word choice - "Lyrics to a song" vs. "lyrics of a song"
I've seen both being used interchangeably. Are both valid? Is only one correct?
- Lyrics to a song.
- Lyrics of a song.
Answer
This Google NGram indicates that both are in use, with "lyrics of a song" being more popular:
This phrasing may be more popular because "lyrics" is a property of a "song". That is a song has lyrics, so the lyrics are of a song because this is the possessive form. I think that both are sufficiently valid (as NGrams records use from a corpus of written material, which tends to be slightly more grammar-conscious than online works such as a blog), so you could use either and be understood.
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