Do you sometimes get stuck trying to write the first line of lyrics for verse 1? You want to make a good first impression, so these few words carry extra weight. But don't let the pressure weigh you down while you're writing! Just try something and see how it works out.
Here are a few suggestions to help you get your pen moving:
1. Start with the title. Go straight to the main idea (and hook) of the song. Maybe you don't even need a chorus.
London calling to the faraway towns...
Let's dance. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues...
2. Describe a scene. Use descriptive imagery that sets up the song's emotional tone.
If you see a faded sign by the side of the road...
Steve walks warily down the street, his brim pulled way down low...
3. Introduce a person, place, or thing.
Just a small-town girl living in a lonely world...
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold...
4. Issue an admonition, a command, a plea, a threat, or an accusation. The focus shifts to the character your narrator is talking to.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad...
Don't pull your love out on me, baby...
5. Ask a question. The listener immediately wonders about how you might answer the question.
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call?
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
6. Make a startling suggestion or an outrageous claim. It grabs the listener's attention; they think, "Wait a minute, that can't be right." They'll tune in to see where you're going with this.
Imagine there's no heaven...
In your mind you have abilities you know/ To telepath messages through the vast unknown...
7. Start out with a paradox or contradiction, or two elements that don't seem to go together. The listener will follow along to see whether you can make sense out of the contradiction.
I am he as you are he as you are me...
Oranges on apple trees/ Birds that mate with bumblebees...
Need some more ideas and examples? Pick a favorite album, and take a look at its lyric sheet. How did they start verse 1? And did that first line help draw you into the song?
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