Writing lyrics for metal.

tubby

Silly question, but does anyone have any tips on writing good lyrics. Its a bit of a problem i have at the moment

Martyr

the easiest thing is to write on stuff that's going on around you...but please don't make every song you write about a girl,i have friends that do it and it actually gets annoying...anyone know the SA band Chromium(originally from PE)?all their songs are about relationships,gets old quick...

write on topics like racism,war in Iraq,political issues,etc(anything that might interest you). basically anything that you have a view on,if you don't feel anything for the topic you basically gonna write a load of shit with absolutely no meaning or feel...

but i rate every metal album must have atleast one mellow love song(IMO) and then the rest can be all out brutal >☹

MiKeZilLA

?

so you want to be a writer? by Charles Bukowski

if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody else,
forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out of you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-love.

the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.

unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.

unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

Manfred-Klose

so you want to be a writer? by Charles Bukowski

wow this guy us awesome, i'm going to google him know, thanks.

Tubby
What style of metal music do you want to write black/death/grindcore/hardcore/melodic/power metal or just plain old metal?

If its power metal its easy, Get some powerful words that would take advantage of the crowd(be in control at your gig) for example take Manowar, they sing

"Brothers everyware raise your hands into the air, we're warriors, warriors of the world" - Manowar

I'll go and think of some stuff that might help.

tubby

Dude im wanting to write stuff with a killswitch engage style. Not necessarily the meanings of their lyrics but just the the same vibe if you know what i mean. Im getting there slowly, but im falling into the trap of writing the same old crap. Busy working on a track at the moment (very killswitch syle), the lyrics are coming along nicely but there is still something missing ?

Any inspiration will help. Shot for the advise mate

Wessel

Someone once told me to always write about something you have actually experienced. Allot of people try to write for example about death or love when they have never actually experienced either of the two. That to me is the major ground rule. To write what you know about. Allot of fantasy metal bands write about trolls and fairies ect. Damn....they must be tripping on something.

Try to always harnes powerfull emotions you have felt before in your song writing. Then your lyrics will always be true. Just be carefull that you dont get to emotional and write emo lyrics ?

Renesongs

Don't try to write a song, it never really happens that way. Keep some sort of journal of your life , write messages to yourself every other day or as often as you feel like, never try and impress yourself or try and get clever just let the shit flow. Don't throw anything away. Read over the stuff you wrote a year, a month, a decade ago - You will be amazed how your ability to express yourself grows the more you write. Sounds cheesy but It's worked for most of the great songwriters I know - Having said that I'm going to take my own advice and stop trying to write that song I have been after for months. ?

MiKeZilLA

funny i had this self same discussion today on a non songwriting related issue... It's bizarre how easy it is to solve someone else's problem...

Jethro

Wessel wrote Just be carefull that you dont get to emotional and write emo lyrics ?

Hey, getting -too- emotional is a good thing, like brother, he was sh*t depressed, so first he wrote some emo stuff, and once that was out his system, he wrote a lovely poem about necrophilia ?

lightspeedchili

i second the ide

lightspeedchili

as i was saying(my finger hit the enter key or something)....i second the idea of keeping a journal. i'm not poetically inclined so the odd times that inspiration strikes i keep account of it in a word file. then again if u hav a theme thats always a good starting point. i LOVED mastodons concept 4 the blood mountain album. iraq war isnt quite relevant 2 us but zimbabwe is right next door ? "mshini wami" cud work in a metal song ? ..... ???

Martyr

zimbabwe is right next door Tongue "mshini wami" cud work in a metal song

imagine trying to scream mshini wami? or robert mugabe? EISH :-[

Squonk

Hi

Lots of good lyrics, but maybe you can stay away from death and destruction, you wouldn't want to influence young people to use samurai swords!!!

Judas Priest have some good lyrics

You're in for surprise
You're in for a shock
In London town streets
When there's darkness and fog
When you least expect me
And you turn your back
I'll attack

I smile when I'm sneaking
Through shadows by the wall
I laugh when I'm creeping
But you won't hear me at all

All hear my warning
Never turn your back
On the ripper

Or you could go for the more vague could mean anything lyrics like 12 Stones. More like questioning why you are here etc.
Just dont sing about romantic encounters.

Martyr

Dude im wanting to write stuff with a killswitch engage style.

just remember Killswitch Engage are a christian band...

Just be carefull that you dont get to emotional and write emo lyrics

getting emotional is ok,to an extent,if all your songs are all emo people will get bored quickly,like i said before IMO all metal CDs should have 1 mellow/emo song about how sme chic screwed you over or about the chick you currently with 8)

the lyrics are coming along nicely but there is still something missing

The thing that's missing (IMO) is you :-[

rather don't try write like KSE and write like tubby 8),i guarentee the songs will sond alot better than if you try write KSE (IMO)

tubby

Shot for all the inspiration guys. Go check out a track i posted today at www.myspace.com/doctrine01. Give me some feedback on the vocals. Excuse the bad vocal production. Im using a shitty Shure pg48 mic ???

Martyr

that songs "when the coffin falls" has a very nice KSE vibe in it,well done ?

tubby

shot pal