The only thing I can suggest for the future is don't clone lyrics.

To completely erase all the lyrics from a score, delete the lyrics from the Lyrics window.

got it, thanks

erasing the lyrics in the lyrics window seems not to completely erase it. if the lyrics were originally entered using click assignment of cloning it from another staff, the "links" from the word position in the lyrics window to the notes on the staves still remain after erasing the lyrics. So if you start typing new text after erasing the old tekst the words of the new text appear on the same notes as the words of the original text.

I can't find a way to also erase these "links" e.g. to start again with a really blank sheet of lyrics. The only way I found to do this is to copy the score into a new empty finale score except for the lyrics (untick the lyrics box in the filter in the edit menu).

Anyone know a better way?

Hi Mike, thx for your reaction. Let mestart by saying that cloning is sometimes very efficient for choral scores with many voices. 

luckily I found a way in the mean time to "really erasel" lyrics!

you need to select the bars containing the notes with the original text and then choose "clear selected items" from the edit menu and ticking ONLY the lyrics boxin.

You could argue that this is rather counter intuitive and (very) hard to find (sadly and surprisingly the whole issue is not even mentoned in the lyrics section of the user manual). A much better way would be that deleting text from the lyrics window deletes everything including links to notes of the erased text BUT keeping the non-erased words of the text linked to their ORIGINAL notes in the score. 

After erasing this it is now relatively easy to redo the click assignment or cloning of the new text.

regards, Tom

you need to select the bars containing the notes with the original text and then choose "clear selected items" from the edit menu and ticking ONLY the lyrics boxin.

You could argue that this is rather counter intuitive…

Actually, for many longtime users, myself included, this is intuitive.

I would hate to be learning Finale from scratch 35 years later.