Originally Posted by: oib111Sometimes I think that my lyrics are too straightforward and I don't know if should change them or not because I don't know if lyrics are ok if they're straightforward, because most songs I here that I like aren't straightforward but meaning can be "deciphered". So, uh, yeah, what should I do about my lyrics?

Sometimes straightforwardness is good. You don't want to write a song entirely in metaphors, or you end up with something like "I Am the Walrus." Incidentally, that is one of my favourite songs in terms of lyrics, just for sheer absurdity. But it's a hard thing to pull off.

I think a good way to go is to have lines that are straightforward in themselves, but take deciphering in relation to the song. Just using "I Am the Walrus" as an example again (because now that I've brought it up it's stuck in my head), you have a string of nonsense that goes

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody tuesday.
Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.
Mister city policeman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row.
See how they fly like lucy in the sky, see how they run.

followed immediately by

I'm crying, i'm crying.
I'm crying, i'm crying.

In itself, "I'm crying" is about as simple as it gets, but given the absurd complexity of the previous lines, it kinda makes you stop and go "wait, WHAT??"

So my advice would be to try and mix it up like that. Going from wacky metaphors into plain english makes things interesting, in my opinion.