lyrics

Today, lyrics most commonly means the words, sung or spoken, that accompany music, thereby creating a song. The Internet is a rich resource for finding the words to songs or discussing a song's lyrics.

The term's etymology comes from the Latin word lyricus, meaning "of or for the lyre," and the Greek word lurikos, meaning "singing to the lyre."  The lyre was an ancient stringed instrument.

Lyric, the singular of the word, also can be used to refer to a specific type of poetry.  Lyric poetry is generally viewed as poetry that expresses the poet's feelings, whereas narrative poetry tends to be story-like.

Song lyrics can often be found on the official websites of many musicians, as well as at popular sites like Lyrics.com.