What I've learned so far about "the rulez" . . . Maybe helpful, may not, but I thought I'd put it out there in case it helps focus the intent of your lyrics . . .
1) The verses deliver the story, one building upon the next so that each one shares a little bit more of the central theme or idea of the lyrics.
2) The prechorus sits between the verse and the chorus to raise the energy leading up to the chorus. It's often called the "lift" for this reason.
3) The chorus delivers the central idea of the song with a yet higher level of energy than the verse and prechorus. It's a temporary climax in energy in the song where we expect to feel the emotional impact after all of that buildup that came before, and will drop again after to another verse. That gives the resolution of tension we crave after the buildup.
4) The bridge comes in about 2/3 of the way through the song to add variety, more information for the storyline or the big reveal if it's been strategically kept hidden until this point, after which another verse and chorus can be delivered at an even higher level of energy for a homerun and final song climax.
There's more to it, but that's the general "commercial hit" song format in a nutshell. It's described as having three major energy peaks, each getting higher than the one that came before with the last being the biggest one, none of them resolving to the original low energy point at the beginning of the song except maybe the very end. Apparently, that's the big payoff for the listener that leaves them satisfied and willing to come back for another listen (along with a good hook, singable chorus before the end of the first line, etc., etc.).
Another good exercise might be to define your message. What is it you want your listener to hear, experience, know after listening to your song? Get that down and sketch out a storyline that leads up to it piece by piece using each section of the song to reveal another important detail. Remember the who, what, when, where, why and how of writing anything and everything under the sun. Those questions need answering. Who is saying this? Who is this person saying it to? What are they saying? How did they get to the point where this needed addressed/acknowledged/revealed? When is it being said? Where? Of course, every sensory detail that can be included to set the scene makes the lyrics come alive to the listener, palpable so they can feel it, taste it, touch it. Try to leave the listener hanging at the end of each section, wanting to hear what comes next, build that tension or suspense if you can. Ever since learning this, I'm seeing a song as an emotional rollercoaster, one where you dangle expectantly at the top of each hill anxiously anticipating the next belly rush coming your way.
Now mind you, this is all from book learning focused on commercial songwriting, not experience, because I'm just starting out, too, and have taken to scouring as much info as I can find on the topic from blogs to books to FREE courses online. There's a link here to a very good one if you're interested. It's in the resources section of the forum. My focus at the moment is the commercial format because it seems as good a place as any to get started. I'm of the mind a person needs to learn the rules to know when, where and how to break them, but that's nothing more than a personal opinion. Everybody has their own style and their own unique voice.
