What's the difference between a poem and a song?

Thy_Serpent

Well, my fiance and I were talking the other day and she said something about poems. I told her that I hate poems. She then said about me typing lyrics from songs in my mails and sending smses of lyrics of songs that I liked and said those are poems too. I said no. Then she said, "Ok then what's the difference between songs and poems?". That set me thinking. What is the difference between the two? The only difference I can think of is that when you write a song, you tend to think about the music too, but when you write a poem, you don't. :rolleyes: Anything else?

noodles

Poems are words, songs are music and words. 😛

I guess if you took lyrics on their own there wouldn't be any difference between them and poetry but for someone who has heard the music they generally relate the words to something else.

Eternal_Idol

Poems are gay.

Songs are not. 😛

Legacy_Of_The_Night

Usually lyrics tend to be catchier in the word department to have people singing/yelling/what-have-you along. Plus they have to fit with the music.

Poems can be much more open, since they don't have to fit with the pattern of music.

unknownkadath666

technicaly a lyric is a style of poem. Many times the words to songs aren't even really lyrics in that sense. Generaly i don't think there is a difference between poety and the lyrics to songs.

Cara

Musicians are new age Minstrels.

I do think they are one in the same. As a song is but a poem, with music.

Goat

/\ /\ That's rap.

admin

the only difference i can think of is that poems often are more abstract than lyrics... i know Misha probably will disagree with me :cool: but that doesn't mean lyrics can't be poems. Jim Morrison was a poet and he only made music to spread his poetry, and to earn a living, since doing so with poems alone almost is impossible.

Misha

Astaroth wrote
the only difference i can think of is that poems often are more abstract than lyrics... i know Misha probably will disagree with me :cool: but that doesn't mean lyrics can't be poems. Jim Morrison was a poet and he only made music to spread his poetry, and to earn a living, since doing so with poems alone almost is impossible.

I agree. There is one big difference though, namely that lyrics fit a rhythm, whereas poems need to create a rhythm too (in most cases).

Ogami

A poem follows a metre (can be called rhythm) and form. For example Shakespeare wrote sonnets, which is the form, and it was written in iambic pentameter (five beats per line), which is the metre. There is also free verse, which has no noticeable form or structure, but as some poets have said, that's like playing tennis with the net down.

Lyrics are the froth on top of the milkshake, and I wouldn't say they come close to poetry. There's no way Fall Out Boy are practising the same art that John Keats did.

Thy_Serpent

Hmm... Pretty interesting points here. Looks like there is a thin line between a poem and a song.

unknownkadath666

Ogami wrote
There's no way Fall Out Boy are practising the same art that John Keats did.

sure they are. Fall out boy just sucks ass at it. its really the same thing though. If some one were to post to samples, one a poem, the other a lyric theres no way we would be able to tell. Assumeing they are both of a simmilar quality and a repetition of a chorus is omited.

Ogami

unknownkadath666 wrote
Ogami wrote
There's no way Fall Out Boy are practising the same art that John Keats did.
sure they are. Fall out boy just sucks ass at it. its really the same thing though. If some one were to post to samples, one a poem, the other a lyric theres no way we would be able to tell. Assumeing they are both of a simmilar quality and a repetition of a chorus is omited.

I don't wanna come across as a prick but anyone who is a poetry reader would be able to tell the difference. Even the most 'songy' type poems have a metre and pattern, and even the most poetic lyrics still use only the rhythm and melody to guide. Maybe if you found some really bad postmodern poetry or something it would seem like lyrics minus the music, or if you posted a Tom Waits lyric and a Charles Bukowski poem it might be hard to tell the difference.

Morlock

Lyrics are poems
Poems are stupid
Therefore: Lyrics are stupid

Tada! Another reason why instrumental bands are totally awesome.

unknownkadath666

Ogami wrote
unknownkadath666 wrote
Ogami wrote
There's no way Fall Out Boy are practising the same art that John Keats did.
sure they are. Fall out boy just sucks ass at it. its really the same thing though. If some one were to post to samples, one a poem, the other a lyric theres no way we would be able to tell. Assumeing they are both of a simmilar quality and a repetition of a chorus is omited.
I don't wanna come across as a prick but anyone who is a poetry reader would be able to tell the difference. Even the most 'songy' type poems have a metre and pattern, and even the most poetic lyrics still use only the rhythm and melody to guide. Maybe if you found some really bad postmodern poetry or something it would seem like lyrics minus the music, or if you posted a Tom Waits lyric and a Charles Bukowski poem it might be hard to tell the difference.

the classic "no offense but your mothers a whore" disclaimer to start off.
You didn't come across as a prick, I hear what your saying. I would consider myself something of a poetry reader, although i will admit I haven't read much.

We should test this with science. Set up a poll (the work horse of all western science).

Mintrude

There is something different about poems and lyrics. You can get away more with bad lyrics, as people don't pay so much attention to them, and you can put down stuff that wouldn't fit in the context of a poem.