--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm writing a lyric, I totally…" description: "\"When I'm writing a lyric, I totally forget about the music. I'm just looking at the lyric and thinking about it almost as a separate entity. And then I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/scott-walker-8778_entity_when-i-m-writing-a-lyric-i-totally-forge_2221250.png" --- # When I'm writing a lyric, I totally forget about the… ![“When I'm writing a lyric, I totally forget about the music. I'm just looking at the lyric and thinking about it almost as a separate entity. And then I'll go to my keyboard with all the lyrics printed out and try to think of how to make this a complete musical thing. I've got a very basic keyboard…” quote by Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/scott-walker-8778_entity_when-i-m-writing-a-lyric-i-totally-forge_2221250.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/scott-walker-8778_entity_when-i-m-writing-a-lyric-i-totally-forge_2221250.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/scott-walker-8778_entity_when-i-m-writing-a-lyric-i-totally-forge_2221250.png) > “When I'm writing a lyric, I totally forget about the music. I'm just looking at the lyric and thinking about it almost as a separate entity. And then I'll go to my keyboard with all the lyrics printed out and try to think of how to make this a complete musical thing. I've got a very basic keyboard with some presets.” [Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist separates lyric creation from musical composition, treating words as independent before merging them into a song. **In simple terms:** Lyrics and music are created separately then combined. Key Takeaway Separate writing, then integrate. Themes creativity process music composition Mood reflective analytical Type artistic processual When to use this quote - writing lyrics - composing melody - studio production - collaborative arrangement Key Concepts songwriting cognitive separation integration Questions to Reflect On - How does separating lyric and music affect emotional impact? - Can integration happen earlier for better cohesion? A Different Perspective May limit spontaneous synergy between words and melody. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I achieved something I’d never achieved before in writing a lyric about myself which had no answer. It had a question about religion. I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-e-young/i-achieved-something-i-d-never-achieved-before-in-writing-a-lyric/) Christopher E. Young > [Writing a lyric is writing a lyric, whether it's sung or recited. 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It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/i-just-love-doing-radio-i-ve-learned-to-be-more-vulnerable-through/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [The first set of lyrics for the first songs I ever wrote, which are the ones on 'Pretty Hate Machine,' came from private journal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/the-first-set-of-lyrics-for-the-first-songs-i-ever-wrote-which-are/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [About 70 percent of everything is really sketched out on my keyboard beforehand, because I do want accidents to happen in the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-walker/about-70-percent-of-everything-is-really-sketched-out-on-my-keyboard/) [Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-walker/) > [When I'm not at the keyboard, I'm generally reading, practicing tai chi or middle eastern dance, or cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-zettel/when-i-m-not-at-the-keyboard-i-m-generally-reading-practicing-tai-chi/) [Sarah Zettel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-zettel/) > [Most of the stuff I learned to play, I learned in high school. 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