Originally Posted by Scott Campbell
I wish the 10:1 theory worked for me.
.... as I am multi-tasking (write most of my lyrics in the car driving to work). Not physically writing, of course, just thinking them....

Wonder what the typical times are for you others?


If I had to put a time frame on writing a lyric it would not be in hours. I think you have to factor in the “thinking time” that's mentioned by Scott here that factors into creating the story, deciding on a theme and message and then finding the words to express those ideas. Sitting down to write a lyric is the LAST phase and that in and of itself can take days, weeks, months. And then, like some have suggested, there are always revisions to be made. Every part of songwriting is a creative process that comes from within unique individuals who put their own special stamp on a song. Although assigning lyrical “percentages” is arbitrary at best, even if the lyric is considered only 10:1…..without it, the song would be affected much more than 10%.

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write,
if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be,
he must be. -- Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist