I put a guitar in my hand, play some random stuff until i get a nice riff, then i'll write a "dummy" lyric just to find out how the singing will be... then i'll write the real lyrics. I often take some real events in my life and use lots of metaphors. That way you will get a cool lyric in no time..
But please... use a music forum for these type of questions if you are not a marathon or bungie fan..
: My opinion - you either got it or you don't. If you've never found yourself
: humming a completely new melody and thinking that this would make a great
: song, you probably don't. Of course, there's rap, which requires
: absolutely no talent to write.
: One interesting point - most great song writers do not write their own
: lyrics. Someone like Paul McCartney (factually the most successful song
: writer of all time) is a true rarity. Elton John (I know, I'm dating
: myself), was inspired to write his music by the lyrics that Bernie Taubin
: gave him. In other words, for him, the poetry set the mood, from which he
: wrote the music. Most people start with a tune and then try to come up
: with words that seem to fit.