Here's our mix. See below for analyses of the songs.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
What is Pagan Poetry?
“Pagan Poetry,” by famous Icelandic alternative artist Björk, contains many secretive themes and hidden meanings. One of the recurring themes is how the narrator struggles through her darker memories, or rather taboos, and finds a particular memory of her meeting this man. Another idea that is consistently repeated is how the narrator knows another woman loves this man, however, the narrator keeps the information of their love secret through “ A secret code”or “Pagan Poetry.” The secret nature behind “Pagan Poetry” is the fact that the Pagans believe that Poetry is a restless spirits and that is roams and hunts because it searches for the audience. In Björk’s 2001 hit single, her restless love for this man cannot be stopped as she prepares herself to marry him. In duration of the song, one can experience such feelings as: looming senses of insecurity, a sense of moving or transcending forward, and a deep pain within the artist. Björk is able to communicate such feelings through poetic and multidimensional language. One example of Björk’s use of poetic language is in her second verse “He offers/ A handshake/ Crooked Five fingers /They form a pattern/ Yet to be matched” Björk’s use of imagery here portrays how the man when shaking her hand, their fingers form a pattern unlike those whom his fingers have intertwined with before. In addition to the previous example, Björk’s use of repetition in her 7th verse of “I love him” for a total of 8 repeats, followed by “She loves him” twice, is used to emphasize how much she loves him and how she cannot get the idea of love out of her head, yet after she thinks about this idea, she remembers that another woman loves him. This concept is used again in the 8th verse where Björk’s sings “ She loves him… I’m gonna keep it to myself… I’m gonna keep me all to myself.” Yet in this instance, Björk tries to convince herself that she must let the other woman have him, even though Björk and this man are very deeply in love. Lastly, Björk’s use of contrast in her 4th verse “ On the surface simplicity...But the darkest pit in me it’s pagan poetry” proves that although her confliction can be easily resolved by her letting this man go, Björk stresses how the “Pagan Poetry” concept looms and haunts her mind even when she sleeps “They pulsate (wake me up) and wake me up (pulsate) from hibernating.” Clearly, whether the artist Björk is referring to herself or another person, the idea of releasing the man from her memories and to give away to another person is a very simple idea, yet impossible for the woman to execute.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
No Church in the Wild
"No Church in the Wild" is a song about religion and how you have to fight for yourself, because there is no one else there to save you when you're on your own.
Album: Watch the Throne
Artist: Kanye West
YouTube
Theme: You have to fight for yourself, as there is nobody else there to save you (“no church in the wild”)
The name of the song is "No Church in the wild" by Kanye West (with Jay-Z)(feat. Frank Ocean). This song is from the album Watch the Throne. This song is about how religion and how you have to fight for yourself, because there is no one else there to save you when you're on your own.
1. This song shows an analogy because of the verses "what's a mob to a king, what's a king to a god, what's a god to a non-believer, who don't believe in anything." He uses this poetic device to enhance how powerless the previous people or symbols are to the next.
2. This song shows a sense of Euphony. It shows Euphony from the verses "what's a mob to a king, what's a king to a god, what's a god to a non-believer, who don't believe in anything. We make it out alive. Alright, alright. No church in the wild." It shows that this piece of music has a sense of harmony, and it is pleasent to listen to.
3. This song also shows a sense of rhyming in most of its verses. A few of its verses are: "That’s somethin’ that the pastor don’t preach. That’s somethin’ that a teacher can’t teach. When we die, the money we can’t keep. But we probably spend it all ’cause the pain ain’t cheap." As you can already tell that the end of verse 1 rhyms with the end of verse 2, and the end of verse 3 rhyms with the end of verse 4."
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Take Back Chicago
Chance The Rapper is a modern Chicago hip-hop artist that has recently been growing in popularity. In Chance’s song, Paranoia, He talks about all of the problems and injustices in the black communities of his hometown, Chicago, Illinois.
In the second line of the song Chance The rapper says,
“Somebody'll steal daddy's Rollie, call it the neighborhood watch”
Chance is saying that someone will steal his father’s wristwatch. Making a reference to a neighborhood watch goes back to the Trayvon Martin case when Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin during his neighborhood watch shift. This goes with the theme of the song because Chance talks about the racism and injustices of America and how no one pays attention to the problems of the black communities
When speaking about why the country doesn’t come into the hood or why the media doesn’t show the deep problems in the black community he says,
“Probably scared of all the refugees, look like we had a fuckin' hurricane here”
This simile is a reference back to when hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The government took days to respond to the problem and many Americans believe it is because the hurricane mainly devastated the black communities. Chance believes that the same thing is going on in the black communities of Chicago. He is saying that if all of the violence and poverty were going on in white neighborhoods it would be a public spectacle.
Near the end of the song Chance begins to talk about the summer time and how he dreads when Summer comes. He sings,
“I heard everybody's dying in the summer
So pray to God for a little more spring”
Chance says this because in Chicago the homicide rates go up drastically in the summer time. He wants it to be springtime forever because everyone stays inside during spring due to all of the rain, thus not killing anyone. Upon further inspection this line also has another deeper meaning. In the bible, there is speak of the rapture or judgment day. This is a time when god says he will end the world in fire. In the song, Chance uses summer as a metaphor for the rapture because they are both hot. Chance is saying that everyone will die and either go to heaven or hell so we need to all pray to god that the time hasn’t come yet.
On the surface, Chance The Rapper comes off as a reckless hood rapper but in reality he is very thoughtful and caring. Chance has a soft spot for his home Chicago and wants to bring awareness to the problems at hand in our city.
In the second line of the song Chance The rapper says,
“Somebody'll steal daddy's Rollie, call it the neighborhood watch”
Chance is saying that someone will steal his father’s wristwatch. Making a reference to a neighborhood watch goes back to the Trayvon Martin case when Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin during his neighborhood watch shift. This goes with the theme of the song because Chance talks about the racism and injustices of America and how no one pays attention to the problems of the black communities
When speaking about why the country doesn’t come into the hood or why the media doesn’t show the deep problems in the black community he says,
“Probably scared of all the refugees, look like we had a fuckin' hurricane here”
This simile is a reference back to when hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The government took days to respond to the problem and many Americans believe it is because the hurricane mainly devastated the black communities. Chance believes that the same thing is going on in the black communities of Chicago. He is saying that if all of the violence and poverty were going on in white neighborhoods it would be a public spectacle.
Near the end of the song Chance begins to talk about the summer time and how he dreads when Summer comes. He sings,
“I heard everybody's dying in the summer
So pray to God for a little more spring”
Chance says this because in Chicago the homicide rates go up drastically in the summer time. He wants it to be springtime forever because everyone stays inside during spring due to all of the rain, thus not killing anyone. Upon further inspection this line also has another deeper meaning. In the bible, there is speak of the rapture or judgment day. This is a time when god says he will end the world in fire. In the song, Chance uses summer as a metaphor for the rapture because they are both hot. Chance is saying that everyone will die and either go to heaven or hell so we need to all pray to god that the time hasn’t come yet.
On the surface, Chance The Rapper comes off as a reckless hood rapper but in reality he is very thoughtful and caring. Chance has a soft spot for his home Chicago and wants to bring awareness to the problems at hand in our city.
Lose to Win
“Lose to Win” by Fantasia Barrino from the album Side Effects of You that was released in the year of 2013.
