Mike, I first try to learn (memorize) the lyric because I usually know the melody. If I can't work out the chords for the song, I'll resort to the internet. If I can't find what I want, I'll write out the entire melody in notation on my computer and work out the chords from the melody line as an assistance. I then try to put the song together as one, melody,lyrics,chords, and rhythm. Of course, if I have the music either in sheet form or in a book, things are much simpler, but I still start by learning the lyric. It usually works.

Softkrome