Then switch to an emotion-centered chorus lyric.“I Drive Your Truck,” a 2012 country song recorded by Lee Brice and written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary, addresses the grief of the song’s narrator who has lost his brother. When writing lyrics, look for an emotional theme or situation and try describing it using authentic details in the verses. Then try the techniques for building momentum in the melody and using phrase patterns I described above. This is essential if you’re thinking of writing for today’s country hit song market. Learn to play and sing this song to get the feel of the melody. The way the melody relates to the chords is what keeps them interesting. It’s a familiar progression – no surprises.
You’ll find the chords for this song here. It’s a great melody technique that helps to give this song its contemporary sound! (“Hits” Shortcut #92.) And the pauses that are left are in the MIDDLE of a lyric line, so listeners hang suspended just for a second, waiting for the rest of the thought. The first one is after “And I burn up…” The second is after “Yeah, sometimes…” just before the pay-off line, “I drive your truck.” The writers have eliminated the pauses at the ends of lines altogether. Once we hit the chorus, though, there are only a couple places where the singer stops for a breath. In the pre-chorus, the lines are a little longer, but the singer still takes a break between each one. Listen to one of the verses and notice the space at the end of each line where the singer stops singing. Like many songs, the note range rises from the low verse to the higher chorus, increasing the energy. This is an outstanding Contemporary Country melody that builds in intensity from verse to chorus. Now THAT’S a song path!įor more read my blog entry Create a Song Path or check out “Hits” Shortcuts #50 to #54.) He realizes that driving the truck is the only way to handle it When we hear the chorus for the final time, we understand the inevitability of the singer’s choice and the depth of his feelings. He’s tried other ways to work out his grief (“I’ve cussed, I’ve prayed, I’ve said goodbye”) but it hasn’t worked. The bridge provides a moment of realization for the singer. In Verse 2, we met the people – both the singer and the person he’s singing to.
Here’s more info on adding emotion to your lyrics. Every time we hear the chorus it means more, has more emotional punch, and feels fresh. This is vital in a song with a big repeated chorus like this one. Each verse tells us more about what’s going on and why the singer feels the way he does. “I find a field, I tear it up / Till all the pain’s a cloud of dust” Got it! That’s the emotion that drives this song. This chorus is a great example of a lyric that focuses on the singer’s emotions. The line leading into the chorus tells us: “People got their ways of coping / Oh, and I’ve got mine.” We’re drawn into the scene that’s being painted and we naturally want to know what’s going to happen and why. The detailed image of the truck interior puts the listener right inside the cab with the singer.
The writers paint a vivid picture of what the singer sees as he’s sitting behind the steering wheel, starting with eighty-nine cents in the ash tray. The first thing that struck me about this lyric is the amount of physical detail. Here are a few of the techniques they used. These songwriters used plenty of solid song craft to make this lyric effective. (For more on this song structure, see “Hits” Shortcut #26) It’s already clocking in at a hefty 3:45.
The verse and chorus sections are both fairly long and complex so the song doesn’t need a long bridge or a repeated chorus at the end to add length. The short but effective bridge begins with the line: “I’ve cussed, I’ve prayed…” It’s a great set-up for the powerful chorus in this song. Pre-chorus #1 starts with the line “This thing burns gas like crazy…” Pre-chorus #2 starts with the line “And Mama asked me…” The melody descends in the pre-chorus, unlike the rising motion of many pre-chorus melodies, providing a moment of thoughtful quiet before slamming into the chorus with a big jump up in pitch. The chorus begins with the title line: “I drive your truck…” creating a powerful emotional release and memorable hook. Both lyric and melody have a current style that’s very Country-radio-friendly. The Shortcut numbers below refer to specific chapters in my books “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” (“Hit”) and “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV” (“Film/TV”). Writers: Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary