: Re: Is there a standard for dealing with lyrics in dialogue and narration in creative writing? I'm peer-reviewing/editing a paper for a final in my English course and in it, the author has a character

@Alves689

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According to Chicago, poetry or verse (which lyrics are), of more than two lines should be in block quotes. A blockquote is indented either left or right and can be further set off by being a smaller or different font. As to whether it should be italics, Chicago doesn't require it. That would seem to be a stylistic choice and, as long it is done consistently, probably the decision could be left to the author.

Note that if some of the lines of the lyrics are long, they should be bumped down to the next line and indented one em from the line above.

Slashes are only used if the verse is two lines or less so it was quite correct to remove them. When they are used, there is a space to each side of them.

Poetry (and really, what are songs but sung poetry?) can be punctuated or unpunctuated, but the removal of the punctuation is a stylistic choice, not a necessary one. I've read quite a bit of poetry that was punctuated normally. And then I've read E. E. Cummings. Since the author chose to punctuate the lyrics, I would leave the punctuation in.

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