Parodoke
Parodoke SDK

Songsmith Guide

The official field manual for building playable Parodoke song templates: preserving recognizable song structure, choosing smart blanks, writing prompt grammar, formatting objects, and submitting clean game-ready templates.

Songsmithing is the craft of turning a real song into a playable Parodoke template. The goal is to preserve as much of the original song’s structure, rhythm, section order, emotional arc, and sing-along recognition as possible while replacing key words with smart prompts.

The player, known as a Parodoker, answers prompts. Those answers drop into the song-shaped template. The result should feel like the familiar song took a wrong turn at karaoke night and came back wearing novelty sunglasses.

Parodoke is closer to Mad Libs for songs than a full rewrite. Songsmiths protect the bones of the song while choosing the blanks that make each playthrough funny, singable, and different.

1

Preserve the Song

Parodoke works because the player recognizes the song under the blanks.

The goal is not to rewrite the whole song. The goal is to keep the original song’s structure, section order, rhythm, repeated hooks, and emotional shape while replacing carefully chosen words or phrases with player prompts.

Keep

  • Verse, chorus, bridge, and outro order
  • Recognizable line rhythm
  • Famous repeated hooks
  • Emotional arc of the song
  • Short filler words when needed for singability
  • Repeated phrases that make the song recognizable

Replace

  • Key verbs
  • Objects of affection
  • Emotional adjectives
  • Places and directions
  • Important nouns
  • Words that drive the joke
Too Rewritten 
{1} came wobbling through the {2}
Holding a {3} like it owed them rent
Everybody stopped and whispered,
“That’s either romance or a medical event.”

This may be funny, but it no longer preserves the playable song structure.

Parodoke Style 
If I should {{1}}
I would only be in your {{2}}
So I’ll {{3}}, but I know
I’ll think of you every {{5}} of the {{4}}

This keeps the song skeleton and replaces strategic words with prompts.

2

Choose the Parody Angle

The structure comes from the original song. The joke comes from the prompt choices, title, image, vibe, and answer examples.

A Parodoke template does not always need a brand-new story. Sometimes the angle is simply: “What if this emotional anthem became a drunken farewell?” or “What if this love song became weirdly petty?” The mysteryTitle, vibe, and prompt examples steer the Parodoker toward that version.

Template Field What It Does Example
slug URL-safe internal identifier until-this-drink-wears-off
mysteryTitle The playful Parodoke title shown to users ...Until the Drinks Wear Off
realTitle The real source song title I Will Always Love You
artist The original artist or commonly known performer Whitney Houston
vibe A one-line description of the parody mood Huge emotional farewell ballad with one bad decision still wearing perfume
genre Category for browsing love
3

Prompt Design

Prompts are written to fit the original lyric slot, not to reinvent the line.

Match the Slot

If the line needs “stay,” prompt for a verb meaning to remain. If it needs “love,” prompt for a verb that can replace love.

Preserve Singability

Short, common answers usually sing better. Give examples that fit the rhythm.

Guide the Joke

The help text is where the comedy lives: Venmo, haunt, tolerate, ghost, screenshots, coupons.

Too Vague 
{ key: '1', title: 'Give me a verb', help: 'Anything.' }

This does not tell the player what the lyric slot needs.

Correct 
{ key: '1', title: 'Give me a verb that means to remain', help: 'Stay, linger, chill, hang.' }

This matches the original line function and keeps the song singable.

Prompt Object Format

{ key: '1', title: 'Give me a specific kind of answer', help: 'Examples that fit the lyric slot.' }
Original Slot Needs Prompt Phrasing Example Help Text
stay Give me a verb that means to remain Stay, linger, chill, hang.
way Give me a means of egress Escalator, stairs, highway, tunnel, fire escape, driveway.
step Give me one unit of a means of egress Step, stair, foot, mile, meter, light year.
love Give me a verb that replaces love Haunt, Venmo, text, worship, tolerate, stalk, DM.
memories Give me a plural noun Memories, nachos, receipts, regrets, screenshots, coupons.
cry Give me a verb for crying Cry, sob, wail, spiral, ugly-cry, leak.
4

Grammar Prompts

Songsmiths must prompt for the exact grammatical shape needed by the lyric slot.

Lyric Slot Prompt Style Good Help Text
If I should ___ Give me a verb that means to remain Stay, linger, chill, hang.
So I’ll ___ Give me a verb meaning leave Go, split, bounce, run, vanish, ghost.
I will always ___ you Give me a verb that replaces love Haunt, Venmo, text, worship, tolerate, stalk, DM.
That is all I’m ___ with me Give me a verb ending in -ing Taking, dragging, carrying, smuggling, texting, regretting.
Please don’t ___ Give me a verb for crying Cry, sob, wail, spiral, ugly-cry, leak.
What you, you ___ Give me a verb for wanting something Need, want, crave, desire, dream of, long for, imagine.
Life treats you ___ Give me an adjective meaning kind Kind, gentle, decent, generous, legal, surprisingly normal.

Phrase shape matters. A prompt may need to ask for “a verb ending in -ing,” “a plural noun,” “a term of affection,” or “a verb that replaces love.” The answer must fit the exact line where it appears.

5

Object Structure

Parodoke templates are submitted as song objects with metadata, prompts, and line objects.

