My son Max, an excellent songwriter, gave me a great tip. I had just finished a new song and I asked him for critical feedback. He said, “I’ve noticed that you pay a lot of attention to your lyrics. Why don’t you try playing the song all the way through without singing? Just focus on the way the guitar sounds, and make sure you play around with it until the music stands on its own.”
I am a writer first and a musician second, so I have developed a natural habit of being lyrics-centric. I tried Max’s suggestion, and it helped me to create a musically stronger chorus and bridge, as well as more interesting musical transitions between all the sections, and a lovely new opening and closing.
Spend some time in your work focusing on what you usually don’t.