Songwriting & Poetry

Solstice

As day begins its long retreat, I glean the stone beneath my feet.
To search for ciphers in its grain, to answer whys that long have lain.
I stand atop a conquered keep, the hint of Fall-I nearly weep.
I've battled long but never won, to stay the waning of the sun,
and struggled hard-with purpose clear, to stall the turning of the year.
Triumphant-trumpets sound again, I spy salutes of weary men.
Dear fate has cast my winning lot... but lose once more,
I will my shot to freeze-the seasons where I please.
So! Stand and watch the golden fade... and HAIL the Sun with gleaming blade!
                           ©1997 Polymat


I'm starting things off with this short poem I wrote earlier this year. It surprised me as it flowed from my unconscious, since it is a bit of a throwback to the days of rythym and meter, and is more like my songs than most of my other poetry.

I will be periodically setting down some of my observations on poetic and songwriting technique. My first installation is:

"Polymat's Rule of Threes"



When writing the hook or refrain part of a song (or any portion of a lyric that you want to be particularly memorable) a very powerful trick is to use what I call the 'rule of threes', which is to group the scansion or rythym of the lyric in groups of three, usually given a triplet rythym. A good illustration of this is Evelyn King's Love Come Down. I will put the 'threed' part of the lyric inside parentheses.

"(Love Come Down) / ooh, you make my / (love come down)"


This can make the hook part of your lyric really stick in the listener's memory. Michael Watford's Holdin' On phrases the title in a triplet, like this:

"To a love / that's not fair / I'll keep (holdin' on)..."


I don't know why, but it works. To make your hook three words long (or phrase it as a triplet or groups of triplets really works.

'bye for now...keep writing!-Polymat