I struggled for years, haphazardly reaching for lyrics, often drinking to access that creative spark. It sometimes worked really F-ing well, but mostly didn’t. Earlier this year, after starting to try to get sober, I reached out a friend and fellow songwriter, Richard Cooper, who gave me a few leads on how to improve my music. He suggested the book Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison. It gives you great tips and daily exercises to improve song structure. Definitely recommend buying it. Here’s part of a recent exercise – an example of 4 lines (4 stressed syllables each, with the rhyme structure of a a b a):
Writing Better Lyrics: Exercise 20
Once in a while you get what you need
But most of the time you’re a bird in a tree
Waiting around for a worm to climb up;
the benefit is you stay skinny.
Keep up with me as I continue conquering alcoholism and that other tragic addiction of mine: Music!
Listen below to a song I wrote, feat. the amazing David Sharkey on saxophone.
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