lyrics
Words to sing
Lyrics are the words to a song, as distinct from its melody or musical arrangement: I love the tune but can't remember the lyrics.
The term comes from lyre, the stringed instrument of ancient Greek poets.
A lyric, in the singular, is a short poem expressing personal emotion—the kind originally meant to be sung.
Metered poetic passage
- stanzaPoem's line grouping
- coupletTwo successive verse lines
- quatrainFour-line poetic unit
- meterDevice that measures usage
rhyme · imagery · alliteration · assonance · consonance · enjambment · diction · refrain
Metered poetic passage
- chorusSingers performing together
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- hookCurved catching device
- refrainAbstain from acting
pre-chorus · outro · intro · breakdown · ad-lib · repetition · singalong · earworm
One who composes music
- ghostwriterUncredited hired author
- co-writeCompose jointly with another
- pennedWrote or confined
- writtenComposed in text
liner notes · credits · royalties · publishing · copyright · ASCAP · BMI · demo
Recounting events aloud
- balladNarrative poem or song
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- sagaExtended heroic narrative
- chronicleOrdered historical record
protagonist · tragedy · lament · protest · confessional · autobiographical · allegory · vignette
Opera's written words
- ariaOperatic solo piece
- recitativeSpeechlike operatic singing
- sopranoHighest female voice range
- baritoneMid-range male voice
tenor · diva · duet · operetta · oratorio · cantata · Verdi · Puccini
Deep emotional distress
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- euphoriaIntense emotional high
melancholy · heartbreak · love · hope · despair · loneliness · grief · yearning
verse
Metered poetic passage
meter · rhyme · imagery · alliteration · assonance · consonance · enjambment · diction · refrain · repetition
verse
Metered poetic passage
refrain · pre-chorus · outro · intro · breakdown · ad-lib · repetition · singalong · earworm · catchy
songwriter
One who composes music
- ghostwriterUncredited hired author
- co-writeCompose jointly with another
- pennedWrote or confined
written · liner notes · credits · royalties · publishing · copyright · ASCAP · BMI · demo · revision
storytelling
Recounting events aloud
chronicle · protagonist · tragedy · lament · protest · confessional · autobiographical · allegory · vignette · character
libretto
Opera's written words
- ariaOperatic solo piece
- recitativeSpeechlike operatic singing
- sopranoHighest female voice range
baritone · tenor · diva · duet · operetta · oratorio · cantata · Verdi · Puccini · Wagner
heartache
Deep emotional distress
euphoria · melancholy · heartbreak · love · hope · despair · loneliness · grief · yearning · bittersweet
- musicmusic, song, songs, singing, singer
- Hip-Hoprapper, rappers, rhymes, beat, freestyle
- musical theateract, musical theater, scene, cast recordings, Evita
- poetrypoem, poems, poetry, verse, verses
- songwritingverse, verse-chorus, refrain, song structure, melody
- Band Lifedrums, guitar, bass, electric guitar, microphone
lyricsinstrumental
Serving as means
music · melody · accompaniment · instrumentation · beat
lyricswordless
Lacking spoken content
instrumental music · vocalise · non-verbal · prose · scat
- lyric videoSong footage showing words
- song lyricsWords of a tune
- explicit lyricsProfane song words
- rap lyricsRhythmic spoken-word verses
- wax lyricalSpeak enthusiastically at length
- love lyricsRomantic song text