lyric

Everyday

1. (usually plural «lyrics») The words of a song. tree →
2. A short poem that shows the poet's own feelings, often one that could be sung. tree →
3. (adjective) Expressing strong personal feelings, like a song: «lyric poetry». tree →

In the lessons

In music lessons you learn and write lyrics to tunes. In English lessons a lyric poem is a short poem about feelings, often in the first person («I»). Phrases: «song lyrics», «learn the lyrics», «write the lyrics», «a lyric poem». Lyrics are also covered by copyright, so you cannot copy someone's lyrics as your own.

Examples

• I know all the lyrics to our school song. tree →
• She wrote the lyrics and her brother wrote the music. tree →
• The lyrics are printed inside the CD case. tree →
• Can you hear the lyrics, or is the music too loud? tree →
• A lyric is a short poem about the poet's feelings. tree →
• We wrote new lyrics for «Happy Birthday» about our teacher. tree →
• Some lyrics are hard to understand when people sing fast. tree →
• The song's lyrics tell a story about a lost dog. tree →

Note

Countable: «a lyric» (one line or one poem) and «lyrics» (all the words of a song – we usually use the plural). Not the same as «lyrical» (adjective, beautiful and full of feeling). Spelling: l-y-r-i-c, with a y. From the Greek «lyre», an old stringed instrument. Not a maths word.