Top-Level Fields

{
  slug: 'until-this-drink-wears-off',
  mysteryTitle: '...Until the Drinks Wear Off',
  realTitle: 'I Will Always Love You',
  artist: 'Whitney Houston',
  genre: 'love',
  difficulty: 'Easy',
  image: 'https://parodoke.com/covers/love/untilthedrinks.webp',
  vibe: 'Huge emotional farewell ballad with one bad decision still wearing perfume',
  prompts: [],
  template: []
}

Line Objects

Each lyric line is an object. Start a new section by adding section. Blank lines can be preserved with an empty line string.

{ section: 'Verse 1', line: 'If I should {{1}}' },
{ line: 'I would only be in your {{2}}' },
{ line: '' },
{ section: 'Chorus', line: 'And I will always {{6}} you' }

Placeholder Rules

Use double curly placeholders in the template lines, such as {{1}}, {{2}}, and {{6}}. The number must match a prompt key exactly. Reuse the same key whenever the original song repeats the same important word or hook.

6

Blank Strategy

The art is choosing which original words become prompts.

Blank the Load-Bearing Words

Replace the words that carry emotion, action, identity, place, or the main joke.

If I should {{1}}
I would only be in your {{2}}
So I’ll {{3}}, but I know

Keep the Glue Words

Keep small connective words when they preserve rhythm and recognition.

And I will always {{6}} you
I will always {{6}} you
You
My {{7}}, you, mm-mm

Repeat Hook Keys

If the original repeats “love,” reuse the same prompt key each time. The repetition is the karaoke engine.

And I will always {{6}} you
I will always {{6}} you
I, I will always {{6}} you

Prompt for Relationship

When two blanks relate to each other, make the prompts match, like a means of egress and one unit of that means.

{ key: '4', title: 'Give me a means of egress', help: 'Escalator, stairs, highway.' },
{ key: '5', title: 'Give me one unit of a means of egress', help: 'Step, stair, foot, mile.' }
7

Submission Format

Submit templates as JavaScript-style objects so they can be reviewed and uploaded.

{
  slug: 'url-safe-template-name',
  mysteryTitle: 'Funny Parodoke Title',
  realTitle: 'Original Song Title',
  artist: 'Original Artist',
  genre: 'love',
  difficulty: 'Easy',
  image: 'https://parodoke.com/covers/category/file.webp',
  vibe: 'One-line description of the template mood',
  prompts: [
    { key: '1', title: 'Give me a verb that means to remain', help: 'Stay, linger, chill, hang.' },
    { key: '2', title: 'The affairs of someone else', help: 'Business, bidness, drama, mess, nonsense.' }
  ],
  template: [
    { section: 'Verse 1', line: 'If I should {{1}}' },
    { line: 'I would only be in your {{2}}' },
    { line: '' },
    { section: 'Chorus', line: 'And I will always {{6}} you' }
  ]
}
8

Review Checklist

Before sending a template, check every little gear in the machine.

  • Slug is lowercase and URL-safe.
  • mysteryTitle is playful and not just the real title.
  • realTitle and artist are included.
  • Genre and difficulty are included.
  • Vibe gives the template a comic mood.
  • Prompts use key, title, and help.
  • Prompt keys are strings: '1', '2', '3'.
  • Template placeholders use double curly braces: {{1}}.
  • Every placeholder has a matching prompt key.
  • Every prompt key used in the song fits its lyric slot.
  • Verb prompts specify the needed form.
  • Repeated hooks reuse the same prompt key.
  • Original section order is preserved as much as possible.
  • Line rhythm remains singable.
  • Blank lines are preserved with { line: '' }.
9

Sample Template

A condensed example using the actual Parodoke object style.

{
  slug: 'until-this-drink-wears-off',
  mysteryTitle: '...Until the Drinks Wear Off',
  realTitle: 'I Will Always Love You',
  artist: 'Whitney Houston',
  genre: 'love',
  difficulty: 'Easy',
  image: 'https://parodoke.com/covers/love/untilthedrinks.webp',
  vibe: 'Huge emotional farewell ballad with one bad decision still wearing perfume',
  prompts: [
    { key: '1', title: 'Give me a verb that means to remain', help: 'Stay, linger, chill, hang.' },
    { key: '2', title: 'The affairs of someone else', help: 'Business, bidness, drama, mess, nonsense.' },
    { key: '3', title: 'Give me a verb meaning leave', help: 'Go, split, bounce, run, vanish, ghost.' },
    { key: '4', title: 'Give me a means of egress', help: 'Escalator, stairs, highway, tunnel, fire escape, driveway.' },
    { key: '5', title: 'Give me one unit of a means of egress', help: 'Step, stair, foot, mile, meter, light year.' },
    { key: '6', title: 'Give me a verb that replaces love', help: 'Haunt, Venmo, text, worship, tolerate, stalk, DM.' },
    { key: '7', title: 'Give me a term of affection', help: 'Darling, baby, pumpkin, captain, muffin, sweet disaster.' }
  ],
  template: [
    { section: 'Verse 1', line: 'If I should {{1}}' },
    { line: 'I would only be in your {{2}}' },
    { line: 'So I’ll {{3}}, but I know' },
    { line: 'I’ll think of you every {{5}} of the {{4}}' },
    { line: '' },
    { section: 'Chorus', line: 'And I will always {{6}} you' },
    { line: 'I will always {{6}} you' },
    { line: 'You' },
    { line: 'My {{7}}, you, mm-mm' }
  ]
}

Final Songsmith Advice

A great Parodoke template keeps the song recognizable while letting the player vandalize the emotional furniture. Preserve the rhythm. Preserve the section order. Preserve the big hook. Then choose blanks that make the whole thing wobble.

When in doubt, protect the song structure and make the prompts funnier.