Tachyony: Imported page

2021-12-19T16:49:49Z

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{{redirect|WP:LYRICS|the guideline that states Wikipedia is not a lyrics database|WP:NOTLYRICS|the poetry Wikiproject|Wikipedia:WikiProject Poetry}}

{{supplement|interprets=Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Music|shortcut=WP:LYRICS}}
{{style}}
A Wikipedia article on '''lyrics''' or '''poetry''' should have an analytical framework that describes the song and its cultural impact. This page discusses how they should be written. For how lyrics and poetry should be displayed, see: [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Poetry#Style for quoting from poems]].

Foremost, [[WP:COPYRIGHT|copyrights]] should be respected. In addition, any interpretation of lyrics requires a [[Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources|reliable]] [[Wikipedia:No original research#Primary, secondary_and_tertiary_sources|secondary source]] for that interpretation. Do not analyze, synthesize, interpret, or evaluate lyrics yourself; instead, refer to reliable secondary sources that do so.

To be included, works ought to fit into the framework of [[Wikipedia:notability|notability]]. In general, a song from a [[b-side]] to a minor band shouldn't be included (see also [[Wikipedia:Notability (music)]] and [[Wikipedia:Deletion policy|deletion policy]]).

== Points to avoid ==
First you should bear in mind some important points to avoid:
* Most modern songwriters and poets have not released their works under an [[open content]] license and therefore their inclusion in Wikipedia [[Wikipedia:Copyright violation|violates their copyright]]. Copyright usually expires 70 years after the author's death (see below).
* [[Wikipedia:External links|External links]] to copyright violations should also be avoided. Many archives and collections of lyrics on the Internet are ''not'' licensed and are likely to involve copyright violations.
* In addition to the main point of not violating copyright, do not write an article that consists only of lyrics. This would be considered a [[Wikipedia:No original research#Primary, secondary_and_tertiary_sources|primary source]]. It may, if it is [[GFDL]]-compatible [[free content]], be [[m:transwiki|transwikied]] to [[Wikisource:Main Page|Wikisource]], but it could also be [[wikipedia:Speedy deletion|speedy deleted]] by an admin for lack of context.

== License considerations ==
=== Copyrighted works ===
[[Quotation]]s of the work within the analytical framework can fall into the [[fair use]] provisions within [[US copyright law]] (and to a lesser extent [[fair dealing]] and related concepts within other jurisdictions). Such quotations can be done through inline text, block quotes, or (in the case of a song) inclusion of an image showing part of the sheet music. However, how much of a song you can quote is open to interpretation, but you should follow the '''[[Wikipedia:Non-free content#Policy|Non-free content policy]]'''. Examples of [[WP:GA|good articles]] and [[Wikipedia:Featured articles|featured articles]] on works still under copyright that should be used as guidelines are:

* [[W. B. Yeats]] (includes block quotes from several poems)
* "[[A Day in the Life]]" by the Beatles (includes selected lyrics inline)
* "[[The Scientist (song)|The Scientist]]" by Coldplay (includes selected lyrics inline and audio excerpt)
* "[[Love Story (Taylor Swift song)|Love Story]]" by Taylor Swift (includes selected lyrics inline and audio excerpt)
* "[[Like a Rolling Stone]]" by Bob Dylan (includes selected lyrics in block quotes and audio excerpts)
* "[[Running to Stand Still]]" by U2 (includes selected lyrics inline and in blocks, and an audio excerpt)
* "[[Last Post (poem)|Last Post]]" poem by Carol Ann Duffy (includes selected lyrics inline and in blocks)
* "[[Hey Ya!]]" by OutKast (includes inline discussion of selected lyrics)

=== Copyright-expired works ===
Generally, these expire in all countries (except [[Colombia]], [[Guatemala]], [[Mexico]], and [[Samoa]]) when all of the following conditions are satisfied:
*The work was created and first published before [[January 1]], [[1923]], or at least 95 years before January 1 of the current year, whichever is later.
*The last surviving author died at least 70 years before January 1 of the current year.
*No [[Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works|Berne Convention]] signatory has passed a perpetual copyright on the work.

Consider the following:

* "[[Old Dan Tucker]]" (featured)
* "[[Three Blind Mice]]"
* "[[And did those feet in ancient time]]"


=== National anthems ===
[[National anthem]]s are generally considered to be a special case of [[fair use]], if modern, or copyright expired if older. Examples include:
* "[[God Save the Queen]]" (copyright expired)
* "[[Advance Australia Fair]]" (copyright expired)
* "[[Namibia, Land of the Brave]]" (copyrighted)

== Wikisource instructions ==
If you are adding a new text on Wikisource, [[s:Help:Adding texts|follow the local guidelines]]. Use [[Template:wikisource-inline]] at the top of the external links section to link to works on [[Wikisource]] (see the [[Template talk:wikisource-inline|documentation]]). For example, use <code><nowiki>{{wikisource-inline|Anthem for Doomed Youth}}</nowiki></code> to link to the poem "[[Anthem for Doomed Youth]]". This produces the line below:
{{wikisource-inline|Anthem for Doomed Youth}}

== See also ==
* [[Help:Score]]
* [[Wikipedia:Copyrights]]
* {{section link|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (books)|Poems and lyrics}} for guidance on ''[[wikipedia:naming conventions|article naming]]''.

[[Category:Culture Wikipedia administration]]

Wikipedia:Lyrics and poetry - Revision history

Tachyony: Imported page