How to Use the Power of Metaphor to Craft Lyrics We Can’t Stop Singing

At Flair AI Radio, we often receive songs that present an insightful theme or a purpose. Many of these songs often “tell” us what they want us to know, rather than “showing” us their message in lyrical space. As humans, we don’t just crave words, we thrive on imagery and stories.

It takes far more effort, but by planning out your song through imagery and not just words, you often create a far more robust and memorable song. Here are some steps to help you move from the start of your theme to final AI music and vocals.

1. Plan out your message and define your audience – first.

Start with a free-association exercise, asking yourself, “what do I want to communicate with my next song?” Write down whatever comes to mind. Just brainstorm and keep writing until you land on a theme. Sometimes the theme will come out of circumstances, a conversation had with a friend, an idea that pops in your head, or even from a lyric to another song or line from a movie.

Keep a journal and write down those themes until you land on the final idea. Once you have the idea, picture your audience. You don’t just have listeners; you have a captive audience that can learn from you. Who are they, what do they like, what do they watch or read, what would they consider “fun or interesting?”

Your visual imagery may just manifest out of their interests. The more connected your theme’s imagery is to your audience, the more the song may resonate with your listenership.

2. Once you have your theme, imagine all the ways you can present it.

Maybe your song is about new love, what imagery or story reflects that theme? Don’t just tell us about a new love, show it. Last month, I wrote a song about new love called “Shiny,” which was my chosen imagery for “showing” the brightness of a new relationship. But the last line of the chorus adds that extra metaphorical insight, ending in:

“You make life shiny… just don’t blind me.”

Is she going to experience blindness from dating this man? Of course not. The metaphor of blindness, tied to the metaphor of shiny, warns that maybe he’ll be too good to be true.

This same concept is used beautifully in Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well”:

“You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.”

The contrast between the two metaphors paints a vivid picture of uneven love and trust without outright stating it.

Maybe your song is about a love that’s lost? Daniel Dobson wrote a song here called, “Recall My Love.” The song is not just “speaking” about a lost love, but “pictured” as a storybook villain that has lost his princess, recalling his love for her after she is rescued by the prince. Did you catch that in the lyrics as you’ve listened?

“Way overgrown is the yellow brick road
The tin man is rusted through
Does this princess who left with the prince
Still miss my tower view?”

Oh man! How pretty and poetic is that metaphor!!!? We can completely imagine Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel, or Dorothy and his love for her. There is so much poetic sadness there, can you feel it?

This technique is echoed in Adele’s “Someone Like You”:

“Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you.”

Here, the simple yet powerful use of a subtle metaphor—accepting loss but holding onto echoes of love—resonates deeply.

Don’t tell us about lost love, new love, fear, doubt, happiness… show it! Create a scene or story and then lay out that story in lyrical detail.

3. When writing the lyrics, use metaphors instead of lines, and descriptive verbs instead of verbs that just fill space.

Individual lines of a song should describe and visualize, not tell and dictate. Ask yourself when you write every line, can I show this better than say it? In the song, “Tall Glass of Water,” a metaphor about a handsome player, the final line to the chorus is:

“You may be a tall glass of water, but I ain’t that thirsty!”

The song could have said, and Suno could have generated a decent vocal, to: “You may be a player, but I don’t want you.” Do you see the difference? Suno can create great music to dull lyrics, that may get hummed but rarely memorized and studied. Try to leave mental pictures in the minds of your listeners.

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” showcases this beautifully:

“When your legs don’t work
like they used to before
And I can’t sweep you off of your feet.”

The imagery of aging and vulnerability creates a tender, emotional connection that would be lost if written plainly.

And finally, use more descriptive and visual verbs when writing lines of lyrics. Push yourself beyond the common verb, and ask yourself can I use a verb choice that shows more of a story than talks about my theme? In the song on this station called “Get Acquainted,” by LG Dash APT, the words “Get Acquainted” are far more unique and descriptive than, “Let’s hook up!”

In the song “Beautiful Flaws,” by Syndi, note the verbs:

“Shattered pieces rearranging,
Shaping pictures of the past.”

This is “beautiful” in both lyrical imagery and alliteration with the two “S” words. This took work, and it pays off by becoming one of our favorite songs for January!

Crafting memorable, story-driven and conceptual songs out of your important themes and concepts takes work, but it pays off in more ways than you can imagine.

It was Aristotle that wrote, “Metaphor is the sign of genius.” Keep crafting those lyrics until they drip with lyrical sweetness! (see what I did there).

We can’t wait to see your genius unfold in the next songs you submit!