Personally I'm sick of the rather modern differentiation between 'poetry' and 'lyrics'. I mean the name lyric comes from a poetic form...
People need to respect that a lot more.

I don't think songwriters should rely on rhymes too much (when you're relying on terribad rhymes to keep your song going) but good rhymes can be a beautiful thing. In general, though, if I can't think of a rhyme, I won't rhyme that line and I'll just continue on with the song. Yay for flexibility?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alright_Computer

I don't think songwriters should rely on rhymes too much (when you're relying on terribad rhymes to keep your song going) but good rhymes can be a beautiful thing. In general, though, if I can't think of a rhyme, I won't rhyme that line and I'll just continue on with the song. Yay for flexibility?

---

I'm guessing you are not a fan of RHCP? Only Anthony Kiedis would attempt to rhyme "johnson" with "Wisconsin".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Runesmith

I'm guessing you are not a fan of RHCP? Only Anthony Kiedis would attempt to rhyme "johnson" with "Wisconsin".

---

Well, humorous lyrics are my favorite kind, hell, I have a Beck avatar. Only Beck would rhyme "ambulance drivers" with "hypnotizers" and "vitamin D" with "loveseat". It's more the more forced, cheesy rhymes, like rhyming "life" with "strife" or something terribad like that.

Edit with examples! From MMMBop:

You have so many relationships in this life,
But only one or two will last.
You go through all the pain and strife,
Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast.

Oh, so hold on to the ones who really care,
In the end they'll be the only ones there.
When you get old and start losing your hair,
Can you tell me who will still care?

Plant a seed, plant a flower, Plant a rose,
You can plant any one of those.
Keep planting to find out which one grows.
It's a secret no one knows.

I have a whole notebook of lyrics like this from when I was about 13 or so. It made me facepalm when I realized how terrible my lyrics actually were.

Rhyme is the adjunct of a barbaric Christian tradition, it is horrible in all forms of poetry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lolicat

Rhyme is the adjunct of a barbaric Christian tradition, it is horrible in all forms of poetry.

---

I don't think rhyme is a bad thing at all, if done cleverly, but I agree that when it's forced it's pretty bad.

I've only written a few songs, but I can say it is difficult to rhyme cleverly, so I mostly avoid it.

That said, I do hate when rhyming is considered an element to poetry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by instantdeath999

I don't think rhyme is a bad thing at all, if done cleverly, but I agree that when it's forced it's pretty bad.

I've only written a few songs, but I can say it is difficult to rhyme cleverly, so I mostly avoid it.

That said, I do hate when rhyming is considered an element to poetry.

---

Rhyme is only ok as a deviation now and then, a rhyme structure greatly inhibits poetry, at least to my ears.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lolicat

Rhyme is only ok as a deviation now and then, a rhyme structure greatly inhibits poetry, at least to my ears.

---

This.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alright_Computer

I have a whole notebook of lyrics like this from when I was about 13 or so. It made me facepalm when I realized how terrible my lyrics actually were.

---

Well to be fair the members of Hanson were also around 13 when those lyrics were written (although I'm not trying to argue that makes them good)

Anyway, as a rule if I'm hearing a song on the radio for the first time and I can guess the next line, it gets filed under "bad song"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RainbowMist

Well to be fair the members of Hanson were also around 13 when those lyrics were written (although I'm not trying to argue that makes them good)

Anyway, as a rule if I'm hearing a song on the radio for the first time and I can guess the next line, it gets filed under "bad song"

---

I realize that. I also realize that they have better lyrics (still not very good though). I was just using them as an example.

More on-topic: Ambiguous lyrics FTW. If your song has a clear meaning, then it doesn't provoke thought, and lyrics IMO are supposed to provoke thought, even if they're really about something trivial as so many of my lyrics are.