Poetry Or Lyrics

[rahimbahrain]

As Thomas very rightly remarked above, it was indeed Burns who said both are basically the same. Anyway, I liike and enjoy both.

However, the slight difference is that the meter of a poem is basically dictated by the number of syllables in a line (I assume we're talking about rhyming poems), so the rhyming patterns are pretty well fixed.

In music, though, a syllable does not necessarily count for only one beat. There can be intervening beats between words or syllables, so that lines of completely unequal length can still rhyme just fine.  Also, since poems don't have a rhythm section and melody to prop them up, the words had better be damned strong.

[justusforus]

I agree with many who say the two seem very closely related and at times are indistinguishable.  Sure there are some nonsense lyrics in popular songs.  I am a fan of looking up the lyrics to songs and when you see them written out, some rival the most beautiful of prose.

[Channa]

I think that poetry is one of the best uses of the english language. It is a great art form and a skill that people who write poetry have honed. But then there are some really amazing songs out there that have your head boggled by their lyrics. I prefer poetry though. Which would you prefer?

Poetry, Because it give you a chance to express yourself, It also expresses how you feel, It helps you to use rhyming words. So I go with Poetry. 

[Rosa]

My preference would be lyrics. Poetry is sometimes boring because it may be too lenghthy for me or doesn't have a good flow. With lyrics, it's quite the opposite. The rhythm is attractive and impressive. 

[sidney]

I think making lyrics is the same as making poetry, but coming up with the tune for a song would be another task, so I think that I would just stick to poetry because it's much easier to make and I can do it with such ease provided that there's an inspiration to it.

[diprod]

I'm a songwriter so I would prefer lyrics. But poems could actually be lyrics too so they're both good. Poetry is the stripped version of lyrics. Raw and real.