“This Lyric Writing Trick is 4000 Years Old! (and it’s EASY)”

An ancient technique

Some of the most useful tools in lyric writing are thousands of years old. Alliteration, the repetition of the same starting consonant sound in nearby words, appears in ancient Sumerian and Egyptian oral poetry, and has been used by everyone from Shakespeare to Dylan. You hear it in tongue twisters, in brand names like Coca-Cola and PayPal, and in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet.

What we say and how we say it

Every lyric has two sides: what we say and how we say it. Finding an effective way to express an idea matters, and alliteration is a beautifully simple way to make language memorable.

Frequency and sound

A little goes a long way. A single pair of matching sounds, like the pair in the first verse of The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, is enough to be felt. Pile on too many, as Joni Mitchell does with the “p” sounds in “Big Yellow Taxi”, and the line starts to sound like a tongue twister. When a technique becomes the whole point, it can pull the listener away from the message. The sounds themselves matter as well. Sharp, explosive consonants feel very different from softer ones, like the warm, round “l” sounds that run through the chorus of “Both Sides Now”. Choose sounds that suit the mood of the song.

Placement

Where alliteration falls in a line changes its effect. At the end of a line, it rounds the phrase off. At the beginning, it gives the line a little push forward. In the middle, it catches the ear and carries us through. The first verse of “Let It Be” moves between these positions.

When to use it

Alliteration is best saved for revision, once you know what the song is about. Reworking a draft line by line, looking for chances to bring the sound closer to the meaning, is where it shines.