How to Turn Poetry into Song Lyrics

1. 72

   Maddie Ruudposted 13 years ago

   How to Turn Poetry into Song Lyrics

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2. 65

   Thunder Vixenposted 13 years ago

   There is no real answer to this question every person has their own personal way of doing this and it's hard to make lyrics without working on a melody. Song lyrics are poems therefore you may not have to rewrite it if you don't want to. Songs however usually have a repeating chorus but doesn't have to.

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3. 60

   bulletproofballooposted 13 years ago

   I would say that all lyrics are poems, but not all poems can be lyrics (song wise). I've written both, and have even turned some of my poems into songs, but I've also found that some poems flow better as words than being in a song. Doesn't mean you couldn't change a couple things here and there to make that poem flow better in a song. I just like some of my stuff, personally, as merely poems rather than songs.

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4. 0

   ahorsebackposted 13 years ago

   Song lyrics  , to me , seem simpler than  poetry , but first I would think you would need the melody. Then simplify the poem to shorter lines.

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5. 57

   Fullerman5000posted 13 years ago

   This is a great question. I have always found myself writing lyrics when i really wanted to write poems. If any of your poems have repeating lines or phrases, that could be grounds for a chorus. But it is pretty hard to turn a poem into a song especially if there are no repeating lines. I find it easier to write in song format. Poems have such a variety of lines and stanzes to follow. When you have versus and chorus' you have a better way of constructing a poem into a song. try this for example. verse verse chorus verse verse chorus. try writing your poems like song when you first start writing.

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6. 0

   wilbury4posted 13 years ago

   Firstly you obviously need your poem. Then you need a melody/tune that you want to fit your poem into.
   Make up a simple melody, maybe just 3 chords repeated, with a 4th one thrown in here and there. (Minstrels in history told stories to just a few notes).
   Fit your poem (lyrics) into the tune.
   If it doesn't fit perfectly, repeat a word, or a few words, or even a full sentence. Or drop a pause in.
   A chorus could simple be the title of the poem, or the last line(s) of a verse repeated.
   Be imaginative.

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7. 86

   whittwritesposted 11 years ago

   I am primarily a poem writer but I read a couple books on Lyric writing.  With what I learned I can now craft some of poems to be lyrics. One day I hope to learn to read and write music so maybe I could turn some of them into actual songs

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