: Re: Use of punctuation in song lyrics? https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/The_Edge_of_Dawn_(Seasons_of_Warfare) The following is the short version of "The Edge of Dawn". Reach for my hand, I'll

@Smith147

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One generally doesn't read lyrics like poetry. Sure, you can, but it's not as common. One reads lyrics to understand a song.

If you're reading to understand how to sing a song, punctuation is particularly important. Because it helps you with phrasing.

Phrasing is how you divide up the music. Where you can take a breath, where you pause, how the intonation rises and falls.

Line breaks and stanza breaks are not punctuation but they are vital to determining phrasing. The lyrics you quote has both of these (your cut and paste removed the stanza breaks). But they are not enough.

A comma can tell you where to pause during a phrase. If done at the end of a line, it is a clue that the following line is part of the same phrase.

A period tells you the phrase has ended. In a song with periods, it will tell you that lines that do not have periods in-between them are part of the same phrases.

Other punctuation indicates other sorts of pauses and breaths and connection. It will help the singer decide how to emphasize and deemphasize different words, as well as help with timing (the score gives timing of course, and lyrics are generally scored along with the notes, but there are still subtle timing issues).

Lyrics written as part of a score won't have line and stanzas indicated, so punctuation can be important. But mostly punctuation is for lyrics written out on their own, like poetry.

The lyrics you cite have a couple of commas. Their purpose is to tell you the following line is part of the same phrase. But the phrasing indications are quite minimal.

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