Allusions In Song To The Siren

The mythical creature known as the Siren, is frequently alluded to in songs, like “Sirens Song,” “Carolina,” and “Song to the Siren,” as a way for the listener to picture how drawn one subject of the song is drawn to another, and how it can affect their current lives. “Sirens Song,” by Miss May I, alludes to the Siren to show how he is torn between two women. It sings “A harlot caught his eye/ Over the queen he had/ The queen by his side” (Miss May I). Miss May I uses this allusion to show how the woman in the song that catches his eye is very attractive, but his decision to go with her is dangerous because he already has another woman by his side. This situation is similar to those of the sailors in that they have wives and lives to get back to, yet they still choose to approach the deadly …show more content…
Eric Church in his song “Carolina,” alludes to the siren, showing how he is drawn to Carolina. Church sings “Sayin’ honey I miss ya like crazy./Like the sound of a siren song,/Oh Carolina, ya keep callin me home” (Church). Church compares Carolina to a Siren and himself to the sailors targeted by Sirens. The purpose of this allusion is to indirectly explain to listeners that his history in Carolina is making him want to leave his singing and performances to go there. Tim Buckley’s allusion to the Sirens in “Song to the Siren,” describes how he is drawn to the woman, and how he is confused as to why. Once again, similar to “Carolina,” the man figure in the song is the sailor who is drawn in by the Siren. He is drawn in through her song “Sail to me/ Sail to me/ Let me enfold you/ Here I am/ Here I am/ Waiting to hold you” (Buckley). This song causes him to be confused as to why he ends up on the island. It interrupts his sailing because he is