Lose to Win by Fantasia Barrino is one of my favorite and most powerful songs she has ever written. This songs tell you about the way women lose their self dealing with a man. Not only dealing with a man but dealing with life within itself such as people losing homes , jobs , loved ones, their self esteem and whatever life throws at them. Sometimes you have to lose yourself in order for a great blessing to come. In the process of losing your self and everything else around you ,you notice who’s there for you and who is not. Sometimes it takes to hit a bump in the road just so you can be at peace again. Sometimes in the process of hitting this bump and wrecking your car you lose yourself. You have to learn how to pick up the pieces and learn to love yourself all over again. Fantasia states “ Never felt so ugly, Pretending that he loves me” meaning that the man she thought that loved her made her feel as if she was less than a woman. She knew that deep down inside that he loved her at one point or at least she thought he did. The love begin to fade away once he started getting the sexual things he wanted, gifts , or money , which was the reason of him seeking after her from the very beginning . Many women has been in the same predicament Fantasia has been in or even close to where she was and she’s trying to warn them before the storm decide to arrive and wash everything away. When you love a man and a man doesn't love you back it tears you apart , from the inside out , you let yourself go and feel like you're not worth more than anything but a pile of dog poo. It could be a man that you're in a relationship with , your father or a male that meant something very special to you. Fantasia continues on and says “ Now I'm sick and tired of , You, just taken right off , Know when I forgive you” meaning every time she forgives an individual person in her life or a situation that occurred it comes right back up but hits her ten times harder. Fantasia goes through many of hurts and she’s human like everyone else and she is very much human and when she loves she loves hard not for the appearance or how much that person has but she “loved you for your inner, inner, inner”. It’s a lot of things that need to take a step back out of her life and others “But you won't dare, 'cause you're too scared” , explains how something that she knows and people know can eat them alive won't change anything about it , because they're afraid of the outcome of it all without that person or thing non-existent. Even “If it makes you cry, cry, cry And all you do is fight, Can't get no sleep at night? Sometimes you gotta lose to win again. That's the only way in life to ever survive through the rough times that people and herself go through. Its a disciplinary action that you have placed on yourself and your emotions. Your emotions feel like they're in the ring fighting against the situation that you're going through. the blood , sweat , and tears represent the crying at night . the matt that you're fighting on represent the sleepless night that she has occurred. but every brick that was thrown at her she took it and stood on it just to prove that you “Needed someone so bad? To make it last does not always exist and you can “Lose , To win again.
Broad Shoulders
Taylor Bennett is the rapper out of Chicago and little brother to 2013's breakout rapper Chance the Rapper. The song "Broad Shoulders" off of Taylor's debut album of the same name is the first song between the two siblings that has been released. Taylor trades verses with brother Chance to describe their childhood and growth from boys to men. The song's lyrics are rapped through a different perspective for each verse, with the first being Taylor as a young man , then Chance as he grows into maturity, until the last verse which is in the perspective of parents of the teenagers growing up
The biggest source of poetic language throughout the song can be seen in Chance's verse in which he says
"Head on his shoulders ain't his own...
Who forced the hand to make the clone?"
with this language Chance is observing the influence that children have on their kids when growing up and how a big of a role parents have in shaping their children thus " Who forced the hand to make the clone."
Chance induces more poetic lines with a huge nod to the iconic tragedy, Romeo and , written by William Shakespeare; one of the most famous poets of all time.
"A rose by any other text will still be Rosetta"
This line is a play on the famous line " A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." meaning that no matter the name or reputation of a rose it would still smell beautiful. Chance's twist on the line shows that no matter the language that his wisdom flows through, it is still just as meaningful.
On the final verse by Taylor we hear the unavoidable issues that many parents face when their children reach the teenage years.
"Watch her get older and older until she don't wanna be known as your daughter
Watch him get older and older until he forgets everything that you taught him"
These lines show the the disconnect the parents and their children go through when in their teen years. How young women don't wanna be known as "Daddy's little girl" any more, and sons growing up and going through new experiences that may be against the morals he was taught from his parents.
The biggest source of poetic language throughout the song can be seen in Chance's verse in which he says
"Head on his shoulders ain't his own...
Who forced the hand to make the clone?"
with this language Chance is observing the influence that children have on their kids when growing up and how a big of a role parents have in shaping their children thus " Who forced the hand to make the clone."
Chance induces more poetic lines with a huge nod to the iconic tragedy, Romeo and , written by William Shakespeare; one of the most famous poets of all time.
"A rose by any other text will still be Rosetta"
This line is a play on the famous line " A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." meaning that no matter the name or reputation of a rose it would still smell beautiful. Chance's twist on the line shows that no matter the language that his wisdom flows through, it is still just as meaningful.
On the final verse by Taylor we hear the unavoidable issues that many parents face when their children reach the teenage years.
"Watch her get older and older until she don't wanna be known as your daughter
Watch him get older and older until he forgets everything that you taught him"
These lines show the the disconnect the parents and their children go through when in their teen years. How young women don't wanna be known as "Daddy's little girl" any more, and sons growing up and going through new experiences that may be against the morals he was taught from his parents.
Carpe Diem
This is a spanish son called "Carpe Diem" of Arce is in an album called "Luciffer" and it's kind of a rap album when it expresses his feelings on that time that it was 2014, this song especially, I can, I feel identified and it helped me a lot when my grandpa died the same year, it talks as the name says Carpe Diem, that it means like "live the moment" and feel that the things in the past are just experiences and you have to pass them.
This poetry song it goes to everyone who lived some hard moments in their lifes, but everyone does, I have chosen that song because its also very clearly where does it want to bring the audience that it is this hard moments that you had or you lived in your life and that nothing it can't make you more happy that family as it says in some of his lines like:
Amigos hay dos, mama y papá las
Lágrimas vienen cuando alguien se va
Esta vida no es justa, otra quizá
No voy a esperar la muerte en el sofá
This it means that there are only two friends, mom and dad, it refers that the family is the first thing you have to keep and be save, then it says that tears are alive when somebody lives, this life is not fear, maybe another , I'm not gonna wait death in the sofa, so it means that things happen and you can't do anything only step on and like leave all this hardships apart of your daily life, because he doesn't want to be sad because its nothing good for him.
~Song~
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3AweLmSw3o
~Translation~ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SmUZ3npaYDjpkTVAKFvQmklSM6yjIC71F2Smozv2KDY/edit
This poetry song it goes to everyone who lived some hard moments in their lifes, but everyone does, I have chosen that song because its also very clearly where does it want to bring the audience that it is this hard moments that you had or you lived in your life and that nothing it can't make you more happy that family as it says in some of his lines like:
Amigos hay dos, mama y papá las
Lágrimas vienen cuando alguien se va
Esta vida no es justa, otra quizá
No voy a esperar la muerte en el sofá
This it means that there are only two friends, mom and dad, it refers that the family is the first thing you have to keep and be save, then it says that tears are alive when somebody lives, this life is not fear, maybe another , I'm not gonna wait death in the sofa, so it means that things happen and you can't do anything only step on and like leave all this hardships apart of your daily life, because he doesn't want to be sad because its nothing good for him.
~Song~
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3AweLmSw3o
~Translation~ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SmUZ3npaYDjpkTVAKFvQmklSM6yjIC71F2Smozv2KDY/edit
Monday, April 11, 2016
21 questions ?
21 Questions-50 Cent Featuring Nate Dogg Album: Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The song 21 questions is It became 50’s second number one song in the United States after “In Da Club.” The song released on April 7, 2003 is the second single from the album.
The first hook ¨Girl, it's easy to love me now would you love me if I was down and out? Would you still have love for me?¨ In this line basically it's asking if he weren’t rich and famous, would you still want to be with him?
Another strong line that occurs in the song ¨I love you like a fat kid love cake you know my style, I say anything to make you smile.¨ Here 50 cent uses a metaphor basically showing that he knows that she knows that he will do anything to turn her frown upside down like cake does a fat kids.
