I’ve found that sometimes one of the quickest and most effective ways to improve a song is to simply try changing the order of the Verses, couplets, or lines.

As I write a song, the lines and Verses often seem to belong in a certain order.  Or I might be writing to a rough outline (this happens in Verse 1, this in Verse 2, etc.) and feel the approach is working pretty well.

Surprisingly often, though, the order in which lines appear or the plan that I started with can be improved on, especially if I come back to the song after it’s cooled off a bit.

At that point I try mixing things up.  What would it be like if the last Verse was first?  Or the first, last?  The same goes for smaller segments – usually couplets and single lines.  Are they in the best place?   Is there a different way to roll out the lyric that’s more powerful?

This particularly goes for the first line of a song – is there a line that’s already somewhere else in the song that will make a more compelling first line than what I already have?

Sometimes going through this process can knock the lyric I’ve got upside down and turn into some serious rewriting – not just re-ordering.  But if it makes the song better, it’s worth it.  And if I make things worse, not better (it happens!), I can always go back to the way it was.

Sometimes the effect of changing the position of a Verse or even a single line or a couplet can improve a song in a  startling way.  Definitely not always better, but worth a try.