abab

ABAB is a rhyme scheme used in poetry and song lyrics, defined by alternating rhymes in a four-line unit: the first and third lines rhyme with each other (A), and the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other (B). The pattern can be extended across multiple quatrains, maintaining the same A and B rhymes across each stanza, or applied anew in each stanza.

The ABAB scheme creates a steady, singing cadence and a sense of movement, without the conclusive closure that a couplet might provide. It is common in English-language ballads and is widely used in the quatrains of English sonnets, notably in the Shakespearean form where each of the first three quatrains follows an ABAB, CDCD, and EFEF pattern, before the final GG couplet.

Variations and flexibility: poets may use strict rhymes or permit near rhymes (slant rhymes) within the ABAB framework. The scheme can coexist with different metrical patterns, such as iambic pentameter or tetrameter. In longer passages, stanza-by-stanza ABAB can produce a cohesive musical effect while allowing thematic variation between stanzas.

Related terms: ABAB is a type of cross rhyme, and it is contrasted with other schemes such as AABB (double rhyme) or ABBA (enclosed rhyme). While primarily a term in poetry, ABAB is also encountered in song lyrics and is valued for its melodic, alternating rhythm.