Christian Songwriting: Lyric Writing - Rhyme Position

A. End Rhyme

Most rhyme occurs basically at the ends of lines, and is called end rhyme or terminal rhyme. It would be without a doubt, the most common place for a rhyme to take effect, to the extent that, in many people's minds, the question would arise, "Where else would rhyme take place?" Due to this prevalence, it would be pointless to cite examples of end rhyme as almost all songs use it to some degree.

B. Internal Rhyme

Less common, but also very effective, is internal rhyme, which happens, as the name suggests, within the lines. One of the earliest songs I wrote makes extensive use of internal rhyme, as the following excerpt shows:

God Will Deliver You Darius was a king; he sent out a royal decree, That everyone who prays for thirty days to any other god but he Should be thrown into the lion's den, for being such a citizen. And they'd hear the groans as they chewed his bones Until he learned his lesson again.

Yeah, I know! Corny lyrics. But, hey! You had to be there.

The internal rhymes are in red print, and combine with the end rhyme to make the lyrics a little more interesting. The remaining verses of this song follow the same pattern, and although in this tongue-in-cheek approach to the story of Daniel, I've broken some of the rules we will be looking at later, I think it adequately illustrates my point that internal rhyme is a viable option and can be used to good effect. Here are two other songs you might recognise:

Clementine In a cavern, in a canyon excavating for a mine Dwelt a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter Clementine. Home On The Range Oh give me a home where the buffaloes roam and the deer and the antelope play, And seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.

Now read: Lyric Writing - Rhyme Patterns

For more information on rhyme position, kinds of rhyme (including eye rhyme, slant rhyme, dissonance, and others) and stressed syllables, buy Successful Songwriting. (This link will take you to Createspace.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.)

Lyric Writing - Rhyme | Lyric Writing - Lyrical Hooks | Song Content - Song Plan | Song Structure | Musical Elements | Rhythmic Devices | Melody Writing | Writer's Block