This study of the social poetry of W.H.Auden examines the combination of lyricism with social comment during the early part of the twentieth century. The manipulation and control of lyricism as a formal, prosodic technique is viewed within selected works of Auden in relation to the particular social conditions of his time. The apparent conflict between the tone of certainty in Auden`s poetic voices and the inconsistency in his lyricism is explored in relation to his stated views on social reform. The relationship between Auden` s certainty of tone and his unstable lyrical structures is the primary focus in his early unrevised poems of the thirties. Employing lyricism as a technical tool for poetic criticism is seemingly opposed to the traditional nature of the lyric; however, Auden`s individual poetic style allows him to present this disparity between tone and content in a surprisingly fluid form, adding new meaning to an old term. The careful prosodic control employed by Auden results in melodic poetry that describes comparatively harsh and ugly social realities. The lyricism Auden uses to project his perceptions of the society he sees around him emerges as aurally pleasing despite the unattractive subject matter it describes. The conflict between tone and content subsequently raises the question of why Auden uses such a disparate combination of poetic techniques in his work. Using unharmonious, uneven, or discordant prosody would seem to be a better, or at least a more concordant, vehicle for the harsh social critique that he feels compelled to present.