lyric

As a noun, lyrics are the words of a song. As an adjective, lyric describes a light, sweet, singing quality — a lyric soprano has a lighter voice than a dramatic soprano, and a lyric passage in instrumental music has a singing, song-like character. Songwriting lyrics are a distinct art form, combining poetry with the constraints of melody and rhythm. Great lyricists like Cole Porter, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen created texts that work both as songs and as standalone poetry. In opera, the lyric quality of the Italian language — its open vowels and flowing consonants — is one reason Italian became the dominant language of singing.