Get Song Lyrics in Your Terminal: The Ultimate Guide to Lyrus for Cmus
For devotees of the command line, cmus is more than just a music player—it’s a statement. It represents a commitment to efficiency, minimalism, and a workflow free from the distractions of graphical user interfaces. But even in this perfectly curated terminal environment, one common interruption persists: the quest for song lyrics, which often forces you to open a web browser and break your focus.
What if you could fetch and display lyrics for your currently playing track without ever leaving the comfort of your terminal? That’s precisely the problem that Lyrus, a lightweight and powerful lyric player, is designed to solve.
Introducing Lyrus: Your Cmus Lyrics Companion
Lyrus is a simple yet elegant command-line utility built specifically to integrate with cmus. Its sole purpose is to find and display the lyrics of the song you’re listening to, directly in your terminal window. This allows you to maintain a seamless, keyboard-driven experience while enjoying your music library.
At its core, the process is straightforward but effective:
- Lyrus intelligently queries
cmususing thecmus-remotecommand to get the artist and title of the currently playing song. - It then uses this information to search and scrape trusted online lyric databases for a match.
- Finally, it prints the fetched lyrics directly to your terminal, updating automatically whenever the song changes in
cmus.
The result is a dynamic, real-time lyric display that feels like a native part of the cmus ecosystem.
Getting Started: How to Install and Use Lyrus
One of the best features of Lyrus is its simplicity. If you have Python and Pip (the Python package installer) on your system, you’re already halfway there.
To install Lyrus, simply run the following command in your terminal:
pip install lyrus
That’s it. The utility is now installed and ready to use.
To put Lyrus to work, you’ll want to have two terminal windows or panes open.
- In one terminal, have
cmusrunning and playing your music as usual. - In another terminal, simply run the
lyruscommand.
Immediately, Lyrus will detect the song playing in cmus and display its lyrics. Lyrus will automatically detect song changes and fetch the lyrics for the next track without any further input from you.
Level Up Your Workflow with Tmux or Screen
For the ultimate command-line music setup, Lyrus pairs perfectly with a terminal multiplexer like tmux or screen. This allows you to have cmus and Lyrus running side-by-side in a single, organized window.
A common tmux workflow involves:
- Starting a new
tmuxsession. - Splitting the window into two vertical panes (
Ctrl-b %). - Running
cmusin the left pane. - Running
lyrusin the right pane.
This setup provides a beautiful, integrated “now playing” dashboard that shows your music library, controls, and synchronized lyrics all at once, without any need for a GUI.
Why Choose Lyrus for Cmus Lyrics?
While there are other ways to find lyrics, Lyrus offers several key advantages for the dedicated cmus user:
- Seamless Integration: It’s built from the ground up to work with
cmus, requiring zero complex configuration. - Minimalist and Lightweight: True to the command-line philosophy, Lyrus is a small utility that uses minimal system resources.
- Keeps You Focused: By eliminating the need to switch to a web browser, Lyrus helps you stay in your terminal and maintain concentration.
- Simple and Reliable: With a single command for installation and another for execution, it’s incredibly easy to get started.
If you’re a cmus user looking to complete your perfect, distraction-free music experience, adding Lyrus to your toolkit is a logical next step. It’s a simple, effective solution that enhances your command-line workflow and brings you closer to the music you love.
Source: https://www.linuxlinks.com/lyrus-cmus-lyric-player/