¨If I went back to a hoopty from a Benz Would you poof and disappear like some of my friends?¨ In this line a hoopty is a very old beat up car and well we know what a benz is but 50 knows that some of his so-called “friends” would dip out on him if he lost his money; he wants to know if this chick would be the same way.
All throughout 50s song he uses poetic devices that all seem to wrap around the idea of trust and loyalty in this girl. This song was very poetic by all the metaphors and comparisons he came up with all based around one person.
http://vevo.ly/hUu6wV
Why Tyrone Can't Use Erykah's Phone
Cellular Device by Erykah Badu is apart of her album But You Can't Use My Phone which was inspired by Drake’s hit song Hotline Bling. This album is a phone themed work of art, which remixes and remakes on of Erykah’s best hits, Tyrone. The song itself carries the phone theme on while focusing on how people are always calling and texting Erykah when they want something. Which symbolizes how once she became a celebrity everyone just saw her as a personal bank or their own personal entertainer, when in all actuality they weren’t that close to her before, and really aren’t that close to her now.
Erykah uses repetition of the line “Late night when you need my love/Late night when you need my love/Late night when you need my love/Late night when you need my love” which makes the line resonate with you, a common technique in poetry. The line itself of course is describing how Tyrone use to call her when he wanted her companionship.
She also chooses more interesting nouns and verbs such as saying cellular device instead of cellphone which keeps you much more intrigued in the piece and for some it may make you have to listen a little harder and think more about the piece.
She also uses the voicemail interlude to show her beliefs and what days she celebrates and are important to her. “If you're calling to wish her a happy birthday, Kwanzaa, MLK,/ Black History Month, Juneteenth, or Hanukkah, press 2”. Obviously she celebrates her birthday; then Kwanzaa: the celebration of African heritage in African American culture; MLK day: Which celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. and all of his efforts with the civil rights movement; Black history month: The “remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora”; Juneteenth: the ending of slavery in 1865; and Hanukkah: the festival of lights.
Erykah’s use of imagery is also amazing such as “glasses of champagne out on the dance floor” shows the image of people at a party dancing and drinking champagne but it is just said in a clever manner much like poetry. At the end of the song she has a section that is a voicemail that clearly defines the entire album. It basically list off all the reasons people call her on her cellular device.
The voicemail tone goes, “If you're calling to beg for some shit in general, press 4/If you're calling to beg for some shit, but this is that pre-call before the actual begging, press 5/If you've already made that pre-call and this is the actual call that you beg, press 6”. While giving insight into her life it is also is pretty funny because you can just imagine how many people do this to celebrities that they “use to be cool with”.
The album But You Can't Use My Phone as a whole tells a great story and the song, Cellular Device is a fun and light response to the freeloaders in life such as Tyrone.
Say It Ain't So
"Say It Ain't So", by Weezer, is part of their first album, Weezer, also known as The Blue Album. This and many of the other songs in the album were written by Rivers Cuomo and were inspired by many personal experiences from his past.
In the song, Cuomo talks about how alcoholism has torn his family apart. This changed how he perceived drinking in general. The song starts with Cuomo discovering an alcoholic drink in his fridge. "Somebody's Heine' / Is crowdin' my icebox / Somebody's cold one / Is givin' me chills," This line uses the theme of cold to try to connect an emotion to an event. It calls the drink a "cold one" and then describes how it gives the speaker, Cuomo, chills. The chills mentioned could be literally interpreted as the cold of the refrigerator (icebox), or as the chills that someone gets when the make a scary realization, in this case thinking one of his family members is an alcoholic.
"Say it ain't so / Your drug is a heartbreaker," Cuomo is expressing how alcohol is painful for him since it made his father and mother split up. Now that he thinks his step father is an alcoholic too, he is in disbelief.
Eventually Cuomo writes to his father and says, "Dear Daddy / I write you in spite of years of silence / You've cleaned up, found Jesus, things are good or so I hear / This bottle of Steven's awakens ancient feelings / Like father, stepfather," In this line there is a simile used to compa re Cuomo's step father to his father, in that he believes both are alcoholics. The line as a whole shows how Cuomo disconnected d with his father be a use of what he did and might now do the same with his step father without any other evidence.
Say Something
"Say Something" is very poetic to me. It is a song recorded by American producer, songwriter and rapper Timbaland.It is on timberlands third album Shock Value II.The song features Drake."Say Something" is an electro-rap song. The song talks about Drake and a past women who he used to talk too.
In the hook of the song Drake says:
We coulda worked it out, uh, but I guess things change/It's funny how someone else's success brings pain/When you no longer involved, that person has it all/ And you just stuck standing there
Drake also says:
You shoulda been here to kick it with me/ We coulda split this whole thing up 50/50
These lines have a way deeper meaning than they seem. Drake is saying that his old significant other didn't want to work through their relationship problems, but now he is getting fame and all she can do is things about what happened. He is saying she could also be enjoying this rise but now he has to keep his success to himself.
Drake also says:
I should wanna go back to the one I started with/But I'm addicted to this life, it's gon' be hard to quit/Yeah, just ask me how things are coming along/You can tell me that you never heard none of my songs/Long as you end up saying one day you plan to listen/'Cause what's a star when its most important fan is missing?
Another part of the poeticness comes out. Drake is now saying he is addicted to his new lifestyle. He wants the women to things about him every time she hears his songs.All of these poetic examples are hidden within lyrics.The lyrics get the listeners to really think about what story Drake is telling.It creates a powerful image of how the relationship didnt survive and how Drake is actually startinng to feel better they parted ways.
Friday, April 8, 2016
¨All those years of Isolation¨
In the song ¨Closer¨ Fka Twigs seems to be describing a relationship where she is very much in love with her partner and is very willing to do anything for them. The song also seemes to have a underlining theme of religion. In her other songs she seems to mention god or have somewhat religious aspects to get her through life. In the lines In my mind eternal darkness seemed to be true oh so wretched ...oh so lost until my savior knew i was weary I was sleepy But you held me through; has the double meaning of here speaking about god and how he pulled her through a dark time of her life or her lover helped her realize a better way to live and was able to convince her and pulled her through. These lines also paint the picture that she was lost without her religion and finding God again helped her become whole.
Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey - Lyrics
Young and Beautiful
By: lana del Rey
Album: Lana Del Rey
The main reasoning for the poem song is that she saying that men always leave their women when they get older. In her her lyrics she says ¨will you still love me when i'm no longer young and beautiful.¨ she’s also saying that all men are not like that for example the man that she is in love with she feels that he will never leave her. In the lyrics you she says “i know you will , i know you will.” Of her confidence of his love for her.
She is using most of her language in such a useful and literal way in her song. Most times in her songs you won’t have to read beweeteen the lines. For example when she says “I’ve seen the world, don’t it all, had my cake now.” Which is most likely she’s saying she’s done the things she want to do seen all the things she wants to. She’s basically lived her life. But other times she says lyrics in her song that you have too look into. When she says “i’ve seen the world, lit it up as my stage now. She’s saying really popular she lit the world up like she is very known like a legend.
In some of the songs she has in her album she usually rhymes and even in this song she has rhyme and rhythm. In some lyrics she will say “...Father tell me if you can, oh that grace, oh that body, oh that face, makes me wanna party.” I feel she is a very poetic person she has meaning in her songs and also can make it relatable. Some songs to kids nowadays is like about being pretty and being the best and drug and money. Not saying that she doesn't have one or two songs like that. But most of her songs are about her love life. This song is about when she’s not gonna feel good about herself anymore because of her age and still wants someone to still love her even if she want be young and hot. Which i think is beautiful cause you should love yourself and your partner should still love you no matter what.
