Yesterday, some of you felt stuck. Your brain froze. The blank page won. That’s normal. Jay-Z rewrites verses 50 times. Kendrick Lamar spent 2 years on one album. Even the best songwriters stare at blank pages.
I asked you to write 8 lines from scratch when you’ve never written a song. That’s on me.
Today we build ONE LINE at a time. I give you the skeleton – you fill in the bones. By the end, you’ll have 8 lines without even trying.
Quick: Name the 3 lyric techniques we learned. Raise your hand – no looking at notes.
Write 8 lines of social commentary lyrics by building one line at a time using fill-in-the-blank templates, an Idea Bank, and the 3 lyric techniques.
The “Ugly First Draft” Rule: Your first version MUST be bad. Write fast. Fix later.
“I’m tired of _________, tired of _________” Repetition
“They say _________, but I know _________” Contrast
“I see _________ where there used to be _________” Imagery
“Every day I _________, but nobody _________” Contrast
“This is what _________ looks like” Imagery
OR write your own hook from scratch. Your hook = the ONE line you want people to chant.
Which template did you choose? Read your completed hook to your neighbor. Does it make them feel something?
“The sound of _________ fills the _________”
“_________ colored walls, _________ colored sky”
“I walk past _________ every day and see _________”
“In my neighborhood, the _________ look like _________”
WHY does “empty chairs” hit harder than “I feel alone”?
“They promised _________, but gave us _________”
“On one side _________, on the other _________”
“They call it _________, we call it _________”
“_________ for them, _________ for us”
Put two opposites next to each other. The BIGGER the gap, the HARDER it hits.
See: empty desks, RIP murals, candlelight vigils, bullet holes
Hear: sirens at night, a mother’s cry, silence after shots
“Another candle on the corner where we used to play…”
See: fake smiles, dark rooms, heavy backpacks (metaphor)
Hear: thoughts racing, “I’m fine,” quiet screaming
“They see the smile, they don’t see the weight behind it…”
See: hands up, marching feet, broken promises
Hear: chanting, news on repeat, silence of being ignored
“Same skin, different sentence…”
See: empty fridge, lights cut off, counting coins
Hear: stomach growling, bills on the floor
“They don’t know what it’s like when the lights go…”
See: crumbling schools, old textbooks, overcrowded rooms
Hear: bells ring but nothing changes
“They gave us old books and told us to dream new dreams…”
See: two flags, borders, being invisible
Hear: “go back,” doors closing, a language that doesn’t fit
“I carry two countries in one heart…”
Find YOUR issue above. Pick ONE image and ONE sound. Write them on your worksheet NOW.
Read your 8 lines aloud to yourself. Does each line serve ONE feeling? Cut anything that doesn’t.
Read your lyrics out loud while clapping the syllables. Does it flow? If a line feels clunky, shorten it or swap a word.
Read to your partner. They tell you: ONE line that hit + ONE line that needs work. Then switch.
Can you name the technique your partner used? Point to the exact line. Did it make you see, feel, or think something?
After feedback – 2 minutes to revise. Then submit on Google Classroom.
Which step of the line-by-line method helped you most – Hook Builder, Imagery Builder, Contrast Builder, or the Idea Bank? Explain WHY in 1–2 sentences.
1 pt = Names a step • 1 pt = Explains why with a real reason
Copy your 2 strongest lines from today. For each line, name the technique you used (imagery, repetition, or contrast).
1 pt = Copies 2 lines • 1 pt = Names technique for line 1 • 1 pt = Names technique for line 2