3 Songwriters Who Made Ordinary Language Sound Poetic

Songwriting is a skill—obviously. But what part of that skill do we value the most? What is it about songs that we really love? Well, for some, it all comes down to the lyrics. They want to hear a good story, learn a good lesson, or enjoy a good bit of wordplay.

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Here below, we wanted to highlight three incredible songwriters who simply know how to turn a phrase. They know how to pen a perfect sentence that hits us just right. Indeed, these are three songwriters who made ordinary language sound poetic.

Johnny Cash

Country star Johnny Cash was a man of the people. He wanted to write good music and share terrific LPs, but perhaps more than anything, he wanted to connect with a wide audience. He wanted people all over the country to glean something from his tracks. His songs were salt of the earth. But to do that requires a keen ear and a strong sense of how people talk and listen. Well, Cash pulled it off. Works like “I Walk The Line” and “Man In Black” showcase his knack for relatable poeticism. And though he didn’t write them himself, tracks like “A Boy Named Sue”, “Ring Of Fire”, and “Long Black Veil” are more apt examples.

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell is one of those songwriters who’s inspired legions in her wake. So many of us wish to have just a percentage of her talent. It’s as if words came to her like perfectly ripe fruits and she just placed them one after another in an endless cornucopia. She wrote songs we could only wish to compose. But her songs—like “Coyote” above—were incredible not just because of how they made us feel but because of how simple they could come across. They aren’t wild hedge mazes to meander through confusedly. They are gardens, and every blossom is fragrant.

Townes Van Zandt

Songwriters know the phrase: “I don’t have the time to be brief.” Indeed, being concise or seemingly simple is very difficult. Most of the time, when people write sentences, everything comes out garbled and tangled up. But not Townes Van Zandt. He knew just how to construct a phrase to make it sound like your friend next to you had just come up with it. There was a shorthand in his lyricism that was both familiar and enviable. His word choice—like on “Pancho And Lefty” above—was impeccable.

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