When phrases are linked according to function or content, it’s often wise to construct them in a similar way.

Lyricists may use parallel structure unknowingly and instinctively, because the technique generates phrases that fit the song’s melody and rhythm perfectly.

Inventions using parallel structure can be ingenious.

      "Don’t let a kiss fool you…
       Don’t let a fool kiss you"

      -Waits/Brennan, "Dead and Lovely"

The lines above demonstrate how a relatively small change  can result in a clever shift in meaning. "Kiss" is a noun in the first line, a verb in the second; "Fool" also flips between parts of speech.

We could go on creating more parallel structures by using this template: "Don’t let a (noun) (verb) you." Don’t let a smile throw you. Don’t let a man scold you. These new lines also duplicate the rhythm of the lines by Brennan and Waits–with no syllables added or subtracted–so they would easily fit into the same melody.