Page 98 - Song Maps - A New System to Write Your Best Lyrics - Simon Hawkins

How to combine two Song Maps
I'm sure you realize by now that not all songs need to be written according to the seven Song Maps set out in this book. Indeed, the aim of this book is not to prescribe a set format for every song but to provide a starting point to help writers write their best work. As you integrate Song Maps into your writing, you will soon develop a set of Maps you feel most comfortable with.
My working set currently stands at around 30 Song Maps, some of which are specific to certain genres, some of which are very general. One way to generate alternatives to boost your own set of Maps is by combining Maps.
For example, take the basic Tension/Response and combine it with Places. You could find yourself with a Map that looks as follows:
Combined Tension/Response/Places Song Map:
As you can see, the combination of two Maps has the impact of significantly strengthening the development of the song, since two forces are working to move the plot forward.
A great example of this is Keith Urban's "Days Go By", which moves geographically (V1 driving on the interstate, V2 out on the roof), moves in time (V1 now, V2 the other night) as well as following a Tension/Response format. All of this movement reinforces the whole point of the song, neatly summed up in the Bridge ("We think about tomorrow then it slips away / We talk about forever but we've only got today"). Great crafting.
As another example: if you look back at my lyric to "When You Lose Your Dad," the Map is a combination of Timezones and Places.