Noel,
If I may hijack the thread again..

This topic of lyrics has set my mind in motion and I can't stop thinking about it. Not only are word combinations subject to cliche, but the very ideas we write songs about are subject to the same cliches. Some of the best lyrics stand out because they approach a common topic in an uncommon way.

For the sake of discussion, let's look at the song you have posted here: a song about Jonah, a story which is very familiar to most people in Western civilization.

This story can be approached directly, or indirectly. The direct approach would be to paraphrase the existing details of the story, but in lyrical form. IMHO, the direct approach is where we are most likely to experience cliche problems, because the most commonly understood way of looking at anything is the way it is most commonly discussed, hence the cliche.

A somewhat less direct approach would be to consider the elements of the story in new ways, especially if there is symbolism that can turn a one dimensional understanding (one simple interpretation) into a multi-dimensional interpretation (many possible interpretations, and the listener gets to decide).

As I read the biblical account of Jonah, my mind starts asking questions. Is there a relationship between the fact that Jonah spent 3 days in the belly of the whale, and Christ spent 3 days in the tomb? Is there symbolic significance to the many facets of the story? Or are they just random details?

Bonding one idea to another seeming unrelated idea opens up all sorts of interpretive lyrical possibilities, and virtually guarantees that you will take the lyrics to places where nobody has gone before. (my example, however, is old territory and has been thoroughly explored in theology and song... I just submitted it as a contrast to a direct restatement of the story)

Sorry for the side trip. These conversations are so interesting, and I love to hear how different people stir the creative process.

(OK, back to the original topic)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0