Musical lyrics are so entrancing because many work like good poetry. But what makes poetry good? Dr. Dale Haskell, professor of English at Southeast Missouri State University, says that a good poem has seven qualities (Lecture). The most important one of these qualities is what Dr. Haskell calls “word-magic.” This means that all the correct words should be used in the poem, making sure that the words in different lines coincide with each other to form connections. These words must also appeal to the ears of the listener. Most of the time, this is achieved through rhyming words, but the words do not have to rhyme. Instead of rhyme, poems should also use other literary devices to make hearing the poem soothing to the reader’s ears. While having
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Line two has repetition of “pretty” to describe the boys this girl hangs around. The third line uses alliteration with “sweet summer sweat” which makes for soft sounds for listeners. Line four is a great line as it tells about how two different types of people “dance.” This is a metaphor for why some people turn to alcohol. Some do it to bring back good memories, but others do it to attempt to drink their pain away and forget someone. Lines five through seven are interesting with the choice of words because he asks for wine, and the Captain says “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” What is fascinating about this is the fact that wine is actually not a spirit. The word spirit is actually used in the sense of a mood, and in this song, it is referring to how music had no spirit since 1969. The last three lines give you an image of a person hearing far away voices and waking them up. In verse three, “Mirrors on the ceiling” connects back with “some dance to remember” as it is using the mirrors as a metaphor for looking back at your past. Line three is saying that we are all trapped by our own mind. This idea is carried on with the next few lines. Lines four through seven are a metaphor for attempting to “kill” your past, but you cannot “kill” it as your past will stay with you for the remainder of your life. In lines eight through ten, he is trying to “run back” to his past. The last four lines are saying that we can never leave behind our past, and we must live with what has
Line two has repetition of “pretty” to describe the boys this girl hangs around. The third line uses alliteration with “sweet summer sweat” which makes for soft sounds for listeners. Line four is a great line as it tells about how two different types of people “dance.” This is a metaphor for why some people turn to alcohol. Some do it to bring back good memories, but others do it to attempt to drink their pain away and forget someone. Lines five through seven are interesting with the choice of words because he asks for wine, and the Captain says “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” What is fascinating about this is the fact that wine is actually not a spirit. The word spirit is actually used in the sense of a mood, and in this song, it is referring to how music had no spirit since 1969. The last three lines give you an image of a person hearing far away voices and waking them up. In verse three, “Mirrors on the ceiling” connects back with “some dance to remember” as it is using the mirrors as a metaphor for looking back at your past. Line three is saying that we are all trapped by our own mind. This idea is carried on with the next few lines. Lines four through seven are a metaphor for attempting to “kill” your past, but you cannot “kill” it as your past will stay with you for the remainder of your life. In lines eight through ten, he is trying to “run back” to his past. The last four lines are saying that we can never leave behind our past, and we must live with what has