---
name: "lyric_writing"
description: "Writes and revises song lyrics: idea worksheets, verse-chorus structures, rhyme types, meter and singability, hook craft, and draft workshopping. Triggers on 'write lyrics', 'write a song', 'help me with these lyrics', requests for a chorus, verse, bridge, hook, rhyme help, or when a lyric draft needs diagnosis and revision."
---

# Lyric Writing

## Purpose
Take a theme or a rough draft and produce singable, structured song lyrics: a section map first, then words that fit it.

## Workflow

1. **Idea before form.** Run the objective-writing worksheet (see `references/workshop-checklist.md`): pin down one central image or truth, the specific sensory scene it lives in, and the single focus phrase the song revolves around. One song, one idea.
2. **Pick the form.** Choose from `references/forms.md` based on genre and the job the song does. Map out sections and line counts before writing a word.
3. **Set the meter.** Fix syllable ranges and stress patterns per section (see `references/prosody.md`). Lyric stress must land where the melody will land. If there is no melody yet, write in a regular meter so one is easy to set.
4. **Write the hook first.** The chorus carries the title or hook line: plain language, repeatable, understandable on first listen. See the hook tests in `references/workshop-checklist.md`.
5. **Rhyme with intent.** Choose rhyme strength per section from the ladder in `references/rhyme-ladder.md`. Strong rhymes close a thought; weak rhymes keep it moving. Vary the type across the song; never let perfect rhyme do all the work.
6. **Draft section by section.** Verse: concrete details, new information each verse. Pre-chorus: pressure rising. Chorus: the summary truth. Bridge: the turn, a new angle or realization. Verse and chorus get different rhyme schemes and line lengths so the listener hears the sections change.
7. **Analyze.** Run `bin/analyze_lyrics.py` on the draft to check syllable consistency, line counts per section, and chorus-repeat integrity.
8. **Revise like a workshop.** Apply the revision moves in `references/workshop-checklist.md`: kill clichés, cut abstraction, sharpen the bridge so it earns the final chorus. Transcribe, sleep on it, re-read aloud.

## Output Contract
- A finished draft with section tags (`[Verse 1]`, `[Pre-Chorus]`, `[Chorus]`, `[Bridge]`, `[Outro]`), or a section map plus drafted lines when the user only asked for a start.
- Every revision pass reports: what changed, which rule drove the change.
- Lyrics ship in plain text or markdown, never in a code block, unless the user asked for a file.

## Operating Rules
1. Never write from abstractions alone. Every section must earn at least one concrete, sensory detail.
2. Each new verse must add information. A verse that restates the previous one gets cut or merged.
3. The bridge must say something the song has not said yet, in a different rhyme scheme and line count. A bridge that repeats the chorus's point is a rewrite failure, not a section.
4. The final chorus must feel different after the bridge. If the bridge does not change the chorus's meaning, rework one of them.
5. Rhyme never dictates meaning. If a line bends its sense to serve a rhyme, rewrite the line or pick a weaker rhyme.
6. Singability is non-negotiable: read every line aloud, tap the beat, and cut any line that trips the tongue.
7. Attribute facts about form or technique when asked; write no factual claims about real songs (titles, dates, artists) without checking them first.
8. Keep drafts lean. Cut lines until removing one more would hurt.