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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38420
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

For some reason, when I read this question, my thoughts were immediately drawn to the book [_The Demolished Man_](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0679767819) by Alfred Bester. At one point in the classic science fiction story, the protagonist is introduced to a song's lyrics. The passage is quoted on a website with the same name as the song, [Tenser, Said the Tensor](http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/2004/03/a_word_of_expla.html):

> Her fingers and palm slipped gracefully over the panel. A tune of utter monotony filled the room with agonizing, unforgettable banality. It was the quintessence of every melodic cliché Reich had ever heard. No matter what melody you tried to remember, it invariably led down the path of familiarity to "Tenser, Said The Tensor." Then Duffy began to sing:
> 
>       Eight, sir; seven, sir;  
>       Six, sir; five, sir;  
>       Four, sir; three, sir;  
>       Two, sir; one!  
>       Tenser, said the Tensor.  
>       Tenser, said the Tensor.  
>       Tension, apprehension,  
>       And dissension have begun.
> 
> "Oh my God!" Reich exclaimed.

Of course, different people have different tastes. But what makes this effective is not only how absurd it is—but that it's short and simple.

Speaking only personally, I more often than not find reading song lyrics more of a distraction than not, and will simply skip past them if they are extensive.

But sometimes, as in the case of this song, it has content that is either unusual enough or interesting enough that it doesn't just seem like "filler" to me.

So, I would suggest making the _content_ of the song memorable, immediately relevant to the story itself in some way (if you can), and not necessarily have the lyrics go on for very long. For instance, you can _describe_ the song as being lengthy and captivating, but still only provide part of it to the reader. (Although if you are particularly attached to the lyrics of the entire song, you could always provide it in full in an appendix.)

Original score: 4