Podcast on Lyrics is Poetry!

Music is a central part of our everyday lives, which is impossible

to ignore. We hear music on the radio in the car, at school, at work, in
the store, and on the television. Whether its pop/Rock, jazz, or hiphop all non-instrumental music has one thing in common: Lyrics!
Now before we dive into poetry talk there are a few terms you
need to know for reference.

Lyric - (of poetry) having the form and musical quality of a

song, and especially the character of a songlike outpouring
of the poet's own thoughts and feelings, as distinguished
from epic and dramatic poetry

Poem a composition in verse, especially one that is

characterized by a highly developed artistic form and by
the use of heightened language and rhythm to express an
intensely imaginative interpretation of the subject

Rhyme (sameness) identity in sound of some part,

especially the end, of words or lines of verse

Rhythm movement or procedure with uniform or pattern

recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like. In music: the
pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by
the occurrence of the strong and weak melodic and
harmonic beats.

In this podcast I will use letters to represent patterns in rhyme

schemes such as; a, b, and c

And now for our first song!

In the song Wild & Peaceful by Incognito the rhyme scheme
may pop out as a fast and efficient way to quickly learn/ memorize the
lyrics.
Listen to an excerpt of the song and read along with the lyrics:
There is no greater feeling - to unfold
Guided by inspiration - love is bold
It is the fire burning - in your soul
It is the story waiting - to be told
Wild and peaceful
Rare and free
Not only do the end of all of the lines (phrases) rhyme but
because of the syllables within the lines ,rhythmically we feel that the
lines are split. Analyzing the rhyme scheme now we hear an ab,
cb,db, eb pattern. Upon looking at the lyrics again we realize that
rhyme scheme is a, a, a, a.
Looking back to chorus or refrain like part following the verse
(because the song lacks an actual chorus that feels like one) we have a
common repetition which isnt played. Repetition is used by many
artists of all genres in fact repetition is used various times in the song.
After the first a, a, a, a line rhyme scheme, repetition is all there is for
the remainder of the song.
Not only is the fact that there is rhyming present poetic but also
the imagery within the work.

Imagery - the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses

of things, or of such images collectively, figurative description or
illustration; rhetorical images collectively
Drawing from the above definition we see the writers usage of

imagery. The songwriter was not simply satisfied with love having a
bold personality but they had to continue giving us images and
familiar feelings.
(At this point, point to the: love is bold, it is the fire burning, in your
soul, it is the story waiting, to be told).

For a second lyric example we will look at The Ends Not Near
by Band of Horses. Take a minute to listen to and read the lyrics:
The ends not near
Its here
Hallelujah
Spread the cheer
And watch the millenarians
Throw a party for a thousand years
If the listener decides to analyze the rhyme scheme the listener
will at first here a, a, a, b, a. Upon listening a second time the
listener also hears that the rhyme scheme could also be a, a, b, a, c,
a. Due to the phrasing however the previous rhyme scheme makes
more sense.
And now..

A Note On Rhythm.. the rhythm of a piece of literature are not as

delicate as the rhythmic flow of a poem. In poems the syllables
are usually placed to create some rhythmic pattern or repition.
There are some poems with specific rhythm for example haikus
and sonnets which are in iambic pentameter

Example of a haiku which is more for syllables: Here is an example

of a Haiku in which the syllables are in the pattern 5,7, 5 per line..
Blue crystal waters
For washing stained hands spotless
For loves white linen
And Sonnet or iambic pentameter: I swill use the first few lines of
Shakespeares the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
Now, returning back to the song, we will skip to the third section where
the rhythmic pronunciation of the lyrics has changed to feel like a
chorus, which maybe it is:
If you call me I wont be home
Im hiding from the kingdom come
They cant see everything on earth
With the satellites and roving drones
During this chorus like section the rhyme scheme when analyzed
in appearance only is again a, a, b, c (show without playing first)

in reality due to pronouciation/diction the rhyme scheme is actually a,

b, c, a. The piece just like Wild & Peaceful creates/ envokes an
emotion in its listeners, causing thought and analyzation. Both
groups/bands create a certain accompanying aura with the music in
relation to the lyrics.
1:49-2:20 ish
Lastly here is a song of my youth, Popular by Nada Surf!!! The
bands lead singer actually performs the songs verse in the style of a
performance poet. There will be no analyzing this one but I must say
pay attention to rhythm and the passion in the performance!! Enjoy
Ladies and gentlemen Popular by Nada Surf.
Three important rules for breaking up
Don't put off breaking up when you know you want to
Prolonging the situation only makes it worse
Tell him honestly, simply, kindly, but firmly
Don't make a big production
Don't make up an elaborate story
This will help you avoid a big tear jerking scene
If you wanna date other people say so
Be prepared for the boy to feel hurt and rejected
Even if you've gone together for only a short time,
And haven't been too serious,
There's still a feeling of rejection
When someone says she prefers the company of others
To your exclusive company,
But if you're honest, and direct,
And avoid making a flowery emotional speech when you brake
the news,
The boy will respect you for your frankness,

And honestly he'll appreciate the kind of straight forward

manner
In which you told him your decision
Unless he's a real jerk or a cry baby you will remain friends
I'm head of the class
I'm popular
I'm a quarter back
I'm popular
My mom says I'm a catch
I'm popular
I'm never last picked
I got a cheerleader chick
Look at how poetic this is!!! You do not even have to sing!
Thank you for watching this podcast! And you can use some of these
techniques in your own songwriting or just become more aware of the
poetry in the music!!

Try to incorporate imagery