Divine a Rhyme

Just before Christmas (2016) I had the pleasure of dubbing some harmonica on a few tracks recorded by "swamp boogie"  bluesman, Ray Jalbert, at Mechanicland Studios in Montreal, Canada. (Great big thanks to an old friend and one of the best drummers I know, Al Paterson, for setting up the session!)

Listening to his original lyrics gave me pause later that day to reflect on the way I write my own. So, looking through my database, I found that I use half rhymes most of the time.


So what's that, you ask? Here's the definition from Wikipedia:  

"Half rhyme or imperfect rhyme, sometimes called near-rhyme or lazy rhyme or slant rhyme, is a type of rhyme formed by words with similar but not identical sounds. In most instances, either the vowel segments are different while the consonants are identical, or vice versa ... used to avoid rhyming clichés (e.g. rhyming "knowledge" with "college") or obvious rhymes, and gives the writer greater freedom and flexibility in forming lines of verse."

An example of my own: ®SOCAN - from Gray-haired Gods

They suck the fat and leave the bones

To cook our soup and build our homes.

They kill their spawn, torn from wombs,
Pleading mothers, torn in two.              

So, to all you budding songwriters out there, give it a go!

See you next post ...