Lyrics

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[edit] Etymology and usage

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A lyric is a set of words that accompany music, either by spoken word or singing. "Lyric" derives from the Greek word for a song sung by the lyre, "lyrikos".^[1] A lyric poem is one that expresses a subjective, point of view, usually in the form of words to a tune,song or a poem.

I would be the Lyric

Ever on the lip,

Rather than the Epic

Memory lets die.

—Thomas Bailey Aldrich

The word lyric came to be used for the "words of a song"; this meaning was recorded in 1829 ^[2]. The common plural (perhaps because of the association between the plurals lyrics and words), predominates contemporary usage. Use of the singular form lyric remans grammatically acceptable, yet remains considered erroneous in referring to a singular song word as a lyric. The sung words of a song are called "lyrics". Many music recordings come with a lyrics booklet.