I've met a lot of people who have a deep passion for music and songs, but they just can't physically make music. Some take guitar or piano lessons, but it just doesn't work--they know the sound of good music, but their body can't make it happen...the strum has no rhythm, the chords can't be remembered, the voice won't hit the note, the finger keeps forgetting how to press the keys. I feel the same way when I try to install an HVAC system...sorry, no can do.

But a person like this may still love music and may be a very good wordsmith. There aren't a lot of people reading poems these days, but good lyrics are still a lively part of our culture.

My advice to this sort of lyricist is always the same: whatever you write, keep its rhythm consistent...it's not the exact syllable count so much as the rhythm of the lyrical lines that needs to match the same melodic passage.

(Here's an example of two lines with the exact same syllables...one would work for the song, and one would not:

"All you need is love"
"My name is Helen"

Guess which one Lennon used for his melody? smile )

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman