Songwriting Tips For Writing A Great Second Verse

Writing a great second verse is often the difference in a good song and a killer song. Here’s are my tips for leveling-up your second verses.

Map out an outline of the song as soon as you decide on a hook.

Knowing where you are going helps you avoid saying too much before you get to the 2nd verse. Second verses are not that difficult if you have planned out what you are going to say in advance and you avoid saying those things earlier in the song.  Each part of your song has a job to do and a solid song map will help you consistently writer better songs..

Say ONE thing in each verse that supports your hook or title.

Don’t try to say 5 different things in the verse. Say one thing and elaborate on it to develop it well. If you communicate one clear message, you’ve done your job. One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is putting too many ideas into one verse or song. Save those great ideas for more songs!

When writing a second verse answer the question “And then what?”

Think of your song this way:  First Verse says “This happened”  Chorus says “Because…”  Second Verse answers “And then…”

Don’t settle when writing second verses.

Let your goal be making the 2nd verse even stronger than the first. A book like Song Building can you you more ways to make this happen. If you keep people engaged and listening to the second verse and you knock that verse out of the park, you’ve probably written a really good song!

Write on! MD