Astronomy (8th Light)
¨Astronomy (8th Light)¨ is a song written and preformed by Mos def and Talib Kweli on their first album together, named ¨Black Star¨. I believe that this song talks about Being African american, and the stigmas that come along with it. It lists not only the stigmas but also the true meanings of the word black and how they relate to the African american people. It goes into different stereotypes and how they can be both right and wrong. The central theme of the song is Truly being a Black Star (hence the name of the album), meaning that as a black person you should reach any goals you want. When you analyze the lyrics, more motifs and deeper meanings can be found.
The first example of a deeper meaning in the lyrics can be found in Mos Def´s second Grouping Of lines:
[Mos Def]
What is the Black Star?
Is it the cat with the black shades, the black car?
Is it shinin' from very far, to where you are?
It is commonplace and different
Intimate and distant
Fresher than an infant
In the first 2 lines he is asking a frequently asked question, which ism what is the Black star ( possibly a black person, black people in general, or a black person who has fame or power). He then says Is It the cat with the black shades, the black car, which most likely is referencing to the stereotype we know all to well ( The stereotype of the gangster or ¨cool cat¨ black man). This is just one example of how the song compares and contrasts different stereotypes and stigmas of black people.
The second example of a deeper meaning in the lyrics can be found in Mos Def´s second Grouping of lines:
Black like my baby girl's stare
Black like the veil that the muslimina wear
Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?
Black like the slave ship that later brought us here
Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears
that leave black faces well traveled with years
Black like assassin cross-hairs
Blacker than my granddaddy armchair
He never really got no time to chill there
Cause this life is warfare, warfare
This grouping has many deeper meanings and motifs in relation to black people and their culture.
In the third line, it says ¨Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?¨. This is a reference to the growing racism against black people since the early beginnings of america. It seems that throughout history, as African american people tried to further advance their own culture, people would stop at nothing to keep them down. ¨ Black like that slave ship that brought us here¨, is an obvious reference to slavery and how African american were worked against their will for hundreds of years. ¨ Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears, that leave the black faces well traveled for years¨, talks about the sadness and systematic oppression that African Americans have felt from their roots in america until now. The line ¨ Blacker than my granddaddy armchair, he never really got time to chill there, cause his life was war fair¨ shows that African Americans from that last generation or the ine before that, not only felt racism in the workplace or school, but in the law as well. Many balck people could not just ¨chill¨ because they constantly had to deal with problems.
This grouping of lines has on true meaning that many people today feel and experience to this day.
Deep on the front lines, and blacks is all there
Black like the perception of who, on welfare
Black like faces at the bottom of the well
I've been there before
The second line, ¨ Black like the perception of who, on welfare, black lie the faces at the bottom of the well
I´ve been there¨ This line talks about, Metaphorically and literally, welfare and struggle. From The roots of African Americans in america, they have faced adversity and struggle, I would say, like no other race or ethnicity.
The first example of a deeper meaning in the lyrics can be found in Mos Def´s second Grouping Of lines:
[Mos Def]
What is the Black Star?
Is it the cat with the black shades, the black car?
Is it shinin' from very far, to where you are?
It is commonplace and different
Intimate and distant
Fresher than an infant
In the first 2 lines he is asking a frequently asked question, which ism what is the Black star ( possibly a black person, black people in general, or a black person who has fame or power). He then says Is It the cat with the black shades, the black car, which most likely is referencing to the stereotype we know all to well ( The stereotype of the gangster or ¨cool cat¨ black man). This is just one example of how the song compares and contrasts different stereotypes and stigmas of black people.
The second example of a deeper meaning in the lyrics can be found in Mos Def´s second Grouping of lines:
Black like my baby girl's stare
Black like the veil that the muslimina wear
Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?
Black like the slave ship that later brought us here
Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears
that leave black faces well traveled with years
Black like assassin cross-hairs
Blacker than my granddaddy armchair
He never really got no time to chill there
Cause this life is warfare, warfare
This grouping has many deeper meanings and motifs in relation to black people and their culture.
In the third line, it says ¨Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?¨. This is a reference to the growing racism against black people since the early beginnings of america. It seems that throughout history, as African american people tried to further advance their own culture, people would stop at nothing to keep them down. ¨ Black like that slave ship that brought us here¨, is an obvious reference to slavery and how African american were worked against their will for hundreds of years. ¨ Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears, that leave the black faces well traveled for years¨, talks about the sadness and systematic oppression that African Americans have felt from their roots in america until now. The line ¨ Blacker than my granddaddy armchair, he never really got time to chill there, cause his life was war fair¨ shows that African Americans from that last generation or the ine before that, not only felt racism in the workplace or school, but in the law as well. Many balck people could not just ¨chill¨ because they constantly had to deal with problems.
This grouping of lines has on true meaning that many people today feel and experience to this day.
Deep on the front lines, and blacks is all there
Black like the perception of who, on welfare
Black like faces at the bottom of the well
I've been there before
The second line, ¨ Black like the perception of who, on welfare, black lie the faces at the bottom of the well
I´ve been there¨ This line talks about, Metaphorically and literally, welfare and struggle. From The roots of African Americans in america, they have faced adversity and struggle, I would say, like no other race or ethnicity.
Song Analysis
¨The Gambler¨ by Cal Venerus
¨You've got to know when to hold 'em / Know when to fold 'em / Know when to walk away / And know when to run…¨ These famous words from the Grammy nominated song have carved the path for country and folk music. This song has impacted the music industry greatly. Music is a form of poetry some times. The words musicians use to create their songs are sometimes better examples of poetry than some actual poetry. One could make this argument for the song ¨the Gambler.¨ This song has hidden meaning behind almost every word Kenny Rogers sings.“You got to know when to hold'em”. When there are good opportunities, hold on to them. When opportunities don’t play out, “Know when to fold'em”. It could be a dead end job that you spent years at, and got nowhere. “Sittin' at the table” is where decisions are made. Card are dealt, and you have a decision to make. In the game of life, sitting at the table is where life takes different courses. Life presents you with different cards, and you have to make a decision on what to do. “You never count your money” because counting money will distract you, and keep you from making the right decision. Kenny Rogers´s words don´t mean what you would first think. The whole song is a lesson that Kenny learned himself and expressed using many poetic devices. Note, that Mr. Rogers is no poet...hes a musician. Or is he a poet in a sense?
Jolene
"Jolene" by Ray LaMontagne
"Jolene" by Ray LaMontagne is a song from one of his first albums, "Trouble". The song gained a lot of popularity for obvious reasons. It is simply just so good. The tune, the sound of the guitar, the sound of his voice, and the powerful lyrics all contribute to the well deserved fame. "Jolene" starts with powerful lines right off the bat. The first three lines are "Cocaine flame in my bloodstream/Sold my coat when I hit Spokane/Bought myself a hard pack of cigarettes in the early morning rain" The first line I think is the most powerful. Right at the beginning of the song it brings you to a place where you have to think about what had happened recently. We know it is negative because of the strong drug, and we know it happened recently because it is still in his blood. This is poetry because we took one line and analyzed it to think about what happened. Since it is about a girl, we can determine she has affected him. This is one powerful line of many, which is how most poems are. Ray LaMontagne emphasizes the negative affects this girl had on him, but also how he still loves her so much. Negatively, he sings "I found myself face down in the ditch/Booze on my hair/Blood on my lips" and then later, on a more touching note about how he may have lost her, he sings, "Held you in my arms one time/Lost you just the same/Jolene" It is clear that he is very touched by this woman. This is poetry because with very meaningful words, we are able to build a story out of it. "Jolene" is poetry in every way.
