Native english speakers, i have a doubt.

Originally posted by u2met86[..]

hi thechicken,

first, when writing lyrics it is unnecessary to follow the strict rules of grammar 100%. it's more important to communicate in a way that makes sense to you and to your listeners.

second, when people communicate verbally we often follow rules that are NOT as strict as the "formal" written rules. lyrics in popular music genres tend to obey these verbal rules much more so than the formal written rules.

third, about your examples:
"seems like I can't catch her." and "looks like he is gone."

although a writing teacher would consider them incorrect, both phrases make sense and are very clear and are perfectly appropriate for lyrics

also, when used in this particular context, the verbs "seem" and "look" are used passively, not actively. when a sentence is constructed PASSIVELY instead of ACTIVELY, the subject-verb relationship tends to become incredibly complex, which is why teachers go nuts over it.

For example, take the verb "smell."

-I can use this verb ACTIVELY: "I smell the pizza." (Subject = I, Verb = smell)
I am doing the smelling, and the pizza is the receiving object of the action.

-I can use this verb PASSIVELY as a linking verb: "The pizza smells good."
The pizza is not the one doing the smelling! The verb "smell" is not describing an action; it is merely linking the noun "pizza" with an adjective that describes it, "good."