Rhyming & Songwriting

This web page is my interpretation of the use of rhymes in songs.  I built this web page because I found the topic of rhyming to be confusing after attending seminars, hearing critiques by pros, reading many books, looking at definitions, and studying songs.  I've wanted to use words in my songs that I felt rhymed to the ear but received negative critiques by some but not all critiquing the song.

Songwriting Survival Guide - see this related web page for my notes on Lyric writing.

Rhyme

Rhyme is based on the sound of the words to the ear.  Rhymes are used to keep the listener interested, add to the flow of the lyrics and help create a memorable and sing-able lyric.  Try to use rhymes that are fresh, creative, and interesting that help make the lyric memorable yet conversational and less predictable.

• Types of Rhyme
  • Examples of rhymes for the word:  time 
    • Perfect Rhyme:  lime, crime, dime
    • Near Rhyme (aka: Soft Rhyme, Sound-Alike) - they rhyme to the ear.
      • Assonance Near Rhyme (vowel - 'i'): wine, life, cried
      • Consonance Near Rhyme (consonant - 'm'): aim, brim, cram, fame, tomb, home
    • Identical Rhyme: time/daytime
    • Inner Sound: time/chimes - notice the "s" on the end of chimes.
    • Alliteration - 'tell time', 'tough time' - each word starts with a the same consonance.
    • Internal Rhyme - At the middle and the end of a line you use words that rhyme.
  • Perfect Rhymes (aka: full rhyme, true rhyme, complete rhyme) - have the same final accented vowel and consonant sounds and a different consonant preceding that vowel.
    • Examples:
      ex: time/lime/crime/dime
      ex: meet/sleet/beet/sweet
      ex: replaceable/traceable
    • Types of Perfect Rhymes:
      • Masculine (last syllable) - The last syllable sounds a like with prior consonant different.
        ex: time/crime,
        ex: light/tonight
        ex: timber/harbor
      • Feminine (last 2 syllable) - The last 2 syllables sound a like with prior consonant different.  To say the same thing another way, words with double rhyme have the same vowel sound and following consonant sounds in the second-to-last syllable, and the same sounds in the final syllables.
        ex: conviction/prediction
        ex: walking/talking
        ex: humming/coming, and navigator/waiter.
      • Triple (3 syllable) - The last 3 syllables sound a like with prior consonant different.  To say the same thing another way, words with triple rhyme have the same vowel sound and following consonant sounds in the third-to-last syllable, and the same sounds in the remaining syllables.
        ex: replaceable/traceable - 'repl' vs 'tr' then the 3 syllable sounds of 'ace' - 'a' - 'ble'
        ex: frightening/brightening
        ex: antelope/cantaloupe
        ex: greenery/scenery.
      • Inner Sound Rhymes
        • ex:
          time/chimes, way/played, sting/finger, pain/strange
          harbor/starboard, mess/chest, blue/gratitude.
    • Pros & Cons of using Perfect Rhymes
      • Pros - they are memorable.
      • Cons - they are used so often that they begin to sound cliche.  Rhymes that sound cliche may bore the listener because they can anticipate they are coming.  (Cliche ex: love/above, heart/apart, etc... )
    • Definitions - just to confuse you some with the terms.
      • www.dictionary.com - shows a difference in Perfect & Full rhyme but other sites don't - confusing!
        • Perfect Rhyme - rhyme of two words spelled or pronounced identically but differing in meaning, as rain, reign; rich rhyme.
        • Full Rhyme - rhyme in which the stressed vowels and all following consonants and vowels are identical, but the consonants preceding the rhyming vowels are different, as in chain, brain; soul, pole. 
      • www.answers.com -
        • Perfect Rhyme (full rhyme, true rhyme) - Rhyme in which the final accented vowel and all succeeding consonants or syllables are identical, while the preceding consonants are different, for example, great, late; rider, beside her; dutiful, unbeautiful. Also called full rhyme, true rhyme.
  • Near Rhymes (Soft Rhyme, Sound-Alike) (aka: soft rhyme, half rhyme, near rhyme, slant rhyme, oblique, off rhyme, suspended rhyme, analyzed rhyme) - words that feel like they rhyme but the don't rhyme exactly.
    • Consonance - rhyme on the final consonant sound but the final vowel sound is different.
      ex: blank/think - the 'nk' sound
      ex: strong/string - the 'ng' sound
      ex: marriage/age - the 'g' sound - ( short e + g ) vs ( long a + g )
      ex: man/wind - the 'n' sound
      ex: aim/brim, cram/fame, tomb/home - the 'm' sound.
      ex: longing, aging - the 'g' sound
      ex: wants/cards - 's' for consonance rhyme - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      ex: work/hurt - 'r' for a consonance rhyme - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      ex: alone/wrong - 'n' for a consonance rhyme - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      • Definition of Consonance
        • www.dictionary.com - "The use of the repetition of consonants or consonant patterns as a rhyming device."
        • www.answers.com - "The repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at the ends of words, as in blank and think or strong and string."
    • Assonance (aka vowel rhyme) - rhyme on the final vowel sound, but the final consonance sound is different.
      ex: wine, life, cried - the long 'i' sound.
