you're getting at now. All I have is my dreams and thoughts. And I can't write an entire album about my fantasies, especially in hip-hop.

>They asked me then
>Why I spent all my time thinking and
>Called it wasting time.
>I had to have my dreams.
>Sometimes that's all I have.

>>72782512
Waddy Tudor Jones (Ninja of Die Antwoord) wrote a hip-hop concept album about life in a fictional metropolis building and it's one of the best albums I've heard. So if you can create an engaging personality and pair it with quality word play and song concepts I think you could be fine.
If you're able to use quality imagery I see no reason that you couldn't write songs about life in the once-was wild west of the internet.
I'd suggest looking into artist that generally bring dense imagery or a strong atmosphere/mood to their lyrics.
>>72762547
I guess I'll play.
>Josh T. Pearson
>Issac Brock
>Michael Gira

>>72783629
Did you used to be a sc rapper? I remember a mush mouth rapping on a beat I did. "Stalker"

little hands on the train track, moving along
little hands on the train track, singing their song
marking their place in time
but only seen by those
who spend their nights
looking behind

Those are the lyrics to this song I've been working on for the past few days. Nothing special, but I don't think they're offensively bad.

The hard part is telling whether or not the song I've built around it is worth a shit.

>>72783629
I hate storytelling and concepts in music, I want to write about myself and my own life (but I don't have one).

>>72783629
>Waddy Tudor Jones (Ninja of Die Antwoord) wrote a hip-hop concept album about life in a fictional metropolis building
what album I want to laugh at your taste

>>72762547
Aaron Weiss
Sufjan Stevens
Bon Iver

>>72762547
Julian Casablancas
Josh Homme
Bill Callahan

>>72783851
one of these is not like the others.

>>72781674
lol dude why are you white knighting an anonymous neckbeard so hard

>>72783902
They're still my favorite lyricists.

>>72781848
Cheers, whimsical stranger on an Argentinian ticket-scalping forum.

>>72762547
MF DOOM
Mark Kozelek
Neil Young

>>72763941
are you 13

>>72783707
No, I hope he did a good job though, hate to see someone shit on this quality moniker.
>>72783750
Yeah, I thought I saw something about that earlier itt but was too far in to writing my post to look for it. I just think you could write a fine song about hiw traps aren't gay if you've got clever wordplay and an engaging personality. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
>>72783782
The album's actually fairly respected here, along with most of his early work as Max Normal.
Here's a link
https://youtu.be/sgJB7DrX6qQ

>>72783750
If you don't have a life you can still sing about your life, man. I mean, you can write about your routine, about how you're going nowhere, about being lonely, whatever applies to your non-life.

>>72783749
I like it but I don't get it. That thing about the little hands is kinda weird tho

>>72763941
actually this is good

>>72784546
this might clear things up a bit

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-ghostlychildren.html

>>72784533
I'm trying, but it's really difficult.
I think Earl Sweatshirt might've done it, but everytime I try to listen to IDLSIGO I fall asleep.

>>72784706
I know it can be hard, my mate. If I could give you some tips (you've probably thought about these, but whatever) I'd say that you could: Listen to artists that write lyrics like that, think about how you feel and write that, and sing about what you've been doing and going through, even if it seems meaningless, like, when Cam Boucher sings in a song about how he showered for the first time for what felt like weeks to him, when Sam Ray sings about not being able to get out of bed or when Mike Kinsella sings about not leaving his house because he's too emotional for that, it all just gets to me. And when artists sing about their routine or about what they've done, I still like that when it has that melancholic feel.

>>72762448
*right

>>72784868
>sing about what you've been doing
>sings in a song
>when Sam Ray sings
>when Mike Kinsella sings
>when artists sing about their routine

Feel like an asshole mentioning this again, but I want to be a rapper.
If I were just writing regular lyrics I would have little to no problems.
And I have more to write about then just being lonely and boring.
I want to write about insecurities, my dad, school, childhood, and age.
I can't get the words out though. And I'm having trouble with structure.

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>>72767930
>a legit artistic vision but its just so easy to get pulled into a sea of self doubt, shortsighted scenes, halfhearted commitment and just plain laziness, and never reaching your potential or being heard or appreciated

This really speaks to me

>>72768126
This is really good anon

>>72783782
Thoughts on The Ziggurat so far?

>>72785354
I'm busy, nigga.
Gonna listen to it tomorrow.
Reply to some other posts in this thread.

>>72785093
Oh, shit, sorry. Sometimes I forget who I'm replying to, and I don't listen to hip hop so I didn't have that in mind. My bad.
Those seem like pretty interesting topics, mate. I'm sure that with time and practice you'll be able to put your feelings into words.
Wish you the best and hope you succeed with that, anon <3

>>72762547
Tom Waits
Tim Kasher
Adam Green

>>72762547
j.g. thirlwell
stefan burnett
michael gira

Chris Martin is the greatest lyricist of all time.

>>72762547
Nick Cave
Mark Kozelek
Paul Banks (pre-self titled)

>>72762547
Whoever wrote for Cap'n Jazz (pretty sure it was Tim Kinsella)
Dylan
Kool Keith

>>72763937
write song about being a robot

>>72762547
Sean Bonnette
Isaac Brock
Pat Schweinis

>>72762547
Taylor swift
roger waters
freddie mercury

Did someone say to spam lyrics? K
Were all floating on a rock in space
But id better buy this shiny metal just in case
Theres no lesson to be learned and i dont want to fucking earn it
Hope the smoking section of hell is a comfy place to burn
I hope the whole class knows its a half full glass but its half full of urine
I know nothing but assumptions and fronts but im a lost cause for certain
Ive never seen the air i breathe but once it leaves theres no need to return it
I see no end its just fun to pretend when i grow up ill be a different person
Hormones, genes and pigments, the only tangible difference i just happen to be the most miserable version
My post mortem momentum is my favorite symptom, laying dirty and worn but my hearts still a virgin

how do I write a poem, so I can learn how to write lyrics?

>>72787979
HOW!!!

>>72789483
It's like a really awkward and stilted father John misty.

>>72762448
https://youtu.be/5T0aIp3PlKE

>>72788083
Are you me

I have zero affinity for making any kind of art, but what makes poetry different from lyrics is that with lyrics you get to choose how your words sound, like how you say it, what instruments play with the lyrics. You can elevate mediocre lyrics to top tier status if the words and the sound are really in sync with eachother and the EMOTIONS they are trying to convey. Poetry can't do that.
Examples
>Pink Floyd - Welcome to the machine
Those "it's alright we know..." parts work so well because you can feel that futile anger in the voice of the singer + that "mechanical screech" (the synth) send shivers down your spine together and not one at a time
>Weezer - Tired of Sex
There is a bunch of times where the screams sound a bit unproffesional but more human at the same time. The instrumental also goes along this theme by being slightly distorted at times

Sound makes the greatest difference. Just try to concentrate on the emotions, don't try to be too specific, let the sound convey the message.

Listen to Astral Weeks and take inspiration from it

>>72785093
are you able to freestyle to a beat? if no, try doing that. work on your flow first, you can even say sentences that have no sense at all. the flow is really important in hip-hop music, you can write meaningful lyrics but if you don't know how to say them, no one will listen to it.
also do you want your tracks to by produced by you or someone else?

Just write an absolute megaton of stream of conciousness and extract the good bits sprinkled throughout

>>72762448
OP try to find words that rhyme, and then work them together in sentences that make sense. Like fire and desire, love and above. Things like that.

git guud