Re: lyrics first word starts on second note of piece

[Christopher Meredith]

On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Chip Wiegand <address@hidden> wrote:
>  I am having an issue with getting a lyric to align the first word to the
> first note of the piece. I have even commented out all the lyrics except the
> first two words of the two stanzas, but only the first word of each stanza
> appears and it is under the second note of the piece. I have included the
> code for the song below.
> Regards,
> Chip W
>
> code for the song so far -
>
> % LilyPond
> \include "english.ly"
> \version "2.12.3"
> \header{
>    title = "Chatroom Girl"
>    composer = "Music and Lyrics by Chip Wiegand"
> }
>
> global = {
>  #(override-auto-beam-setting '(end 1 8 * *) 1 4 'Staff)
>  #(override-auto-beam-setting '(end 1 8 * *) 2 4 'Staff)
>  #(override-auto-beam-setting '(end 1 8 * *) 3 4 'Staff)
>  \override MultiMeasureRest #'expand-limit = 1
>  \set Score.skipBars = ##t
> }
>
> tagline = \markup {
>      \simple #(strftime "%b %d, %Y" (localtime (current-time)))
>       \with-url #"http://lilypond.org/web/";
>      { Engraved with LilyPond \simple #(lilypond-version)
> (http://lilypond.org/) Copyright 2010 Chip Wiegand}
> }
>
> \paper {
> top-margin = 1.00\cm
> page-top-space = 1.00\cm
> ragged-bottom = ##t
> left-margin = 25\mm
> line-width = 170\mm
> }
>
> staffMelody =
> \relative c'' {
> \global
>    \clef treble
>    \key g \major
>    \time 4/4
>    \tempo 4 = 120
>
>    g8 g  %{g a16 b c8 c d e
>    d4 c b a
>    g8 g a b c c d e
>    d8 d c4 b a
>    g8 g16 g a8 b c c d e
>    d4 c b8 b a4
>    g8 g  g a16 b c8 c d e
>    d4 c8 c b4 a~
>    a2. r4 \bar "||"
>
> %    [chorus]
>    c4^"Chorus" c16 c c c~ c4 b8 c
>    d8 e~ e d~ d4 r8 c
>    b8 b b4 b8 a b a
>    c8 c d c~ c4 r
>    c4 c16 c c c~ c4 b8 c
>    d8 e~ e d~ d4 r8 c
>    b8 b b4 b8 a b a
>    c8 c d c~ c4 r
>    c4 c16 c c c~ c4 b8 c
>    d8 e~ e d~ d4 r
>    \times 2/3 {b4 b b b a b}
>    c2. c4
>    c1
>    d4 d2.
>    g,2. r4
>
>    g8 g  g a16 b c8 c d e
>    d4 c b a
>    g8 g a b c c d e
>    d8 d c4 b a
>    g8 g16 g a8 b c c d e
>    d4 c b8 b a4
>    g8 g  g a16 b c8 c d e
>    d4 c8 c b4 a~
>    a2. r4 \bar "||" %}
>  }
>
>  theChords = \chordmode { g2 %{c2 d1
>             g2 c2 d1
>             g2 c2 d1
>             g2 c2 d1 d1
>             %chorus
>             c1 d1 g1 c1
>             c1 d1 g1 c1
>             c1 d1 g1 c1
>             c1 d1
>             g2 c2 d2 g2
>
>             g2 c2 d1
>             g2 c2 d1
>             g2 c2 d1
>             g2 c2 d1 d1
>             %chorus
>             c1 d1 g1 c1 c1
>             c1 d1 g1 c1 c1 %}
> }
>
> verseI = \lyricmode {
>  \set stanza = #"1. "
>  Are you %{just my im -- ag -- in -- a -- tion?
>  Or are you real?
>  I want to be -- lieve and trust you,
>  What does my heart feel?
>
>  We've ne -- ver met ex -- cept in chat -- ting,
>  Time keeps slip -- ping by.
>  Can we meet face to face and eye to
>  eye want to say hi!
>
>  %Chorus
>  I've fal -- len in love with a
>  chat -- room girl.
>  She says she lives on the oth -- er
>  side of the world.
>  I've fal -- len in love with a
>  chat -- room girl.
>  She says she wants to be part of
>  my lit -- tle world.
>  I've fal -- len  in love with a
>  chat -- room girl.
>  think -- ing and dream -- ing of
>  her, my
>  dream, chat -- room girl.
>  %}
> }
>
> verseII = \lyricmode {
>  \set stanza = #"2. "
>  We meet %{on -- line and we chat all night,
>  hard to con -- cen -- trate.
>  My job and school are going down the drain
>  I hope she is real.
>
>  I have got to fig -- ure this out soon
>  Must get my mind straight.
>  And she has sto -- len my heart from me,
>  I think only "we." %}
> }
> \score {
> <<
>    \context ChordNames { \theChords }
>    \new Staff { \global
>      \context Voice = "voiceMelody" { \staffMelody }
>    }
>    \new Lyrics = "lyricsI" { \global
>      \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseI
>    }
>    \new Lyrics = "lyricsII" { \global
>      \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseII
>    }
>
>>>
>  \layout { }
> }
>

It looks like you're assigning the lyrics to a voice called
"voiceMelody" but your actual music is in a voice called "melody."
Maybe adjust that and see what happens.