There aren't enough worship songs that feature the word "orange"

Hmm - tricky one! There's no doubt that rhyming is a powerful tool in any kind of song-writing. It's particularly valuable in congregational worship as it helps congregations anticipate where the song is going and therefore join in more wholeheartedly. It also helps with remembering a song. There are all sorts of tips and trick (use a thesaurus) but I guess real mastery of rhymes comes with experience and practice. For me, the best rhymes are those which feel natural - not easy to teach! They just seem to be the most natural and fitting conclusion to the phrase and don't leap out of left field or drag the song off in a completely different direction just to accommodate a rhyme. I think some rhymes shoul be avoided simply because they've been done before. If somebody else has already said it better than you could, then why bother - get on with your original ideas. Does the world need another song in which "Calvary" is rhymed with "tree" and "died for me"? Having said that, there are some brilliant songs which just seem to rise above the need to rhyme and are all the more powerful for resisting the temptation to dilute and compromise. Take this Getty/Townend classic: Oh, to see the dawn Of the darkest day: Christ on the road to Calvary. Tried by sinful men, Torn and beaten, then Nailed to a cross of wood. CHORUS: This, the pow'r of the cross: Christ became sin for us; Took the blame, bore the wrath— We stand forgiven at the cross. Oh, to see the pain Written on Your face, Bearing the awesome weight of sin. Ev'ry bitter thought, Ev'ry evil deed Crowning Your bloodstained brow. Now the daylight flees; Now the ground beneath Quakes as its Maker bows His head. Curtain torn in two, Dead are raised to life; "Finished!" the vict'ry cry. Oh, to see my name Written in the wounds, For through Your suffering I am free. Death is crushed to death; Life is mine to live, Won through Your selfless love. There are some points where there's a similarity to the sound of the words - "flees" and "beneath" but they're not direct rhymes. Same goes for the chorus - "cross", "us" and "wrath". Thanks for opening up such an interesting and much needed discussion. Blessings Andrew

what about some of these almost rhymes andrew? these are severely lacking in worship songs i find! 'puppet' 'squash it' 'blobby' 'bedsit' ahem, thats enough silliness for now!

Lol. Yeah a thesaurus would probably be best to find words for wording's sake. But I believe that we probably shouldn't do things by our own strength - a reminder that a friend gave me when i was writing my first song. Sometimes we just need to look back to God; we're going to be singing it to Him, not to an audience, after all, and I can think of no better mind to shape our songs than the One who created our minds. Just my two cents worth. -Jul