Writing to Learn: Song Lyrics By Wendy Wichert

Engage  Think about different kinds of songs you know  What makes them different?  What is similar?

Different Song Styles  Nursery Rhyme  Rock n’ Roll  Country  Rap  Show tunes  Classical  Jazz  Folk Music  Bluegrass  Love Songs  Children’s music  Etc.

Poetry in Music  Songs are written much like poems:  Rhythm  Rhyme  Rhyme Scheme- a sequence in which rhyming occurs (Ex. ABAB)  Stanzas (or verses)- a grouping of two or more lines of a poem in terms of length, metrical form, or rhyme scheme  Look for all of these poetic devices in song lyrics

What Makes Good Song Lyrics?  Rhyme scheme  Rhyme  A chorus- a refrain or repeat; the verse that is repeated in a song  Repetition  Do all of these apply to all song styles?  Let’s look at some examples

Nursery Rhyme: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” by Jane Taylor Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Then the traveler in the dark Thanks you for your tiny spark; He could not see which way to go, If you did not twinkle so. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! In the dark blue sky you keep, While you thro' my window peep, And you never shut your eye, Till the sun is in the sky, Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!

Rock & Roll Song: “Let it Be” by the Beatles When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree There will be an answer, let it be For though we may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see There will be an answer, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be There will be an answer, let it be Let it be, Let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me Shine until tomorrow, let it be I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comforts me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah let it be There will be an answer, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Rap Song: “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” by Will Smith Now this is the story all about how My life got flipped, turned upside down And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air In West Philadelphia born and raised On the playground where I spent most of my days Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool And all shooting some B-ball outside the school When a couple of guys said were up to no good Started making trouble in my neighborhood I got in one little fight and my mom got scared And said you’re moving with your Auntie and Uncle in Bel-Air I begged and pleaded with her the other day But she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way She gave me a kissin’ and she gave me my ticket I put my walkman on and said I might as well kick it First class, yo, this is bad, Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass Is this what the people of Bel Air livin like Hmm this might be alright I whistled for a cab and when it came near the License plate said ‘fresh’ and had dice in the mirror If anything I could say that this cab was rare But I thought now forgot it, yo home to Bel Air I pulled up to a house about seven or eight And I yelled to the cabbie, yo home smell you later Looked at my kingdom I was finally there To settle my throne as the Prince of Bel Air

Looking back  What similarities were there between the three songs?  What were the differences?  Did all of the songs have a rhyme scheme? A chorus?  Was there any repetition in the three songs?  Do all songs look the same?

Writing Songs to Learn   We can even use songs we know to help us study!   All we have to do is change the words!   Let’s look at an example of this…

Example: “Symbiosis Song” by Wendy Wichert to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (A Nursery Rhyme) Symbiosis means interactions between two organisms Through mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism Mutualism is the best relationship Because both of the organisms will benefit Parasitism has a parasite and a host Where the parasite benefits and the host can become a ghost Commensalism means that one organism does well The other organism is unharmed so everything is swell

You Try It!  Pick a song style that you like  Pick a song you know that falls into that song style  Pick a topic that you are learning about in school  Try to compose lyrics about your topic to the song and song style you have chosen

Sources for Presentation   Jane Taylor. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”   The Beatles. "Let it Be.“ Let it Be. Capitol Records,   Will Smith. "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."

The End!