Many songs include rhyming schemes in their verses and choruses. Here is on example by Bob Dylan
“Man on the Street”
I’ll sing you a song, ain’t very long,
‘Bout an old man who never done wrong.
How he died nobody can say,
They found him dead in the street one day.
by Bob Dylan
Dylan’s first two lines rhyme and his last two lines rhyme. These are perfect rhymes: long and wrong; say and day. It is easy to find words that rhyme: me, be, see, glee; hat, pat, bat, sat; grit, hit, pit, wit. The problem is finding just the right words to rhyme while at the same time describing the details in the lyric we want. At times, this can be downright impossible. That’s when near rhymes can sometimes help.
Near rhymes are words that are very close to rhyming but are not perfect rhymes. Let’s look at a very familiar song:
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder where you are
Star and are are near rhymes. It sure sounds like they rhyme and they do but they are not considered perfect rhymes like star and bar would be, for example. Of course, a star wouldn’t bet in a bar unless it was Bob Dylan who went in! Near rhymes can sometimes help a songwriter express the thought he or she has for a lyric and keep the rhyming scheme going. It is a great tool to have in your songwriter’s handbag.
No rhymes are two words that do not rhyme and are not intended to rhyme in the structure of a song. Tom T. Hall was “The Storyteller.” He had a special knack for telling detailed and interesting stories in his songs. Some were ballads and some were from his own life’s experiences. Let’s look at this example from one of his songs:
“Ballad of Forty Dollars”
I got this ring in Mexico
And no it didn’t cost me quite a bunch
When you’re in the business that I’m in
The people call it putting up a front
by Tom T. Hall
Many of the lines in Hall’s song do rhyme, but not in this verse. Bunch and front do not rhyme. Tom chose to simply tell the story in his lyrics and not worry about the rhyming scheme at all. To him, telling the story accurately, just the way he wanted, was way more important than rhyming the words. He, and many others, would say, stay true to the song, let the song work itself out and see what happens.
I will give a couple examples of rhyming schemes with a song I’ve written recently:
“He’s Out Drinking and She’s Home Brewing”
We’re not together most nights
I’m in here and she’s at home
I order beer after beer
I get lost in the foam
by Bob Shank
In this first verse of my song, the second and fourth lines rhyme. Well, almost. They are technically near rhymes. Home and foam sound like they rhyme and they work well here, but they are near rhymes.
Outro:
I like the drink she’s offering
She even seals it with a kiss
Now I don’t have to go out
There’s no drink better than this
by Bob Shank
In my outro, the second and fourth lines rhymes again. And this time they do rhyme. Kiss and this are perfect rhymes. I felt these two words helped to shape the way I wanted to end this song so I used them in the lyrics.
Words are wonderful! We can paint pictures and take people on journeys with our songs. Words are the vehicles to take us there. Remember, rhyming schemes can be helpful but we do not always have to use rhymes in all of our songs.
Have you ever struggled with rhyming schemes in your songs? Comment below with one. Do you have a favorite song with a rhyme that you enjoy? I’d love to hear how you deal with and enjoy rhyming schemes.
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