Another Love Song
In the song “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood on the album I Love You, reveals about how a man fantasizes about himself and his love together, having sexual relations together, living together, and facing the cold world together.
Jesse James Rutherford begins “All I am is a man / I want the world in my hands / I hate the beach / But I stand / In California with my toes in the sand / Use the sleeves of my sweater / Let’s have an adventure / Head in the clouds but my gravity’s centered / Touch my neck and I’ll touch yours / You in those little high-waisted shorts.” You might be thinking, Jesse is speaking about fashion, clothes, hating the beach or being in California. No that’s not what the artist means at all. Jesse James Rutherford wants to say make the best of the situation you're currently find yourself in. That’s why the Jesse James Rutherford says “Let’s have an adventure / Head in the clouds but my gravity’s centered."
Jesse James Rutherford sings “Cause it’s too cold / For you here and now / So let me hold / Both your hands in the holes of my sweater.” The artist is using imagery to describe a romantic moment where himself and his love face the cold world together, that’s why Jesse James starts with / “So move to a place so far away.” Another example where the artist implements the thought of imagery, moving far away from the “cold world” meaning society, with his girlfriend.
Jesse James Rutherford speaks about having a sexual moment with his girlfriend, Jesse James Rutherford sings “The minute that my left hand meets your waist / And then I watch your face / Put my finger on your tongue / ‘Cause you love to taste, yeah.” This reveals how their is butterflies in his stomach and is imagining sexual intercourse with her, and describing his love and romance for her.
Emotional Trip
In the song "Everything Will Be OK" by G-Eazy on the album "When It's Dark Out", the artist reveals himself and shows the deepest and darkest parts of his life. He used many visual lines to show his audience the pain he has felt in many instances of his life. The song is filled with his views of how he gain some and lost more on his journey through life and also fame.
The first verse of the song explains how he lost so many friends, including the girl he fell in love with, when he chased fame using his musical talent. He explains how he regrets leaving them behind, especially with the line "They say, 'You know if you loved her well then you would have stayed, you would have made a perfect pair that people would trade.'" This shows how people in his life judge him for leaving.
In the second verse, he explains how he left his brother to take care of their mother when he chased fame. Even after all of their struggles together, he felt bad for leaving his brother alone with their mom who was sick and out of a job. This is explained in the line "Like, 'You don't even come home enough. Where were you when she was in the hospital, huh? It was only us.'" This shows how his brother questions his fame and if it was worth him being left alone with a sick and poor mother. He regrets leaving his family behind even to chase his dream.
In the last and most emotional verse of the song, he explains his young life from leaving his father behind with his mother and brother, his mother finding a new love with a woman and his struggle with trying to understand it, and the death of his mothers new partner from depression. In the line "In that first class they came and got me, 'Your mom's outside, say goodbye now to everybody.' U-Haul waiting with all of her things at least what she could pack, in the time my dad's at work and before he gets back." This shows how he was forced by his mother to leave his father and live a new life with his mother and brother. This verse contains a very emotional trip for listeners that gives a big view of the artists open wounds from his struggles in life.
Overall, the song shows G-Eazy's deepest regrets and pains in his life that have come from not only his fame but his own ignorance from trying to chase a dream. Although he has succeeded in his dream, he still has so much he feels he has failed to do for his family. This song is one of his most emotional songs and leaves him open for the audience to see.
The first verse of the song explains how he lost so many friends, including the girl he fell in love with, when he chased fame using his musical talent. He explains how he regrets leaving them behind, especially with the line "They say, 'You know if you loved her well then you would have stayed, you would have made a perfect pair that people would trade.'" This shows how people in his life judge him for leaving.
In the second verse, he explains how he left his brother to take care of their mother when he chased fame. Even after all of their struggles together, he felt bad for leaving his brother alone with their mom who was sick and out of a job. This is explained in the line "Like, 'You don't even come home enough. Where were you when she was in the hospital, huh? It was only us.'" This shows how his brother questions his fame and if it was worth him being left alone with a sick and poor mother. He regrets leaving his family behind even to chase his dream.
In the last and most emotional verse of the song, he explains his young life from leaving his father behind with his mother and brother, his mother finding a new love with a woman and his struggle with trying to understand it, and the death of his mothers new partner from depression. In the line "In that first class they came and got me, 'Your mom's outside, say goodbye now to everybody.' U-Haul waiting with all of her things at least what she could pack, in the time my dad's at work and before he gets back." This shows how he was forced by his mother to leave his father and live a new life with his mother and brother. This verse contains a very emotional trip for listeners that gives a big view of the artists open wounds from his struggles in life.
Overall, the song shows G-Eazy's deepest regrets and pains in his life that have come from not only his fame but his own ignorance from trying to chase a dream. Although he has succeeded in his dream, he still has so much he feels he has failed to do for his family. This song is one of his most emotional songs and leaves him open for the audience to see.
Dosnt really matter?
"In The End" by Linkin Park from their HYBRID THEORY is a song that was a safety net for me when I was in a dark place. This song is about building something up but watching it fall apart in the end. When I first heard this song I was 13 or 14 and in a dark place in my life. I thought I was the only person in the world that had these felling. This song was a slap in the face that I wasn't alone. He raps,
This line is talking about how you cant get back time that you have wasted and you cant buy it back. That if you put your time and effort into something, you might not get anything out of it and you cant do anything about it. This adds to the song because it makes you think about times where you were trying to do something but "In the End" nothing came out of it or it went down in flames. He raps,
This line talks about hoe everything in life is chance and their is nothing you can do about it.
The singer is accepting that. This adds to the song because we cant waste are time thinking about the what ifs in life, you have to keep going. He sings,
This line talks is pretty straight forward but it still has a lot of meaning. It talks about how, whoever the singer is singing about, wont recognize them anymore because the time changed them. This adds to the song because its 100% True when you get hurt you change complete emotional.
Time is a valuable thing watch it fly by as the pendulum swingswatch it count down to the end of the day the clock ticks life away
This line is talking about how you cant get back time that you have wasted and you cant buy it back. That if you put your time and effort into something, you might not get anything out of it and you cant do anything about it. This adds to the song because it makes you think about times where you were trying to do something but "In the End" nothing came out of it or it went down in flames. He raps,
One thing, I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
This line talks about hoe everything in life is chance and their is nothing you can do about it.
The singer is accepting that. This adds to the song because we cant waste are time thinking about the what ifs in life, you have to keep going. He sings,
Things aren’t the way they were beforeYou wouldn’t even recognize me anymoreNot that you knew me back then
This line talks is pretty straight forward but it still has a lot of meaning. It talks about how, whoever the singer is singing about, wont recognize them anymore because the time changed them. This adds to the song because its 100% True when you get hurt you change complete emotional.
Deflecting The Worlds Bullets
People usually say “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”. But what about music? There is a small saying similar: Don’t judge music by its language.
The name of the song is called "Never Mind", by a South Korean boy group called Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), translated to Bulletproof Boy Scouts or BTS. The song itself is by one of the members in the group, Min Yoongi (stage name: Suga). who writes and produces most of their music.
"Never Mind" is part of their 4th mini album called Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa (화양연화 Pt. 2). The group, in several interviews have admitted that there are two translations for the title. In Korea it’s mainly called In the Mood for Love but the literal translation in English is called The Most Beautiful Moment in Life
The whole concept of both mini albums The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1 & The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2 are mainly directed toward the youth. It talks about the the love you experience when you're young, but it also express the pain and hardships that come along with it.
"Never Mind" talks about his, Yoongi’s , personal experiences, growing up and how people would always put him down for his passion for music. Though in the end he made it through, and is now doing what he wants to do in life.
The song may be talking about his personal experiences, but it speaks to the audience as a whole. The central idea talks about not giving up and it’s okay to make a mistake.
