Songwriting is an exercise in expectation and resolve. There are many tools that we as songwriters use to create those expectations.  Then it is up to us whether or not to resolve them, or not. We use the tool of rhyme in much the same way as the other tools, to create a stable or an unstable feeling.

Analyzing rhyme in a song is a useful skill to have. But for a skill to be really useful one needs to know how to use it. Just as we used A, B, C and beyond to denote the structure of a song, we also use it to denote the scheme of a rhyme. In addition we include the letter “X” to show a line that does not have a rhyme.

Mary had a little lamb
Fleece was white as snow
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

If we are analyzing rhyme in this verse we will find it to look like: X A X A

Consider this change to the above example:

Mary had a little tent
Fleece was white as snow
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

I know it makes no sense whatsoever but set aside your disdain toward the rhyme for the sake of this example. If we are analyzing rhyme in this new version we would notate it as: A B A  B

• A: tent / went
• B: snow / go

Using this skill of notating and analyzing rhyme scheme can be very helpful when trying to find the stability or instability of a song.