I know you often say it's best to write the music and the lyrics at the same time. but what should I do if I have a pretty good idea of what the melody and so on should be, but I just can't think of the what words to go with it? like I know what I want to *say* (like the actual emotions and ideas that I want to express), I just can't think of any words that fit. the emotions and thoughts are all slippery and blobby and I can't get them into any actual specific words without them all disappearing and blobbing together again somewhere else. and I know that music can help with that (words alone can say some things but not others, music alone can say some things but others, so if you put them together you can say more things together than you could with either thing alone, right?) but I still can't work out what actual words I should put into this thing, it's so annoying. but anyway you are I think good at having words that go well with music in a wa
 y that is more than the sum of its parts, so do you know any magic secret advice? or even just any idea what to do here? or am I thinking about this all wrong
you are thinking about it right. but actually, the problem here is that these things usually only get solved when you're not thinking about it. Which is almost impossible, because you really want this, so you're obviously gonna think about it. but just trust that it will happen. Paraphrasing what you feel it should say, that's good, and you're already doing that. Sometimes it's good to just start trying things, and get all the way through the lines. Sometimes if you're searching for the right thing, you never let yourself finish any lines, because you think it's not right. Start trying complete lines, that actually make it all the way to the end of the line, with words. Finish the line anyway, even if you don't think it's right. and then try different entire lines. Don't be afraid to bend the rhythm to fit the words you're using, if it helps you get to the end of the lines. Also another way to make things come alive is by jolting it into a slightly 'wrong' way. Then again, there might actually be a 'perfect' unjolted right way that you've been wishing for, but that will probably only come to you when you completely stop trying, like in a dream or something. which you can't really plan for