OPEN SOURCE // MIT + CC0

XLRC

Lyrics that speak more than one language.

XLRC extends the familiar LRC lyric format with inline translations, furigana, and word-level timing. One human-readable file per track, backwards-compatible with plain LRC, and built on a real, open spec.

Open Editor → View Spec

Write it plain. Read it rich.

The same plain-text on the left, parsed and rendered on the right, with furigana above the kanji and translations underneath. Switch languages live.

sample.xlrc SOURCE
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Everything LRC was missing.

XLRC adds the things lyrics always needed, like translations, readings, precise timing, and voice attribution, without giving up the plain-text simplicity that made LRC last. The spec is CC0, the tooling is MIT, and it's built in the open.

[>en]

Inline translations

Add any number of translation or transliteration lines under a lyric, keyed by BCP-47 language code.

漢字[かんじ]

Furigana

Annotate kanji with their readings. Renderers place the reading as ruby text above the base.

<00:12.40>

Word-level timing

Inline per-word timestamps for karaoke-style highlighting, mixable with plain lines.

[v:A]

Multi-voice

Attribute lines to a singer or part (duets, choruses, call-and-response) with simple labels.

Read the spec, grab the parser.

XLRC is a draft (v0.1) and open to feedback. The spec, the reference parser, and everything else live on GitHub and npm.