: 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

@Eichhorn147

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This is a favorite question of mine and one I've struggled with many times. There does not appear to be a voice of authority on the subject (Elements of Style, for example does not address this situation) and the reprints of lyrics you find on the Internet vary wildly in the way they choose to show lyrics. You'll also find big variations in usage between lyrics as they appear on sheet music and the way they're presented alone. Singers do decide when to pause, breathe and what to emphasize, but they do this based on their own comfort, custom, and skill. When it comes to writing lyrics alone on a page, there is no authority, and you're on your own to make up whatever rules you choose.

However, you might settle on one rule that seems to have been adopted in many situations. Omit periods altogether, include commas or alternative punctuation marks as appropriate at the end of a line, and continue to capitalize the beginning of every line, even when a capital wouldn't normally appear, like this:

Today was perfectly perfect,
You say
Well, don't go away
'Cause if you think you liked today,
You're gonna love tomorrow
You stick around and see
And if you love tomorrow,
Then think of how it's gonna be:
Tomorrow's what you're gonna
Have a lifetime of
With me!

Excerpt from "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" by Stephen Sondheim.

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