Overly Familiar Language and Songwriting Clichés
The use of overly familiar language and of clichés is an anathema to good songwriting. If the listener senses that they’ve been down this road before, you’re going to lose them. They’ll quickly become bored. In all the art forms whether it’s film, books, fine art, or the stage, no one wants to experience something that they’ve experienced a thousand times before.
How to avoid this should be paramount in every songwriter’s mind. One way is to ask yourself some hard questions. What makes this song different from all the other songs about this subject? If I were a listener, why would I care about this song? Why do I care about the singer of the song? What is it saying to me that I haven’t heard before?
In regards to the words themselves, try not fall into the beginner’s trap of using overly easy rhymes too often. It’s ok to have ‘me’ rhyme with ‘sea’ or ‘moon’ with ‘swoon’ every once in a while, but use them with restraint. Have fun with the language. If you do, you’ll find that your songwriting will improve and so will the number of your fans.
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Jim Bruno's Songwriting Class 