gospelmusicbase

 A minister I knew once questioned the depth or "the soul" of a song I wrote because it was " a song of largely just Hallelujahs". Today I'd like to take a moment on this issue and look at the word "Hallelujah" in some depth. Its etymology is from the Hebrew and means "Praise Jah" or "Praise God". Interestingly enough, it is a word that circumnavigates the globe and spans most languages. When translated, the word "Hallelujah" (or sometimes "Alleluia") remains the same: In Spanish it's "Aleluya", in Finnish and German it's "Haleluja", in French it's "Alleluia", in Estonian it's "Haleluuja", in Icelandic it's Halleluja, in Slovak it's "Aleluia" and on and on like that. So it's a word whose four syllables mean the same thing to most of mankind. Say the word almost anywhere in Africa and they know how you feel. Very few words translate that...

 Personal Experience You live your life everyday in the same world that your potential listeners do. It's a world filled with difficulty and triumphs. When you're looking for subject matter for your next song, why don't you utilize this material? Writing lyrics this way can create some really great and personal pieces. Additionally, even life experiences that you have that you take for granted could make great songs. Every day activities, like eating dinner at a restaurant or going to a high school dance. Take a more recent song called "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore. The song is essentially about buying clothes at a thrift store. Although the song is quite profane, so it's probably not a song that should be investigated more by younger lyricists. It does demonstrate, however, how a simple place like a thrift store can be the basis for an entire song. Although this song will likely not stand the long test of time, it's easy to see how original material can be ...