One of my favorite lines from the song is, translated of course, “If you feel like you’re going to crash then accelerate more, you idiot.” I personally like this part of the song. Because it maybe blunt, but, no matter how hard something gets keep pushing till you make it.
Within the song itself there is a specific line that I think represents a really good use of literary technique called Allegory, symbolizing a greater often abstract concept. Yoongi says “ Moss surely grows on a stone that doesn’t roll.” It shows reference to an old saying “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”. He’s saying, without clearly stating it. That for all the people who were holding him back they’re suck being simple minded. Opposed to a rolling stone that is always moving forward never lacking new ideas or creativity.
Another way the song shows itself is the emphasis on the word "Never Mind" in the song, which is also the title. The word itself is capitalized making it pop out even more. An example would be near the end, the whole group say the word like in a spoken word chorus style, saying the word strongly,
NEVER MIND NEVER MIND
No matter how thorny the road is, run
NEVER MIND NEVER MIND
He also uses the word thorny, showing his use of word choice but also as a metaphor to explain how hard life can be.
The name of the song is called "Never Mind", by a South Korean boy group called Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), translated to Bulletproof Boy Scouts or BTS. The song itself is by one of the members in the group, Min Yoongi (stage name: Suga). who writes and produces most of their music.
"Never Mind" is part of their 4th mini album called Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa (화양연화 Pt. 2). The group, in several interviews have admitted that there are two translations for the title. In Korea it’s mainly called In the Mood for Love but the literal translation in English is called The Most Beautiful Moment in Life
The whole concept of both mini albums The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1 & The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2 are mainly directed toward the youth. It talks about the the love you experience when you're young, but it also express the pain and hardships that come along with it.
"Never Mind" talks about his, Yoongi’s , personal experiences, growing up and how people would always put him down for his passion for music. Though in the end he made it through, and is now doing what he wants to do in life.
The song may be talking about his personal experiences, but it speaks to the audience as a whole. The central idea talks about not giving up and it’s okay to make a mistake.
One of my favorite lines from the song is, translated of course, “If you feel like you’re going to crash then accelerate more, you idiot.” I personally like this part of the song. Because it maybe blunt, but, no matter how hard something gets keep pushing till you make it.
Within the song itself there is a specific line that I think represents a really good use of literary technique called Allegory, symbolizing a greater often abstract concept. Yoongi says “ Moss surely grows on a stone that doesn’t roll.” It shows reference to an old saying “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”. He’s saying, without clearly stating it. That for all the people who were holding him back they’re suck being simple minded. Opposed to a rolling stone that is always moving forward never lacking new ideas or creativity.
Another way the song shows itself is the emphasis on the word "Never Mind" in the song, which is also the title. The word itself is capitalized making it pop out even more. An example would be near the end, the whole group say the word like in a spoken word chorus style, saying the word strongly,
NEVER MIND NEVER MIND
No matter how thorny the road is, run
NEVER MIND NEVER MIND
He also uses the word thorny, showing his use of word choice but also as a metaphor to explain how hard life can be.
The way Yoongi wrote this song is very interesting because throughout the whole song, though he’s explaining his experience. It’s like he’s talking with someone within it. In the song he talks about his experience growing up but then he switches to another point of view as it someone was talking to him.
He wrote in the song “You will make your home go broke/ From that point onwards, I didn’t care/ No matter what anyone said.” It’s like someone was discouraging but he then thought in his head he didn’t care what they said. Also a few lines down gives another example when he mentions the line “ Like I always said hundreds of time every day, “Never mind me” ” he’s talking to people telling them not to worry and to mind their own business.
Overall this song, as well as their others songs, send messages throughout all their music. Even the meaning behind their name holds a significance. The meaning of their name, which personally, I think is very cool and inspiring, is to ‘deflect the world bullets’. In which it reflects in their writing about oppression in society as well as lyrics that relate to young people.
This is one of my favorite songs by them, because on a personal level I can relate to it. Though all their songs are my favorite. I feel that both albums, part 1 and part 2, are more relatable to all youth because it talks about what youth go through, whether it’s love, pain or struggle.
He wrote in the song “You will make your home go broke/ From that point onwards, I didn’t care/ No matter what anyone said.” It’s like someone was discouraging but he then thought in his head he didn’t care what they said. Also a few lines down gives another example when he mentions the line “ Like I always said hundreds of time every day, “Never mind me” ” he’s talking to people telling them not to worry and to mind their own business.
Overall this song, as well as their others songs, send messages throughout all their music. Even the meaning behind their name holds a significance. The meaning of their name, which personally, I think is very cool and inspiring, is to ‘deflect the world bullets’. In which it reflects in their writing about oppression in society as well as lyrics that relate to young people.
This is one of my favorite songs by them, because on a personal level I can relate to it. Though all their songs are my favorite. I feel that both albums, part 1 and part 2, are more relatable to all youth because it talks about what youth go through, whether it’s love, pain or struggle.
Twenty One Pilots: Guns for Hands
Tyler Joseph, the lead singer in Twenty One Pilots, wrote the song Guns for Hands to help make the realization about how many people, especially kids, have depression and suicidal thoughts. That he is having trouble living his life while knowing what these kids are going through. It hits him even more, since he has gone through the same things that these kids are going through, and sometimes still does. He brings this issue forward, by sort of connected it to gang related problems, the usage of guns in gangs, and the guns for hands.
Tyler sings, "That you all ave guns/And you never put the safety on/And you all have plans/To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it". Tyler compares the kids hands to guns and the gun's safety. in the way that they all have the power to conflict harm on themselves. The safety of a gun, is a blocking mechanism that does not allow the trigger to be pulled, not letting the gun to be fired. So when the kids aren't putting the safety on their hands, they are not taking it upon their selves to seek out help, or even just talk to someone about it. And they all have plans on pulling the trigger, to end their lives, but Tyler is telling them not to. Since they don't want to talk to someone, but obviously listen to his music, he is trying to tell them not to, to get the point across to them that there are other ways.
He later says in the chorus, "...I'm trying to sleep/But I can't, but I can't when you all/Have guns for hands". He is losing his sleep because of his thoughts about these kids. He worries about them, knowing that they can end it whenever they wanted to. Knowing that, disturbs him so much that it is keeping Tyler from sleeping.
In the third verse, He sings "We've turned our hands to guns, traded our thumbs for/ammunition". He's comparing all of these to tools. But the type of tool changes. Hands and thumbs are tools of creation that come together to work wonderfully. They are used for making things of greatness. While guns and ammunition, when put together, are tools for destruction, for ending things as people know it.
Tyler sings, "That you all ave guns/And you never put the safety on/And you all have plans/To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it". Tyler compares the kids hands to guns and the gun's safety. in the way that they all have the power to conflict harm on themselves. The safety of a gun, is a blocking mechanism that does not allow the trigger to be pulled, not letting the gun to be fired. So when the kids aren't putting the safety on their hands, they are not taking it upon their selves to seek out help, or even just talk to someone about it. And they all have plans on pulling the trigger, to end their lives, but Tyler is telling them not to. Since they don't want to talk to someone, but obviously listen to his music, he is trying to tell them not to, to get the point across to them that there are other ways.
He later says in the chorus, "...I'm trying to sleep/But I can't, but I can't when you all/Have guns for hands". He is losing his sleep because of his thoughts about these kids. He worries about them, knowing that they can end it whenever they wanted to. Knowing that, disturbs him so much that it is keeping Tyler from sleeping.
