How to Write One Song

by Jeff Tweedy

Keep the Language Simple That being said, I think it’s important to make the point that I’m not talking about expanding your vocabulary. I mean, that’s always a nice thing to do in the name of self-improvement. But fancy multisyllabic words aren’t going to make a lyric better, and are very often the type of thing that breaks the spell being cast by a melody when I listen to music. Like, “How long has this guy been trying to shoehorn ‘plethora’ into a tune?!” In fact, I would say that most of my favorite songwriters consciously stick to common, simple, and precise language, but they don’t use it in a common and simple way within a song or melody. I’m thinking of people like John Prine, who didn’t use a lot of big words or flowery language. But when he did, I believe he always stayed true to the song and what needed to be said, over any desire to make himself sound smart or poetic.