Question

Ash question of the day: Does music lyrics really have to rhyme? If so, why? Poetry has the option of giving us free verse and rhyming so...why not music? e_o

Answer 1

I could bet, uh what do they call it... 'pop' music doesn't

Answer 2

You can find plenty of lyrics that don't rhyme. An example would be America by Simon and Garfunkel.

Rhyme in lyrics helps the vocals flow better. It can be kind of restrictive in writing though.

Answer 3

Just like poetry, music doesn't have to rhyme. But also just like poetry it should at least have a flow to it.

Answer 4

All of these are correct. Poetry gives people the option of free verse which when I write poetry that's what my poetry usually is. Most of my songs are also free verse style. To me it's writers preference. There are hundreds of modern literature geniuses who write poetry in more then one way. One of my old high school teachers made about $100 writing a poem that was just a basic word going down then writing what each letter meant to her.
So in a sense yes poetry and song writing can be written in the same way. But as someone who has been writing music on a professional level for going on two years now should know there are only a few ways to write a song but dozens of ways to write a poem. So it's kinda hard to relate the two when every writer would have their own writing style. I hope that kinda explains the answer to your question.

Answer 5

Thanks guys! ;)