When writing and developing a lyric, a relatively simple yet powerful tool  that’s often overlooked is to change the tenses of the verbs.  Are the events of the song happening in the present or in the past?

The present tense is of course immediate; it throws the listener right into the action:

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He’s nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready… (‘Lose Yourself’)

or –

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs.… (‘Up On The Roof’)

You’re there; you’re in it with the singer

The past tense is the most common; it brings up feelings of regret, longing, distance… the past is always gone, lost to us…

And please, remember me, seldomly
In the car behind the carnival
My hand between your knees, you turned from me
And said, “The trapeze act was wonderful
But never meant to last”, the clown that passed
Saw me just come up with anger
When it filled with circus dogs, the parking lot
Had an element of danger…  (‘The Trapeze Swinger’)

or –

I knew a man Bojangles
and he’d dance for you
In worn-out shoes…  (‘Mr. Bojangles’)

Consider if Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ was in the past tense:

His palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy
Vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He was nervous but on the surface he looked calm and ready…

Still extremely strong but a whole different feeling.  It already happened; it’s not happening right now.

Or put ‘Mr. Bojangles’ (Jerry Jeff Walker) in the present tense:

I know a man Bojangles
and he’ll dance for you
In worn-out shoes…

The sense of reflection and loss associated with the past is gone, replaced by the immediacy of the present.

To me, the songwriting takeaway here is to sometimes try it both ways.  When working on a lyric, a switch of tenses can in certain instances bring a song to life.  It can create a match or contrast with the music that is surprising and effective… and emotional.

As usual, there’s no rule as to where or when.  Try it; see what sounds and feels right.

Additional credits: Up On The Roof (Goffin/King); The Trapeze Swinger (Beam); Lose Yourself (Mathers/Bass/Resto). Post updated 4/27/18

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