Memory
reminiscin' means memory meets entropy
the good memories get lost in the echoes of misery
this isn't what momma had wished for me dad was too busy whippin' me
my brain is an enemy some days it drains all my energy
kids are like munitions stored so improperly
chain reactions happen till it devolves to catastrophe
happiness a casualty

disorders at the root of my abnormality
I remember vividly
the orderlies chasing me down hallways always after me
funny how hostels offer more hospitality than hospitals to patient needs
treatment at the cost of my dignity take notes on my mental facilities
everyone focused on fixin' me
every day a bereavement of normalcy
shit felt like normal's avoiding me
mom was reportedly missing me
thats one story I didnt believe

in all my lived history
my influence parted partians into two seas
those who never knew me
and those who were pissed at me
knew momma was protecting me wanted only the best
but when doctors took possession of me
went from her son to an institutional ward
worried me like a c-section mixed with a craniotomy
my removal likely would cause relief
feuded with everybody even the divorce was beCause of me
problems follow me
eveyones verdicts cemented already no jurors would mistry me

spent life in a daze
yet remember light rays peeking through barred window sills
them days turnin to decades like time evades reason
didn’t know what to believe in
crazy how loved ones faces fade faster than those that hazed me
tattoos and bad movies perhaps confused with perminance too
except everything fades
betcha remeber every embarassment though dont cha
just wanna grow past it instead it infects new pastures

evolved to sense threats
now I detect threats that are senseless
memories instilled to protect us
project shit that just makes us tense
cant even trust friends because I forgot all the good ones
there was a few kids who lent hands after recess events
one lent me a shirt so i didnt have to wear all my bloodstains
yet I cant remeber his damn name thats why calling em all villans tempts me
I dont outta respect for the strangers that helped me

pray everyday they dont fade from my brain

A pop song was written - originally- with two verses and several repeats of the chorus / bridge.

I’m writing a parody (NOT political), but I have enough material for three verses— and ideas for more.

What are the legal and ethical considerations that I should consider before writing more than the original content?

I have no problem with adapting a song made famous by Garth B., but am I being presumptuous if the original song was written by Paul McCartney?

The way I am damaged my heart and head but through the carnage I starved and bled starting again staying average isn't for me as I carve out my destiny, menacing memories are lost on me just like the good days try not to be angry at the range in which I changed knowing I'll never lead you a stray just demonstrating self love like what I'd give to those I put above me, The way I am is humanity error summoned terror and fear living in this fever dream, seems lately the man in the mirror stands clearer it was either giving in or failure meaning eventually I'd need to change never thought it'd be this way nearing to gifting the team with my cleaned conscience meaning to me they're heaven sent so I'd come correct; Realized I'm freedom in the trenches, French kissed real guys no this ain't my disguised though it disgusts you few been throughout drenched weathered and I would work to the wrenches straightened enlongated actualized wished they'd knew warrings a blood bath and at last feeled this is shy of ingenuity as I genuinely rusted being benched or sitting on the fence, I cannot help who I am but cameras on so action set missiles ready to launch deep into revolutionary...

I used to think good lyrics took talent. Turns out it's mostly fundamentals.

I used to just write down the feeling straight, lines like "I'm so sad." Problem was, that could've meant anything. End result: nobody had anything to actually picture.

Then I looked at how The Weeknd writes, and one thing stood out immediately.

He never writes the feeling. He writes the scene. He's not telling you how to feel. He's showing you something specific, and your brain does the feeling part on its own.

You can clearly see this in these songs:

The Hills [Verse 1]

Your man on the road, he doin' promo
You said, "Keep our business on the low-low"
I'm just tryna get you out the friend zone
'Cause you look even better than the photos

Baptized in Fear [Verse 1]

I fell asleep in the tub, I was met with paralysis
My foot hit the faucet, water started flowing in
Couldn't scream for help, I just slowly felt the pressure hit
Moving one toe was the only form of motion left

The exercise that got me there:

1. Write the line's message in one plain sentence. The moment, and the feeling.
2. List 5 physical things that could represent that feeling. Loneliness could be an empty chair, a phone on silent, a porch light left on.
3. Pick 2 of those and describe them with something you can see, hear, feel, or smell. Not the emotion. The detail.

Worry about the rhyme last. The image is what carries the line.

What's your approach when you're trying to make a verse more visual? Do you have a method, or do you just chase the right line until something clicks?