Writing the Verses
Lyric information in the verse sets the scene and fills in the details so that the chorus information, which is usually more general, has a firm foundation on which to place the central statements of the song. Since the verse often contains the first lyrical information a listener hears, it's a perfect spot for details and visuals that help make your song real in the mind of the listener.
Think of a verse as being like the props and set for a movie. If you went to see a movie about King Arthur and the actors stood around in blue jeans in front of a crayon drawing of a castle, no amount of great acting could make you imagine that it was real. On the other hand, period costumes and a set that looked like a real castle would help you suspend disbelief enough to stop worrying about what's real and what's not. That's what a verse should do for your song: give the imagination “permission” to get into a story as if it were happening.
Just because the verse needs to carry a lot of the descriptive information doesn't mean that you should allow it to become overly long in order to make everything fit. Try to keep verses to a maximum of thirty seconds long. If you need more room, try a faster meter with more syllables per line.
In a story song, verses often act as a prologue, carry the bulk of the plot, and sometimes give an epilogue to the story. In a life cycle song, the verses will usually each cover a period of time or scene of importance. In a love song, the verses often give evidence to support the central theme. If your chorus is built around the hook “your love feels like home,” then a verse that says, “You're comfy as my old easy chair and warm as mama's kitchen on Thanksgiving” adds depth and meaning to the statement made by the hook. In a humorous or novelty song, the verses may set up the chorus to be a punch line or they may contain a series of jokes or funny situations about which the chorus makes a general statement that ties them all together.
