Lyrics are the written words in a song. Lyrics can be written during composition of a song or after the accompanying music is composed. Sometimes, however, music is adapted to or written for a song or poem that has already been written.

Not all lyrics generally make sense or are even intelligible. This has long been a complaint about the work of rock and roll lyricists, although it doesn't pertain only to that genre of music.

From the Greek, a lyric is a song sung with a lyre. Now, it is commonly used to mean a song of no defined length or structure. A lyric poem is one that expresses a subjective, personal point of view.

 I would be the Lyric
 Ever on the lip,
 Rather than the Epic
 Memory lets slip.
   —Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Chinese lyrics (詞) are Chinese poems written in the set metrical and tonal pattern of a particular song.

Related topics

• Music
• Song
• Lyric poetry

External links

• Online Lyrics - Large collection of lyrics for free use.
• World's Biggest Tamil Lyrics Database
• The Lyrictracker Project
• Complete Album Lyrics
• The Music Made Me Do It
• A lyrics collection box
• Christian Rock Lyrics
• iLyric
• Rare Lyrics
• Lyrics Archive
• Songs Lyrics
• Song lyrics search engine
• Song Meanings
• Song lyrics by genres