      ex: night/mind - long 'i' - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      ex: eyes/life - long 'i' - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      ex: head/said - short 'e' - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      ex: tries/side - long 'i' - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      ex: sees/me - long 'e' - Buy Me A Rose - mfb Kenny Rodgers
      • Definition of Assonance
        • www.dictionary.com - "Also called vowel rhyme. Rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words, as in penitent and reticence."
        • www.answers.com - "The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, especially in stressed syllables, with changes in the intervening consonants, as in the phrase tilting at windmills."
      • Rhyme Sounds - vowels.
        • long a, long e, long i, long o, long u, short a (aw), short e (eh), short i (ih), short o (ou), short u (uh), etc...
    • End rhymes - Words with ending rhyme have the same ending sound, commonly a vowel sound followed by a consonant sound.  This is pleasing to the ear.  This is not a Perfect Rhyme because there is not a different consonant followed by a same vowel & constant sound.  This is a different consonant then same vowel sound.  ( c-v-c vs c-v ).
      ex: blue/shoe
      ex: airplane/campaign
      ex: train/vein.
    • Last syllable rhymes - Words with last syllable rhymes have the same sounds in the last syllable. This is pleasing to my ear.
      ex: timber/harbor
      ex: threw/breakthrough
      ex: humanity/zesty
      ex: pleat/complete.
    • Beginning rhymes  - Words with beginning rhyme have the same initial consonant sounds and the same first vowel sound.  This is pleasing to my ear and could be considered a type of Assonance rhyme.
      ex: physics/fizzle
      ex: scenery/cedar.
    • First syllable rhymes  - Words with first syllable rhyme have the same sounds in the first syllable.  This could be pleasing to the ear and could be considered a type of Assonance rhyme.
      ex: carrot/caring
      ex: fairground/ferryboat.
  • False Rhymes - sounds that appear to rhyme to the ear but technically is not a "Near Rhyme".  These types of rhymes will usually generate a negative comment on a critique but to the listener it may satisfy his ear.  Normally stay away from this kind of rhyme and only use it if the word brings strong meaning to the song and satisfies your the ear.
    • False Assonance & Consonance - the consonance & assonance sounds together appear to rhyme to the ear but technically they do not.
      ex:
    • False Suffix Rhymes - rhyming words based on the suffix (ing, er, able, etc...) and not the final accented syllable.
      ex:
    • False Slang Sounds - a slang or regional pronunciation of a word rhymes with another word.  If the word was pronounced correctly, then the two words would not rhyme.
      ex:
  • Identical Rhyme (aka: identities, identicals) -  have the same final accented vowel and consonant sounds and does not have a different consonant preceding that vowel.
    These rhymes sound flat.  Not the best rhymes to use.
    • ex: time/daytime
    • ex: day/today, loud/allowed, believe/leave, way/halfway/railway
    • Homophones:  tee/tea, see/sea, flee/flea
    • Examples:
      Song: When You Say Nothing At All - mfb Keith Whitley & Alison Krauss)
      The smile on your face let's me know that you need me
      There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
      The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
      Now you say it best when you say nothing at all
  • Alliteration - the use of same sounding consonants at the beginning of a word.
    • ex: 'tell time', 'tough time'
    • ex: 'married men', 'wild women'
  • Elongated Rhyme - An extra sound is added after the accented rhyme sound.  So you can take a perfect or near rhyme and add an extra sound (syllable or word) to the end.  To the listener, this may be interesting.
    • ex: crime / timing
    • ex: crime / timer
    • ex: life / crying
    • ex: way / play on
    • ex: saying / play it
    • ex: rain / change, hey, hey
    • ex: better / let her go
    • Desperado by the Eagles:
      Desperado, Why Don't You Come to Your Sense
      You've Been out Riding Fences for So Long Now
    • Desperado by the Eagles:
      Oh You're a Hard One, but I Know You Have You're Reasons
      These Things That Are Pleasing You Will Hurt You Somehow.
  • Diminished Rhyme - An sound is removed after the accented rhyme sound.  So you can take an Elongated rhyme and reverse the words to get a diminished rhyme.  Remember to listen to your ear because diminished rhymes may be less satisfying to the listener.
    • timing / crime
    • let her go / better
    • alarmed / car
  • Placement of Rhymes
    • Inner Rhyme - a rhyme embedded in a phrase. (see "Use of Rhyme" below)
    • End Rhyme - a rhyme at the end of 2 phrases. (see "Use of Rhyme" below)
    • Extended Rhyme - the addition of extra phrases to the meter (rhythm) of the song to delay an anticipated second rhyme.  Extended rhyme forces the listener to wait for the anticipated rhyme. This helps make the lyric more interesting instead of boring.  A good place to apply this technique to the last line of a chorus or a verse.
      •  ex:
• Use of Rhyme
  • Forced rhymes - never sacrifice the idea of the lyric or the conversational tone to force a rhyme.
  • Predictable rhymes - don't be to predictable with your rhymes.
