Import lyrics from .txt files¶

Uses: Import Text File action · Works on: selected writable whole-file tracks with matching text sidecars · Time: about 5 minutes for a practice pair · Undo: recorded tag writes in the current desktop session; keep originals

The problem¶

You have written lyrics in separate text files and want to embed the text in each corresponding audio file. A sidecar is a separate file kept beside the audio; importing it copies its current contents into a tag field. It does not create an ongoing link to the text file.

Audio file	Text file beside it	Destination
`01 - Paper Boats.flac`	`01 - Paper Boats.txt`	That audio file's `LYRICS` field
`02 - Lanterns on the Water.flac`	`02 - Lanterns on the Water.txt`	That audio file's `LYRICS` field

The solution¶

Work on copies of these two audio files. Save pending edits and keep copies of any existing lyrics you want to retain.
Create the matching .txt files as UTF-8 text. Put this invented practice text in 01 - Paper Boats.txt:
```
Paper boats drift past the pier.
We keep a lantern burning here.
```
Give the second sidecar different practice text, so a wrong association is visible. Check the actual extension: 01 - Paper Boats.txt.txt does not have the name this recipe expects.
Select the two copied audio files. Choose Actions → Actions (Quick)… and select Import Text File.
Set Field to LYRICS. Set Text filename format to:
```
%_filename%.txt
```
Choose Apply action. This writes immediately. Read the result and any per-file errors; there is no separate reviewed text-import preview in this action.
Select each file separately and open Extended tags…. Check that LYRICS contains that file's complete text, with the intended line breaks and accents. Check the player afterward if displaying embedded lyrics is your goal; field storage alone does not prove player support.

The action replaces all previous values of LYRICS with one value. It does not append a verse. An empty sidecar supplies empty text and can replace existing lyrics. Use a small copied selection before a larger run.

How it works¶

%_filename% is the audio filename without its extension. Appending .txt gives the matching sidecar name. The format is evaluated separately for every selected file, and a relative result is read from that file's folder.

Audio basename	Evaluated text filename
`01 - Paper Boats.flac`	`01 - Paper Boats.txt`
`02 - Lanterns on the Water.mp3`	`02 - Lanterns on the Water.txt`
`03 - Café.ogg`	`03 - Café.txt`

The complete decoded file becomes one field value. Individual lines do not map to individual tracks, and punctuation is not treated as a separator. Spaces, blank lines and a final line ending belong to the imported text. Changing the sidecar afterward does not change the embedded value; rerun the action when you intentionally want to replace it.

This uses a filename format, so normal tag-derived names have reserved characters cleaned according to filename rules. Basing the sidecar on the actual %_filename% avoids relying on a title that differs from the file's name. Use an exact name, including .txt; *.txt is not a wildcard search.

Variations¶

Use one notes file for the whole folder¶

Set Field to COMMENT and Text filename format to notes.txt. Every selected track reads the notes.txt in its own folder. This is useful for album recording notes, but it deliberately gives the same text to all selected tracks in that folder. It also replaces existing comments.

An absolute filename reads that same file for every selected track, regardless of their folders. Browse… can select such a file; inspect the resulting format before applying it to several tracks.

Keep sidecars in a lyrics subfolder¶

Use this when a Lyrics subfolder exists beside every selected track:

Lyrics\%_filename%.txt

The literal backslash separates folders in filename formats on supported desktop platforms. Each text file must already exist. Importing does not create sidecars, search other folders or download missing lyrics.

Import an older text encoding¶

Use UTF-8 for new files. A Unicode byte-order mark selects its decoding; without a BOM, valid UTF-8 is used first. Otherwise the configured ANSI/system codepage is used, with Windows-1252 when none is available. Unlike Text File → Tag, this action has no per-import legacy-encoding box. Convert a copy of an older sidecar to known UTF-8 in a suitable text editor before importing, then inspect accents and symbols in one test track.

If the result is missing or wrong¶

Symptom	What to inspect
A file reports that the text could not be read	Check the exact basename, extension, folder, case and read permission
All selected tracks receive the same lyrics	Look for an absolute filename or a constant `lyrics.txt` shared in one folder
Existing lyrics disappeared	The import replaces values; use recorded Edit → Undo or your original copy
Text is garbled	Check the source encoding before repeating the write
The player shows no lyrics	Verify the embedded field in OpenTag first, then that player's format/lyrics support

A missing or unreadable sidecar reports an error for that operation; it is not an instruction to clear the field or to retry later. Action processing can continue with later work. Do not put a destructive “cleanup” action after the import on the assumption that every sidecar was read successfully. Keep this practice action alone until you have checked its results.

Timestamped text imported this way remains text in one field. The action does not interpret timing markers, synchronize playback, or verify that a player will treat the field as timed lyrics.