Here’s the hard truth: most lyrics TELL emotions instead of SHOWING them.
“I’m so sad” = telling “The coffee’s gone cold and I’m still holding your mug” = SHOWING The difference? Sensory details.
Slide 2: USE THE 5 SENSES • What does the emotion LOOK like? • What does it SOUND like? • What does it TASTE, SMELL, FEEL like?
Slide 3: SPECIFIC > GENERIC “Heart” → “chest tight like a fist” “Sad” → “the kind of quiet that hums” “Happy” → “sunlight on bare feet”
Slide 4: THE RULE If your listener can SEE a picture in their mind, you’ve written something that will STAY with them.
Great lyrics make people feel like you read their diary. That’s emotional depth.
Comment if you’re guilty of “telling” instead of “showing.” We all start there.
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