  • Inner line rhymes - can be used on any line.  You don't need to have a matching inline rhyme in the other verses.  The rhyme scheme is based on the "End of Line" rhymes and not the "Inner Line" rhymes.
  • End of line rhyme schemes - need to be the same in the verses.  Make the chorus have a different scheme.  Use a different rhyme vowel/consonant sounds in adjacent rhyme lines so the rhymes don't become boring.  The exception is in the chorus.
  • Less can be best - Keep rhyme to a minimum unless your going for a special effect.  Excessive rhyme can take away from the song's meaning.
  • Alliteration - helps make a lyric more memorable.  The rhyme scheme is not based on alliteration.
• Rhyme Schemes (patterns)
  • Rhyme Contrast
    • Between song sections (verse, chorus, bridge) vary the rhyme patterns.
    • Vary the rhyme sounds between adjacent rhyming lines.
  • End of Line rhyme schemes
    • The is rules to rhyme schemes, but also remember that songs can break rules.
    • Rhyme schemes are determined by the sound of the end-of-line rhyme words.  You can also use he sound of the internal rhymes.
      • Make all of your Verses have the same rhyme scheme. (ie: A,A,B,B etc...)
      • Your chorus should vary from the verses.  If you have a Bridge you may or may not vary it's rhyme scheme.
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,A,B,B)
        Song: Buy Me A Rose mfb Kenny Rodgers
        Buy me a rose, call me from work  A
        Open a door for me, what would it hurt  A
        Show me you love me by the look in your eyes  B
        These are the little things I need the most in my life  B
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,B,C,B)
        Song: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You mfb Rod Stewart
        For the morning sun and all it's glory  A 
        Greats the day with hope and comfort too  B
        You fill my life with laughter, - Some how make it better  C
        Ease my troubles that's what you do  A
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,B,C,C)
        Song: The Wind Beneath My Wings mfb Bette Midler & Kenny Rogers
        It must have been cold there in my shadow A
        To never have sun light on your face B
        You've been content to let me shine C
        You always walked a step behind C
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,A,A,B)  (Song Type: V,V,B,V,B,V)
        Song: To Make You Fell My Love mfb Garth Brooks (by Bob Dylan)
        When the rain is blowing in your face  A
        and the whole world is on your case  A
        I would offer you a warm embrace  A
        To make you feel my love  B
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,A,A,A)
        Song: The Keeper Of The Stars mfb Tracy Byrd
        Chorus:
        I tip my hat... to the keeper of the stars.   A
        He sure knew what he was do.in' . when he joined these two hearts  A
        I hold every... thing... when I hold you in my arms.  A
        And I've got all I'll ever need thanks to the keeper of the stars  A
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,A,B,C,C,B,D,D,E,E)
        Song: Live Like You Were Dying mfb Tim Mcgraw (by Tim Nichols & Craig Wiseman)
        Verse:
        He said I was in my early forties   A
        With a lot of life before me   A
        When a moment came that stopped me on a dime   B
        And I spent most of next days   C
        Looking at the x-rays   C
        And talking 'bout the options, talking 'bout sweet time.   B
        And I asked him when it sank in   D
        That this might really be the end   D
        How's it hit ya' when you get that kind of news   E
        man, what'd you do (he said)   E
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,B-B,C,D-D)  - Note:  Inner rhymes on the 2nd & 4th.  Also, a chorus can be any rhyme scheme or no rhyme scheme.
        Song: If Tomorrow Never Comes mfb Garth Brooks (by Kent Blazy, Garth Brooks)
        Chorus:
        If tomorrow never comes, Will she know how much I loved her  A
        Did I try in every way, to show her every day, That she's my only one  B-B
        And if my time on earth were through, And she must face the world without me  C
        Is the love I gave her in the past, Gonna be enough to last  D-D
        If tomorrow never comes  A
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,B-B,A,C,D-D,C)
        Song: You Decorated My Life mfb Kenny Rodgers
        Verse 1:
        All my life was a paper, once plain pure and white  A
        Till you moved with your pen, changing moves now and then  B-B
        Till the balance was right  A
        Then you added some music, every note was in place  C
        Anybody could see, all the changes in me,  D-D
        By the look on my face  C
      • Example: Rhyme Scheme (A,A,B,C,C,B)
        Song: I Swear mfb John M Montgomer
        Verse 1
        I See the Questions in Your Eyes   A
        I Know What’s Weighing on Your Mind   A
        But You Can Be Sure I Know My Part  B
        Cause I'll Stand Be-side You Through the Years.   C
        You’ll Only Cry Those Happy Tears   C
        And Though, I’ll Make Mistakes, I’ll Never Break Your Heart   B
    • Do not re-use an end-of-line rhyme word as another end-of-line rhyme word.  The normal exception is the title of the song.
    • Vary the use of the end-of-line rhyme vowel sound (rhyme pattern) for adjacent rhyming pair of lines.  The normal exception is the chorus.