LYRIC CHEAT SHEET (LCS)
Lesson 9: Visual Storytelling
Action Points:
Visual Storytelling is a crucial skill every songwriter need to master. It's the gateway your audience needs to build a connection with your song.
Because visuals grab their attention and pull them into your world. The best way you can do this is by describing your message with locations, object and metaphors.
Place at least one visual in your song and never forget:
You can only tell, if you show first!
Songs That Use This Concept:
Bury A Friend by Billie Eilish
[Pre-Chorus]
Step on the glass, staple your tongue (Ahh)
Bury a friend, try to wake up (Ah-ahh)
Cannibal class, killing the son (Ahh)
Bury a friend, I wanna end me
Explanation
These lines use stark, cinematic visuals like “step on the glass” and “staple your tongue,” allowing listeners to picture each disturbing act. Rather than bland statements, the lyrics build a vivid and unsettling world, pulling the audience directly into the experience. This visual storytelling technique makes the emotion and message far more powerful and memorable by showing rather than telling.
Snuff by Slipknot
[Verse 2]
I still press your letters to my lips
And cherish them in parts of me that savor every kiss
I couldn't face a life without your light (Without your light)
But all of that was ripped apart when you refused to fight
Explanation
By showing “letters to my lips” and “chasing ghosts into the dying light,” the lyric conjures concrete visuals of longing and loss. The listener sees the image play out instead of just hearing about heartbreak. These evocative scenes turn emotion into sensory experience, making the story immediate and memorable.
All Too Well by Taylor Swift
[Verse 1]
I walked through the door with you, the air was cold
But something 'bout it felt like home somehow
And I left my scarf there at your sister's house
And you've still got it in your drawer, even now
Explanation
This verse uses vivid visual storytelling—walking through a door, feeling the cold air, a scarf left behind—to pull the listener into a specific memory. Taylor Swift lets us see and feel each detail, showing rather than telling. Concrete images make the emotion and experience immediate and memorable, matching the principles outlined in the Visual Storytelling technique.
thank u, next by Ariana Grande
[Bridge]
One day I'll walk down the aisle
Holding hands with my mama
I'll be thanking my dad '
Cause she grew from the drama
Only wanna do it once, real bad
Gon' make that shit last
God forbid something happens
Least this song is a smash (Song is a smash)
Explanation
The lyric paints real, cinematic scenes—walking down the aisle, holding hands with her mom—rather than just stating facts about gratitude or growth. Each line gives you a concrete image, letting you watch the artist’s imagined future unfold. This vivid storytelling amplifies the emotional impact and memorability.
Are You Sick Of Writer’s Block?
Ever wish writing lyrics felt as natural as humming a melody?
What if, instead of waiting for inspiration, you could create it-on demand?
That’s exactly what the Lyric Liberation Leap is about!
It’s a 30-day challenge for musicians who want to turn lyric writing from a struggle into a habit-and from a habit into a superpower. Each day, you’ll get a short, focused exercise-think of it as a creative spark. You’ll learn the secret techniques pros use:
How to dodge writer’s block? How to write lines people actually remember? How to turn a single word into an entire song? No more staring at a blank page. No more “I’ll finish it later.” Just 15 minutes a day, and you’ll be stacking up fresh lyrics-yes, even on your busiest days.
See how much your writing can grow in just 30 days.
Curious? Take the leap and click the button below!