With song lyrics, you want to connect to your listeners by using language found in casual conversation. If your poetry uses formal language like “O my dear love” or “Long was I lost on the high seas,” strip it down to make it more simple and casual for your listeners. Pretend you are talking to a friend or family member in your song lyrics. For example, if you have a line in your poem like “Alone I felt in a sea of people,” you may adjust it to, “I felt alone in a sea of people” or “Just me in a sea of people.” Keep any poetic imagery that will give the listener a sense of the speaker’s emotions and feelings. Make sure the imagery uses sensory details, such as what the speaker is seeing, touching, tasting, hearing, and smelling. For example, you may have a line in your poem like, “I feel the ground/by the cemetery.” You may then adjust the line for song lyrics and make it, “The cool, hard ground/I feel it/By the cemetery/Where she died.” A good song will connect with your listeners and make them think, “I’ve felt that before” or “I’m feeling like that right now.” Use details from your poetry that feel universal and relatable for your listeners. For example, maybe you have a detail in your poetry about how it feels for you to lose your best friend. You may then include these details in a song about your relationship about your best friend, discussing the relationship from your perspective. A good song will take the listener on a journey and explore an experience or moment in a detailed way. There does not necessary have to be a clear beginning, middle, and end in a song, like in a book. Instead, the song should explore the thoughts and feelings of the speaker on a specific subject or idea. Pull lines out of your poetry that tell your listener a story from a particular perspective. For example, you may notice that your poetry often explores the recent birth of your brother. You may then pull lines out of your poetry to write a song that tells the story of the joyous day your brother was born.
Make the language simple and casual. Use imagery that creates an emotional response. Include details that are universal for listeners. Tell your listener a story.