How do you write the great riffs of rock in words?

There are great riffs in pop music, but how do you write them in words? It's one of the eternal problems for rock journalists.

"Dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee"
There She Goes
The La's

"Do, do, do, dodo/ Do, do, do, dodo/ Do, do, do, dodo do/ chi chick, chi chick "
Blister on the Sun
Violent Femmes

Bah, bah, bah/ bah, bah/ bah, bah, bah
Smoke on the Water
Deep Purple

Any entries for Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division or She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult gratefully accepted