Dunno if this will help anyone else, but here's a trick I use most of the time when looking for lyric ideas.

A great majority of my songs were written from the starting point of the song title. I have a huge folder of blank A4 sheets of paper with just a song title across the top of the page that I go back to constantly.

Sometimes I may write a song as soon as I get the title. Other times it maybe months or years later.

An example of a few in there at the moment are: Then I Get Home, You Can Be Lonely Anywhere, Only Everyday, The Face You Wear Today, And Then She Cried and many many more.

The title will usually tell me whether the song will be happy, sad, or whatever so I have a start.

A lot of my titles are found by listening to things people say.

I remember my ex explaining that she did something a certain way on her old pc as it saved her "using up my memory" Using Up My Memory is now a song.


I recall watching Robert Wagner talking on tv about Natalie Wood and saying something like "We had good times, we had bad times....we had the moment" We Had The Moment is now a song!

I remember saying to my ex I wanted to write a song about my Grandfather and all the things he taught me. She said "well there's your title" She was right. All The Things He Taught Me is now a song.

One Christmas time, two friends were talking about Santa and one asked "So how old were you when you stopped believing?" How Old Were You is now a song.

And I have many other completed songs like: But I Don't Want To, Wouldn't You Know It,
She Won't Be There, Little Did I Know, Just For A While that all came from comments or phrases from others.

I find that having a title often means I write the chorus first as it gives me a head start knowing how many syllables I have to sing. The up side to this is that along with a folder full of song titles, I also have a folder full of choruses waiting for me to write the rest of the song!!

Not sure that this will help anyone else but it's out there anyway. Looking forward to hearing other peoples tips and tricks.

Good day to one and all

Martin

Music is what feelings sound like.