If you are an accomplished lyric writer (Congratz on getting published!) then I would suggest starting by researching the difference between "poetry" and "lyrics"
There are lots of good books on the subject - if you have any interest in commercial songwriting then I can't recommend Jason Blume's 6 Steps To Songwriting Success
I don't mean the following to sound like "rules" as there are no rules to songwriting as it is an art so you can do whatever you want
However, there is definitely some "learned wisdom" that can be used to help your songs/lyric connect
Here are some "off the top of my head" nuggets to bear in mind
A song is normally less than 4 minutes long so a lyric needs to be very quite simple to connect with the listener
The biggest test for me is could a listener understand exactly what the song was about on a first listen
This often causes quite a bit of debate on the forum as many use a lot of "poetic language" and feel that it adds to the song to have a mysterious lyric nobody actually understands without a detailed explanation from the writer
I am firmly in the camp that doesn't like this as I find it hard to engage with a song that I don't know what it is saying
The more "specific" you can be with a lyric and focus in on a SINGLE emotion the more engaging the song is likely to be - i.e. Rather than writing about "love" focus in on a single aspect - finding love, unrequited love, break ups etc.
The main (and hardest IMHO) aspect of writing a lyric is trying to find a way of saying the same old thing in a new and interesting way - which I presume is very similar to writing a good poem
Repetition is probably something else you want to consider
If you write your first lyric to a popular structure I think it will really help you:
1st Verse - introduce the characters of the "story"
Pre-chorus (optional) - lead the listener in to the main message of the song
Chorus - hammer home the main message/emotion of the song
2nd Verse - develop the characters/story
Pre-chorus (optional) - usually similar or the same as the previous pre-chorus
Chorus - usually exactly the same as the previous chorus
Bridge - take this opportunity for something "different" - e.g. Take a different perspective on the situation
Chorus - usually exactly the same as the previous choruses
Chorus - usually exactly the same as the previous choruses
If you think that each section is usually 4 or 8 lines - and the pre-chorus and chorus are usually the same throughout, especially in pop) you can write a whole lyric with around 20 different lines - which is not a lot of time!!!!
Another tip is "show don't tell" in a lyric - but I think you will have that nailed from your poetry
The final tip that you may not consider coming from a poetry background is that someone could ultimately be "performing" your song - and the performer should usually be seen in a "good light" so this is something to consider when writing the lyric
If you write a hard hitting song about hurting kittens then it is probably a good idea to avoid the first person!!!
The best advice is to listen to the songs you love and work out WHY you love them and what makes you engage with them
I am personally busy with a few writing/production projects at the moment but I would be interested in collaborating in the future
I am sure you will find someone suitable quite quickly though as we have some VERY talented writers around here
