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There are quite a number of ways in which inspiration for songs can be obtained. Some of them include:
Life Experiences : Various occurrences in our lives can provide the inspiration for a song. It could be the birth of a child and the circumstances surrounding it, it could be the death of a loved one, it could be success in a particular endeavour, it could be heartbreak from a love relationship etc. Whatever the event may be, inspiration can be drawn from it to write a song. I'll give you a couple of examples. You know the popular hymn "It is well" (written by Horatio Spafford) that starts "When peace like a river attendeth my way.."?
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Are you aware that this song was written after a series of tragic events had occurred in his life? His 4 year old son had died then his properties were engulfed in the Chicago Fire of 1871 and finally his 4 daughters died at sea. It was only his wife that survived the sea collision. It was on his way to meet his grieving wife that he penned "It is well" which has been and still is a blessing to the Church for hundreds of years. I'll give you another example and this one is personal. In 1995 or 1996 I was travelling by bus in Nigeria between Owerri and Onitsha when we ran into armed robbers that had set up a road block. We had just been overtaken by a saloon car when all of sudden we saw his brake lights come on hard and heard gun shots in the air. The driver immediately parked the car and we all struggled to get out of the bus (knocking out the sliding door in the process). We then ran up the hill into the bush and farmland accompanied by the sound of gunshots and semi-automatic firing. Now, I was carrying a travelling bag strapped to my back that was filled with cash so while scrabbling to climb up the hill, the weight of the bag kept dragging me down.
I eventually got to the top and ran into the bush where we all waited until the sound of gunfire subsided and the robbers left. Once we got back into the bus to continue our journey, I was inspired to write a song with the following lyrics for the chorus and second verse:
Chorus:
Your Name is Jesus Shepherd of my soul
Suddenly out of confusion You rescue me whole
Constantly protecting me and I don't know what to say
But You alone O Lord are worthy of my praise today
Verse 2:
When the going gets rough and situations get tough
You are always there to lift me up and keep me safe from harm
You rescue me deliver me and put my feet on solid ground
Now I can sing to You because You've kept me safe and sound
Scriptures : Another avenue to get inspiration for song writing is through the Word of God aka the Holy Bible. This could happen during the Word session of a church service or during your own personal Bible study time. I was in a Wednesday service (which is our midweek Bible Study) when I was inspired to write "I Surrender To Your Will" which is a simple chorus
I surrender to Your will
All my heart my mind my will
Lord I surrender, I surrender, I surrender
To Your will
Donnie McClurkin has said over and over again that he was inspired to write the song "Only You Are Holy" while he was in service and we all know how much impact that song has had on the Body of Christ.
Now you can also be inspired while studying the Word on your own. Maranatha Singers took Psalm 25:1-2 and made it a beautiful song that has blessed so many over the ages. The lyrics are:
Unto Thee O Lord
Do I lift up my soul
O My God I trust in Thee
Let me not be afraid
Let not my enemy triumph over me
Personal worship or quiet time: During your quiet time or personal private worship sessions, you can be inspired with new songs. Sometimes you remember these songs long after your worship session is over and some other times you completely forget them. I have personally written most of my songs while having my quiet time or just enjoying worshipping God. I remember the first Christian song I wrote was one week after re-dedicating my life to Jesus in June of 1994. The chorus went thus:
I will worship You Lord in everything I say and do
I will worship You Lord 'cos Jesus You have been so true
In everything I do Lord
I will worship You
Listening to the kind of music you want to write: There is a saying, "You are what you eat" and this is very true when it comes to song writing. The kind of music you listen to (consume), determines the kind of songs you end up writing. There's a secular artiste I love called Shaggy. I used to listen to him steadily when I was in university. I used to sing his songs and mimic him since I love reggae and dancehall. It was such that even when I wrote my own reggae songs that required a patois section, I would deliver it with my "Shaggy" flavour. Fast forward 14 years after leaving university, anyone that listened to my world class single "Remember" that was released in 2016 would comment that I sound like Shaggy. Having said that, I have also intentionally spent time listening to other genres that I wanted to write like e.g Bethel Music and Elevation and I have succeeded in writing similar songs.
At this point I must state that I am a firm believer in getting the Holy Spirit involved in your song writing because He is the one that inspires us, leads us into all truth, reveals the hidden things to us, and teaches us how to get into the city. Therefore I encourage you to:
1) Ask for His help to write a song
2) Spend time in worship
3) Spend time meditating on the Word
4) Listen to the kind of music you would like to write i.e singers and songs that inspire you
5) Be observant of or Pay attention to the things going on around you e.g nature, politics, world events, events in your personal life and career etc
These are just some of the sources from which inspiration for song writing comes.
