For Better Lyric Imagery, Wear a Blindfold

Jill pedals down a bike path that winds through the woods. The wind buffets her face and arms.

Her eyes are open but unfocused. Jill was born blind.

She clucks her tongue every second or so, listening to the way the sound echoes and using the information to piece together an image of what’s in front of her: the trees, the grass, a curve in the road. Click. Click. Click.

She leans into the curve and pedals hard, clicking a little faster to make sure she’s not veering too far toward either shoulder.  Click. Click. Click.

One more rise and she’s home.

—

Imagery is key to writing lyrics that your listener will notice and remember. Learning to write lifelike descriptions really sets your lyric apart from the usual singer/songwriter fare.

This is no secret and no breakthrough; it’s been true in all forms of writing for centuries. Vivid writing rises to the top.

I read Tolstoy’s short story “The Kreutzer-Sonata” a full decade ago, and I still wince when I remember how the narrator describes stabbing a woman; how he felt her corset momentarily resist the knife’s blade.

I’ve forgotten everything else about that particular story—but that one little detail hit me where it counts. It’s horrifying! It continues to haunt me. And while yourparticular vision might not be so ghoulish as that, there’s no denying that’s an unforgettable image. And it proves that sensory imagery is not just about “pretty details”; it can be used to convey the uncomfortable, the tragic, and the outright ugly.

It’s easy to forget that “imagery” doesn’t just refer to the visual; it also refers to:

• smell
• taste
• touch
• hearing

Most songwriters neglect these senses. Want to stand out? Want to be remembered? Reach beyond the visual. Go for your listener’s other senses: her ear, her tongue, her nose, her skin.

If you want to take her poolside in your lyric, you’re off to a good start if you describe a round swimming pool visually. But if you really want your listener to live your lyric for herself, reach a little deeper into your senses. Describe the sharp taste and nasal sting of chlorine, the rich crash as she jumps in, the sluicing of cool water over her body.

This is a simple enough concept, but turning it into action takes a bit of work. In the next few posts we’ll look at how each of the senses can breathe life into a lyric.

Bike path photo by Alykat. Thanks!