Your Lyrics Feel All Over the Place? Here’s the Fix
- Breana Marin
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
Everyone talks about writer's block- but what if your problem is the opposite? If you've ever had too much to say in a song- too many emotions, too many storylines, you might be making one of the most common beginner mistakes: shifting from one feeling to the next without giving your listener the breadcrumbs to stay with you on the ride. In this post, I'll show you how to fix that by starting with one core emotion- and building your song around it the way pro writers do.
The Real Problem: Emotional Whiplash Some of the most popular songs explore complex emotions and layered concepts - but there's an art to taking your listener on a journey without losing them along the way. We've all had moments we couldn't wait to write about- breakups, breakthroughs, heartbreaks, or healing. But each chapter of our stories need the right context. Without it, your listener might feel like you're jumping from topic to topic instead of guiding them through the events and feelings.
That's where context clues, foreshadowing, and emotional buildup come in. Like any good story, your lyrics should prepare the listener for what's coming- so when the big emotional moment hits, it lands the way you intended. I see beginner songwriters all the time with solid ideas, but the delivery gets messy. One second they're writing about heartbreak, then it suddenly becomes about revenge, loneliness, and new love- all in the same verse. It's not that you can't blend those emotions - it's how you do it that matters. Listeners need context clues. Foreshadowing. Emotional buildup. Like any good story, your lyrics should let the listener know what's coming - so when the big emotional moment hits, it lands. It's totally fine to go from happy to heartbroken in a song- but don't do it in one line with no warning. Build toward it. Let us feel it with you.
The Fix: Start with One Core Emotion Before writing your first line, ask yourself: What's the ONE emotion I want the listener to feel when the song ends? Is it longing? Empowerment? Regret? Once you define that, you can create a story that leads to that end point. Let's say your starting point is "toxic love" and your endpoint is "moving on" or "hard feelings after a bad breakup."
Use the first verse to lay the foundation.
The pre-hook can reveal a shift or realization.
The hook is the exclamation point - it calls it out directly: "I realized this is toxic and now I'm moving on."
Then the second verse shows what that looks like now that you've woken up to it. What will you do differently?
That's very different than making that switch in one line and flipping back in the next. That just gives the listener a headache from trying to follow the emotional zig-zag.
Example: Instead of "I loved you so much... I hope you suffer."
Try: "I thought we had forever, but now I see the cracks."
That small shift gives the listener an idea of where things are headed. The following lines can continue to build the tension.
What We Can Learn from "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift
In the first verse of "Blank Space," Taylor shows us how to mix two different emotions and concepts. On one hand, she's intrigued and excited to see where this chance encounter could lead. On the other, she's already foreshadowing potential chaos with lines like "magic, madness, heaven, sin" and " you could be my next mistake."
She's letting the listener know upfront: This could either be amazing -or a disaster. She plants little hints along the way, keeping the emotional twists and turns smooth and intentional.
"Nice to meet you, where you been? I could show you incredible things Magic, madness, heaven, sin Saw you there and I thought 'Oh, my God, look at that face You look like my next mistake Love's a game,
Final takeaway: If you want to shift emotional gears in a song, you need to lay the groundwork. Don't blindside your listener. Drop hints, build tension, and let the story unfold naturally.
Your Quick Lyric Clarity Checklist
So how do you know if you're making these mistakes in your lyrics? Here's a free 1-page PDF to help you spot emotional inconsistencies, foreshadow properly, and make sure your message lands.
Download the Lyric Clarity Checklist ↓
Your lyrics don't have to be overly simple- but if you're blending different ideas, concepts, or emotions, they do need to transition naturally. Rely on foreshadowing and context clues to keep your audience locked in on your story.
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