Version 7 > Song Punctuation
If anyone is using punctuation in their songs, how are you handling it? Song format is much different than written English. There are many compound sentences and incomplete sentences etc., and punctuation is difficult. We recently had a complaint from an English teacher! A few red marks for sure.
I found a program called whitesmoke but would prefer to not spend $80. Word doesn't really care where a comma is or if the semicolon is correct.
Either we use punctuation or we lose it all together. We prefer to use it.
If we go without punctuation, what is the rule? I notice commas only in unpunctuated lyrics.
Help!
Thanks in advance,
Jon
When you download from CCLI there is no punctuation. When I have a song sheet with punctuation I use the format set forth there.
I am wondering if I should just use commas mid-sentence (was that dash appropriate?) LOL. I have often seen the punctuation mid-sentence with no periods etc.. (note correct punctuation at the end there 
) .
And now I will have to look at not capitalizing the sentence break as that is
What
I
Have
Been
Doing!
Woe is me.
Thanks for all the insight and keep it coming.
Jon
I
think
you
consider
a
change!
I rarely use any at all. If there is anything at the end of the line, I delete it. I too capitalize the first letter of every line as well as any and all references to God.
These are just my preferences and everyone is different. You should do whatever you like best and feel the most comfortable with. Not everyone is going to like it. Besides, you aren't there to teach grammar to everyone.
They tell me often it is the punctuation that indicates the emotion or completes the understanding, and even when it may not be absolutely necessary, faster readers depend on it (and on correct spelling) for accuracy.
Wanting to be of help to most of the people most of the time, I tend to apply that same thinking to lyrics.
I only use punctuation for things that don't seem "natural". I hope that puctuation is not noticed. I try to make the natural pauses at the end of a line. For example:
No period at the end of a line
Comma in the middle of a line if there is a significant pause
Ellipses if a word is held for a long... time.
Some of this is feel - if you sing along, and you are stopping or not stopping at the right place, then I think a little puctuation helps.
Mark
. As stated before, I think it all depends on the feel and how the congregation feels that it should be.Greg
If there is a "," in the music i will put that onto a new line up to a Max of 8 lines per screen (I prefer to have around 4)
I do delete the full stops however and clean up the song s little if it's my first time using it and it looks a little funny
...I think it all depends on the feel and how the congregation feels that it should be.
I think the key to it all is consistency...
Every one will have a different opinion on a topic like this..
For me its just a matter of whatever you do, make sure its consistent.
week in and week out and right accross the whole team.
Rod
There are different forms of punctuation depending on what it is you're writing (screenplays, novels, etc- and that's even open to some interpretation), so even an english teacher would agree that song lyrics shouldn't be subjected to to the same rules as you'd find in something like novel writing. As the 'projectionist' (media guy, or whatever you're called ;) unless the leadership of your church has something else to say on the topic, I think it's up to you to interpret how to deal with song punctuation.
My two cents anyway