If you’d like to know how to write songs then this is for you. 

Here is my Cliffs Notes version “How to Write a Song.”

Most people mean “lyrics” when the say “how do I write a song”.

Make a List.

For lyrics there are a lot of tricks. Think about a subject that interests you, maybe something or someone you like, or something that happened to you. Next write down all the things that you can think of about that subject. Someone wanted to write a song about alarm clocks so I wrote one and here’s a list.

•They’re annoying,
•they disturb my sleep,
•some are electric,
•some have hands,
•some ring,
•some buzz, etc. etc.

Make a Metaphor

Now what I like to do is think of something to represent the alarm clock, like a screaming baby, or a ticking bomb, or a monster that frightens you. You can think of your own, these are just some that came to my mind. I chose monster, because alarm clocks startle me, and they have three hands (mine has an hour, minute and second hand), and I think it’s funny to think of an alarm clock as a 3 handed monster. So, here’s my first verse:

Some mornings when I wake up /The last thing I want to hear /Is a little 3 handed monster /Screaming in my ear.

Make it Rhyme

Notice I rhymed line 2 with 4, that way I didn’t have to rhyme 1 and 3. I could’ve made the above just 2 verses, but the way I phrased it when I sang, made it 4. The best way to sound like a 13 year old song writer, is make verse 1 rhyme with 2, 3 rhyme with 4 etc, with the stress on the last syllable. Use your other ideas in your list to write the other verses. To keep it coherent, don’t mix tenses, keep it in the past present or future but not all three, unless its a story song, that progresses through time. Keep the subject or analogy the same, don’t make the clock a monster, then a baby, then a bomb. Look for themes everybody can relate to. Everybody hates hearing an alarm clock. Or take a novel approach, like looking forward to the alarm clock, because you’ve got something to look forward to that day, like Christmas, your wedding, etc.

Make it a Song

It doesn’t have to have a verse/chorus structure but it’s the most popular song form for a reason. Write the chorus the same way as the verse, but make it the main idea of the song, like you hating alarm clock. The chorus drives home the main idea, the verses give supporting details. There are lots of books that will give you more helpful tips and more details, but these are some quick “get-started” ideas that I use, but there are many others, and everybody has their own working process.