This article discusses the intermedial potential of lyrics in fiction. In the novels of Günter Grass, Elfriede Jelinek and Anthony Burgess, short fragments of lyrics from familiar songs appear in violent contexts. Drawing on Lawrence Kramer’s concept of speaking melody, the lyrics are considered as ‘singing words’ that involve the cognitive presence of their melody. As the fragmentary quoting of lyrics is especially prone to trigger involuntary musical imagery or ‘sticky music’, repetitive phrases from familiar songs may therefore continue to resound while reading descriptions of violent events. Fragmentary lyrics render the reader aware of their sounding quality while feeling disturbed by them.