In the third verse, He sings "We've turned our hands to guns, traded our thumbs for/ammunition". He's comparing all of these to tools. But the type of tool changes. Hands and thumbs are tools of creation that come together to work wonderfully. They are used for making things of greatness. While guns and ammunition, when put together, are tools for destruction, for ending things as people know it.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
No Love
The song im doing is "No Love" by Eminem and Lil Wayne from the album recovery. The theme of this song is Eminem and Lil Wayne are talking to all the people that never gave them respect or love when they were younger or at least before they both became famous. They are telling all the haters that they are better without them and that they can all kiss their ass and that all the people that doubted them wont ever know the success they have now compared to them and to not even bother to try to be cool with them because they are way better without them and that hes basically just fine with Lil Wayne and Kanye West being on his side instead of them. They are also talking about how all 3 of them are better than the other rappers that are out there in the world. Lil Wayne talks about how hes better than many rappers by saying "Money outweighing problems on a triple beam I'm sticking to the script, you ni**as skipping scenes" here hes showing an example of why he thinks hes a better rapper than most by sticking to the script instead of skipping to do other things, then Eminem says "Look at these rappers, how I treat them so why the fuck would I join 'em when I beat 'em", here hes portraying how hes better than them that he doesn't have to team up with them to make a song when he can just beat them on his own. Later Eminem comes around and says "It's a little too late to say that you're sorry now you kicked me when I was down, but what you say, just (Don't hurt me)That's right (It don't hurt me) I don need you (No more)Don't wanna see you (No more)Ha bitch you get (No love) You showed me nothing but hate you ran me into the ground, but what comes around goes around" Eminem is calling out all the fake people he used to know and how they used to give him no love even when he was down. The people showed him nothing but hate towards him and now its their turn to pay because he has no love for them they're not nothing to him anymore because hes now living the life.
Something in The Way
The song "Something in The Way" was written by the late and great lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Nirvana. The song made its debut on the album "Nevermind" in 1991 when the album was released. The song written by Kurt tells the story of times that his parents would fight into the late hours of the night and he would leave for the night and sleep under the Wishkah River bridge which was close to his home town of Aberdeen, Washington. The evidence for this can be found in the first line of the song where it states "Underneath the bridge, tarp has sprung a leak." Kurt had a very hard childhood. His parents were constantly fighting for over the course of a year until they finally ended up in a divorce which further disoriented Kurt as he was very young growing up in an extremely broken home. The only things that Kurt had any type of motivation to do was play the guitar and record music. Which led to the start of Nirvana who was in the very beginning actually called "Fecal Matter" After the course of a year they changed the name. I believe that this song is one of the most poetic I've heard. As it tells about an actual time in someones life and the meaning behind almost every piece of the text in the song. I believe it truly shows how hard of a life he had been living in his childhood and throughout much of his life. Kurt saw a lot of the bad in the world and that is most of what he wrote about in many of his songs. In the end Kurt killed himself at the age of twenty seven. In a way this song tells the story of his life and that I believe is the most poetic part of the song.
The Simile Song
In October of 2012, Taylor Swift released her album Red. The album was about "tumultuous, crazy adventures in love and loss," as stated by Taylor herself. One of the songs on the album titled "Red" stuck to me because of Taylor's constant use of similes throughout the whole song, which is why I would consider this song as The Simile Song. Each simile makes a comparison about a hard break up with someone.
The first line of the song is "Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street/Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly" and in this Taylor is comparing the idea of showing off this fancy car everyone dreams of driving on a street that ends to loving someone, meaning that she thought that her relationship was something so great but in the end, it wasn't worth the time.
Another line, which appears most frequently in the song, is "Losing him was blue, like I’ve never known/Missing him was dark grey, all alone." This line literally shows what she was feeling after the breakup while using colors to describe her feelings about her situation.
"Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer" is another line Taylor uses. In this, she is using a simile to get across the point that every time they fought, it never went anywhere and there was no point to the arguments the relationship had.
The first line of the song is "Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street/Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly" and in this Taylor is comparing the idea of showing off this fancy car everyone dreams of driving on a street that ends to loving someone, meaning that she thought that her relationship was something so great but in the end, it wasn't worth the time.
Another line, which appears most frequently in the song, is "Losing him was blue, like I’ve never known/Missing him was dark grey, all alone." This line literally shows what she was feeling after the breakup while using colors to describe her feelings about her situation.
Constantly throughout her song, Taylor uses many similes to make comparisons about going through a tough breakup. She also uses other poetic devices to convey how she felt after the relationship was really over. This song was overall poetic because of all the similes and other types of comparisons Taylor made to show her experiences.
The Show Must Go On
Listen to Luciano Pavarotti, the famous tenor, sing while you read!
Ruggero Leoncavallo, aside from his wonderful mustache, is most well known for his famous opera I Pagliacci. Written in 1892, I Pagliacci is a tragedy about a clown in a performing troupe who finds out that his wife is cheating on him and demands answers from her in the middle of a performance. When she refuses, he murders her and her lover, closing their play and the opera with the famous line, "La commedia è finita!" which means, "The comedy is finished!"
"Vesti la giubba", which translates to "put on the costume," is one of the most tragic songs in the opera, an aria sung by the main character Canio. It is about his lament that even though he is depressed and his wits and feelings feel twisted and torn, the show must still go on and the audience must still have their laughs.
The song begins with Canio singing, "Recitar! Mentre preso dal delirio,/ non so più quel che dico,/ e quel che faccio!" which means "To recite! While taken with delirium,/ I no longer know what it is that I say,/ or what it is that I am doing!" Canio opens this song with a declaration of his own insanity, stating that he barley even knows what it is he's saying and doing anymore. He is so consumed by his grief that he has lost hold of his sanity. This statement could also be a foreshadowing by the composer, Leoncavallo, of events to come.
After that Canio continues, "Eppur è d'uopo, sforzati!/ Bah! sei tu forse un uom?/ Tu se' Pagliaccio!" meaning, "And yet it is necessary, force yourself!/ Bah! Can't you be a man?/ You are 'Pagliaccio'." In this section, even though he is depressed, delirious and can barely control himself, he still must force himself to get into costume and act for the sake of being a man, his reputation, and for the audience.
One of the most striking, heart-wrenching parts of the song is when he tells himself to laugh, "Ridi, Pagliaccio,/ sul tuo amore infranto!/ Ridi del duol, che t'avvelena il cor!" which means "Laugh, clown,/ for your love is broken!/ Laugh of the pain, that poisons your heart!" In these last few lines of the aria, he is trying to force himself to laugh through the pain he feels in his heart, and laugh at his own broken love.
My Heart Is Anemic
A song that reminds me of poetry is " The Kids Aren't Alright" by Fall Out Boy. I feel that this song's message is that you can get through anything. The speaker's audience appears to be a young child that is going through hard times and need some positvity in his life. The speaker is presented as the up lifter, a person who has been down the same rode and knows how to get out of the funk.
However, I feel that this poem has a much deeper meaning. I believe that this song is also about abusive or one-sided love and depression. The speakers talks about the difficult time that the young boy is going through: "Stuck in the jet wash./Bad trip I couldn't get off./And maybe I bit off more than I could chew/And overhead of the aqua blue." This verse is a reference to both the instability and the pain one would feel when being in an abusive relationship. It also shows how difficult it can be to let go of it and how it becomes incredibly difficult to handle. Like you're trapped and you know you need to get away but you just don't know where to go or that you wouldn't know how to function if you did.
Fall Out Boy says, "Empty your sadness like you're dumping your purse on my bedroom floor." He uses a simile to show the effect that sadness has on him.For a woman dumping her purse on the floor is like the end of the world, sadness has the same effect on him. Leading back to the fact that being sad only weighs you down and that everything only gets better. Just like you everything can get put back in the purse.
