Finish line Quote by Stephen Malkmus

You're never quite sure where the song is going, because you might not find the word to rhyme with the end of the line.…

— Annie Lennox

The music comes first. Final lyrics are usually written very close to recording the vocals.

— Tobias Forge

To me, the lyrics mean more then the music, and that's the way it should always be.

— Roger Miret

There's no magic for getting into the groove... just banging away at it. Sometimes the lyrics come first, sometimes the music.

— Phil Collins

I always start with the lyrics, because starting with the music means the words will be bad.

— Dan Bejar

I don't like to get too specific about lyrics. It places limitations on them, and spoils the listeners' interpretation.

— David Gilmour

People tend to put too much focus on the lyrics. It's not the be-all and end-all of our songs.

— Elizabeth Fraser

On the first two albums, I essentially began with lyrics and placed the music underneath or around the words.

— Perfume Genius

[The lyrics and melody] usually come a little simultaneously, but I would say the lyrics are first; usually I have the idea for a…

— Billy Bob Thornton

A song doesn't happen as a whole verse; it happens linearly, line by line, almost word by word, phrase by phrase. And if each…

— Robert Hunter

The simpler songs are just done when the lyric has been stated; the more complex or band-oriented stuff can go in a million directions.

— Robin Pecknold

Sometimes I'll have sections that I'm not quite sure how they fit in the puzzle of a tune, they'll get moved around; what I…

— Gotye