"One difference between poetry and lyrics is that lyrics sort of fade into the background. They fade on the page and live on the stage when set to music"

Stephen Sondheim draws a clear line between the roles of poetry and lyrics, highlighting the distinct ways they interact with their audiences. Lyrics, unlike poems, are typically not meant to stand completely on their own. On the page, lyrics can feel incomplete, almost diminished without the music and performance that give them life. Their full essence emerges in synergy with melody, rhythm, and vocal interpretation. Without these elements, lyrics often lose their vibrancy and emotional impact, they “fade into the background”, since their primary function is not just in words, but in how those words are delivered through song.

Poetry, on the other hand, is crafted to exist independently. A poem is designed to capture the reader’s attention on the page, its language, structure, and imagery working together to evoke emotions, ideas, or images without reliance on music or external performance. Its power is self-contained, thriving in silent contemplation or vocal recitation, but never requiring accompaniment to be understood or appreciated.

Lyrics, by contrast, become truly alive in performance. On stage, when set to music, they are transformed, what might seem ordinary or plain in print can become profound and moving in the hands of a singer and musicians. The music provides emotional context, guiding the audience through crescendos, pauses, and subtle nuances that amplify the words. Lyrics are built to be interpreted, stretched, and colored by performance; the experience is incomplete without it.

Sondheim’s insight captures why reading a song’s lyrics rarely conveys the full experience of the song itself. Lyrics are intentionally crafted to leave room for music and performance, becoming more than the sum of their parts in the spotlight. They are living components of a larger work, whose true depth and beauty depend on expression beyond the written word.