One last thing that caught my eyes that he says is "And your love is anemic." He used a metaphor comparing love to a disease. This helps the poem because it shows the depressing side of the poem. In the begging, the song was all of the wrong things because he was so far in depression. Their heart was cold.
Fall Out Boy says, "Empty your sadness like you're dumping your purse on my bedroom floor." He uses a simile to show the effect that sadness has on him.For a woman dumping her purse on the floor is like the end of the world, sadness has the same effect on him. Leading back to the fact that being sad only weighs you down and that everything only gets better. Just like you everything can get put back in the purse.
One last thing that caught my eyes that he says is "And your love is anemic." He used a metaphor comparing love to a disease. This helps the poem because it shows the depressing side of the poem. In the begging, the song was all of the wrong things because he was so far in depression. Their heart was cold.
Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine by the Beatles on the album Yellow Submarine is quite a poetic song by the Beatles. It is built in a way so that it could have been pulled right from a child's imagination. One of the defining factors of this song is that at certain points in the song in the background there are funny sounding voices shouting commands for controlling the submarine. The song doesn't rhyme but it has a sort of nice beat or tune to it. All in all, the song is about a group of friends traveling in a magical submarine to save some people in another dimension. It's kind of poetic in it's own sort of way. It is the sort of song that has a story but a story that would never happen. In conclusion, Yellow Submarine would be pretty good as a poem and it has it's own sort of poetic way about it.
"You're a Buzzkill every time you come around"
Throughout the song, "Buzzkill" by Luke Bryan from the album Spring Break he using a poetic form to express how he is feeling. The song continues to take about one of his ex's that keeps appearing and trying to ruin his life. Constantly explaining all of the different aspects of how much pain he felt throughout the relationship. The song shows how much he still cares because things still bother him. He relates her to all of the things in life that would just seem to ruin your day. Just as in poetry he uses imagery, and different situations to connect one thing to another and there is a deeper analogy just as in poetry."Your'e a buzzkill, every time you come around, Those beers might as well have been poured out" Clearly in his line Bryan is not talking literally. He is comparing one thing to another. Buzzkill is ruining the fun that he would be happening if he were drinking and enjoying himself. Instead things turn and he gets upset about his girl. "Nailed to the stool, watching you work" At this point in the song Luke is stuck sitting at the car and just watching his ex girlfriend flirt and he cannot move because of the pain the he is in. Another line that represents connections with poetry showing a deeper meaning would be "You're a cell phone splashin' in my coffee cup,". He is using things that would ruin someones day to express the pain that he is feeling. No one wants to drop their phone in their coffee and have it spill hot coffee all over themselves. In poetry there is usually a deeper meaning of each section just as in music. Specifically in this song with each thing that he says it brings a bigger connection to a bigger picture with more meaning. Both music and poetry are full of deeper meanings that take a lot of analyzing in order to see that. Poetry and music will continue to play a huge part in our everyday lives, and we will continue to work to see the differences and similarities between the two.
But I know what he really loves you for...
"You Might Think He Loves You For Your Money But I Know What He Really Loves You For It's Your Brand New Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" Is one of the more disruptive and chaotic songs by Death Grips from their album Government Plates. I wouldn't say it's exactly possible to understand or explain Death Grips with a single blog post. There is a books worth of information to cover here. But here are some simple bits of info easy to digest that could give you a little insight on them: They are a experimental hip-hop group who centralize their songs around dark cryptic lyrics, the vocalist Mc Ride's style is super aggressive and sticks out like a sore thumb from other rappers, it is a multi-racial musical group, and people such Fred Armisen, Tom Morello, and David Bowie have shown admiration for this group.
Something that's very poetic about this song and every other song is that it reads different than it sounds. A lot of times when you listen to one of their songs you could mistake it for a screaming ramble. But until you read the lyrics you realize that there is a completely different story being told. Their songs language are consistently metaphorical and sometimes an allegory for a dark past or present of Mc Ride. He opens the song with a glass shattering and a long drawn out eerie frequency then we hear our first lyrics:
Get so f n' dark in hereHere we hear Mc Ride inviting us to come apart with him at the seams, he repeats it through out the song for emphasis. And when you and him dying in the process he is talking about "la petite mort" or the "the little death" which is a sexual euphemism. Distancing oneself from God for the sake of base pleasures "to f k apart" that is. Then the hook just ends with him containing himself from getting violent.
Come come f k apart in here
I die in the process
You die in the process
Kettle drum roll hard sh t
F k I said f er don't start sh t
I hover above you
Life pulled out your mouth
I become you
Opening of the mouth
Unlawful possession
Jellyfish in cold sweat deep end
Hollow shell twitch disconnection
Pupils swell
My entrance
Hijacked no questions asked
Stretch you on like latex mask
My sigils your epitaph
Definitely a lot going on here. He begins to paint us a picture of ghost-folklore-him possessing you whilst sleeping. Mc Ride could debatably be possessed during this verse as well, as in many interviews the groups speaks of this force that compels them to create. He then references the ancient Egyptian opening of the mouth ceremony which involved magically opening a mummy's mouth allowing it to speak. Then he talks about his unlawful possession as a common theme in Ride's work he talks about various experiences on certain substances. The drug of choice here most likely being LSD because of his pupils swelling and his disconnection from his shell. And only then do we come back to his entrance of possessing you as he wears you as a skin suit. The verse then ends with him explaining that his tattoos mean the end of your life.
This song and many others of Death Grips doesn't tell a consistent story or theme, it does nothing more than throw chaos your way. But is never nothing short of a deeper meaning. But all that makes sense since that they have said that Government Plates wasn't an official release but more of an expression of "where they are right now."
My Own
Beyoncé has had her long career for R&B and pop music artist and one of my favorites and that i think that is very poetic is ¨Listen¨ by Beyoncé B´Day. Listen .
The idea of ¨Listen¨ is when you put your trust into someone and you come to realize that they didn't have your best interest at heart. This song is from the movie Dreamgirls when she's in the studio recording for Jamie Foxx , and she finds out everything he's done to break the group up only caring about himself just so he can get to the top.
The poetic language used throughout the song is an extended metaphor. She opens a verse with the lines:
On the outside the it just seems like she just wants to be free but it's more than that she's been take advantage of and played with.She is describing how all her feelings and dreams has been pushed aside. They didn't matter to him..¨Listen¨
In almost every stanza Beyoncé states:
She's standing up for herself and that she's leaving him rather he likes it or not. Something was holding her back and trying to change her and she just wants to break free. And she just learns how to accept herself. She is who she is.And she realizes that no one can help you except yourself.
So over 3 minutes and 39 seconds you receive nothing but a powerful message on how to move on and just to listen to your heart,you'll find the correct path.
The idea of ¨Listen¨ is when you put your trust into someone and you come to realize that they didn't have your best interest at heart. This song is from the movie Dreamgirls when she's in the studio recording for Jamie Foxx , and she finds out everything he's done to break the group up only caring about himself just so he can get to the top.
The poetic language used throughout the song is an extended metaphor. She opens a verse with the lines:
The time has come for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own all 'cause you won't
Listen
In almost every stanza Beyoncé states:
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you're made of me…..
Someone I thought had died so long ago
She is saying basically i am my own person and have a mind of my own and you don't get to control me anymore. ¨Someone I thought had died so long ago¨ is saying that was the past that was the old me.She old me left and came back and now she understand who she is .
In one of the beginning and end lines, Beyoncé says:
In one of the beginning and end lines, Beyoncé says:
A melody I start but can't complete
A melody I start but I will complete
So over 3 minutes and 39 seconds you receive nothing but a powerful message on how to move on and just to listen to your heart,you'll find the correct path.
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