Writing Better Lyrics

The Must-Have Guide for Songwriters

Writing Better Lyrics has been a staple for songwriters for nearly two decades. Now this revised and updated 2nd Edition provides effective tools for everything from generating ideas, to understanding the form and function of a song, to fine-tuning lyrics.

Perfect for new and experienced songwriters alike, this time-tested classic covers the basics in addition to more advanced techniques.Songwriters will discover:

   • How to use sense-bound imagery to enhance a song's emotional impact on listeners
   • Techniques for avoiding clichés and creating imaginative metaphors and similes
   • Ways to use repetition as an asset
   • How to successfully manipulate meter
   • Instruction for matching lyrics with music
   • Ways to build on ideas and generate effective titles
   • Advice for working with a co-writer
   • And much more


Featuring updated and expanded chapters, 50 fun songwriting exercises, and examples from more than 20 chart-toppings songs, Writing Better Lyrics gives you all of the professional and creative insight you need to write powerful lyrics and put your songs in the spotlight where they belong.

"I count myself lucky and proud to have studied with Mr. Pattison. I would not be the writer I am today without his teaching and his unique and comprehensive understanding of language, rhyme, rhythm, and structure."
- 3-time Grammy winner Gillian Welch
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"Pat Pattison does the impossible.  He takes the mystery out of songwriting without taking the heart out of it." 
- David Wilcox
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"I took a class with a great teacher named Pat Pattison... I learned a lot in that class...and I still read that book, Writing Better Lyrics. I think it's great."
-7-time Grammy winner John Mayer
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"Last year, I read a book called “Writing Better Lyrics” by Pat Pattison that completely reshaped the way I look at songwriting. Just as an athlete prepares for a game with a proper warm-up, I’ve learned to start my day with writing. I picked up a black Moleskine notebook and began writing freely without worrying about meter or rhyme scheme as a way to reflect on my thoughts or my day. Not only has this practice allowed me to get the creative juices flowing each morning, but I now have a notebook full of memories to look back on…"
- Madison Kozak
 
"It's a great book for new songwriters, to whom some of this advice will be revolutionary, and it's great for experienced writers who want to understand songwriting on a theoretical level."  
—Liam Duncan, musicindustryhowto.com

Pat Pattison is a professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches lyric writing and poetry. His books include Writing Better Lyrics, The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure, and The Essential Guide to Rhyming. In addition, Pat has developed three online lyric writing courses for BerkleeÕs online school, and has written articles for a variety of industry publications. His internationally successful students include multiple Grammy winners John Mayer and Gillian Welch. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.