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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 with particular regard to the copyright implications of such articles.
"Don't"s
First you should bear in mind some important "don't"s:
Modern songwriters and poets have not released their works under an open content licence and therefore their inclusion in Wikipedia violates their copyright. Copyright usually expires 70 years after the author's death (see below).
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 primary source. It may if it is GFDL-compatible free content, be transwikied to Wikisource, but it could also be speedy deleted by an overzealous admin for lack of context.
Copyrighted works
Quotations 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). However, how much of a song you can quote is open to interpretation, but you should avoid copyright paranoia. Examples of featured articles, of works still under copyright, which should be used as guidelines, are:
Copyright-expired works
You should include lyrics and poetry whose copyright has expired. 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 signatory has passed a perpetual copyright on the work.
As of 2005, there are no featured articles on these, but consider the following:
Wikisource instructions
Use Template:Wikisourcepar for linking to works in Wikisource, and if uploading new works to wikisource Follow their guidelines. Suppose you wanted to link the poem Anthem for Doomed Youth, the necessary code is:
{{Wikisourcepar|Anthem for Doomed Youth}}
...which produces the box on the right that will take you to an example Wikisource page. Place it somewhere obvious on the page.
National anthems
National anthems 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)
Inclusion guidelines
To be included, works ought to fit into the framework of notability, importance and depth. A song from a b-side to a minor band shouldn't be included (see also WP:MUSIC, deletion policy).