Before ID3v2 came around, Lyrics3 and Lyrics3v2 had their uses (extending the 30-char limit, placing synced lyrics), but nowadays they are a nuisance for most of us. Plus, we have the lyrics frames USLT and SYLT in ID3v2.

Lyrics3 tags come between the audio data and an ID3v1/ID3v1.1 tag at the end of the file (sometimes without the following ID3v1 tag, even if that is mandatory according to Lyrics3 specs). Current ffmpeg and some players and tools still have bugs and try to interpret Lyrics3 tags as audio data, resulting in obscure errors. Unfortunately, there are almost no tools out there to remove Lyrics3 tags—most programs ignore them, but write them back if changing tags. When removing ID3v1 tags from a file, this can result in the illegal situation mentioned above (having a Lyrics3 tag without a following ID3v1 tag)..

This code has been tested with thousands of files but I can give no guarantees. If you destroy your whole music collection, it’s not my fault. Please have a backup!

github.com/Moonbase59/rmlyrics3