Popular Songs that are Poems: Exploring the Connection Between Music and Poetry
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S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Popular Songs that are Poems: Exploring the Connection Between Music and Poetry
When we think of poetry, our minds often drift to the classic works of Shakespeare, Frost, or Dickinson. But what about the songs we hear on the radio or stream on our favorite playlists? Many popular songs contain lyrics that read like poetry, with their vivid imagery, storytelling, and emotional depth. In this article, we will explore the artistic overlap between music and poetry by examining some well-known songs that can also be appreciated as poems.
"Firework" by Katy Perry
Katy Perry's anthem of self-empowerment, "Firework," is a prime example of a songs as poetry. The lyrics speak to finding the strength within oneself and shining brightly, much like a firework exploding in the sky. Lines like, "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?" evoke a sense of universal longing and resilience that can resonate with listeners on a profound level.
"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen's haunting ballad, "Hallelujah," is often cited as one of the greatest songs of all time. The lyrics are rich with biblical imagery and existential musings, weaving a complex narrative of love, loss, and redemption. Lines like, "It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah" capture the essence of human experience in a way that only poetry can.
"A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell's introspective ballad, "A Case of You," is a masterclass in lyrical poetry. The song delicately explores the complexities of relationships and the intimacy of connection. Lines like, "I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet" evoke a raw vulnerability that is both heartbreaking and beautiful.
"Imagine" by John Lennon
John Lennon's iconic anthem, "Imagine," is a timeless plea for peace and unity. The lyrics envision a world without wars, borders, or divisions, where humanity lives in harmony. Lines like, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one" inspire listeners to imagine a better world through the power of poetry and music.
Popular songs have the power to move us, inspire us, and touch our souls in the same way that traditional poetry does. Whether it's Katy Perry's uplifting anthems, Leonard Cohen's profound reflections, Joni Mitchell's intimate confessions, or John Lennon's visionary dreams, each of these songwriters has crafted lyrics that can stand alone as poetry. So the next time you listen to your favorite songs, take a moment to appreciate the artistry of the lyrics and the poetry within them.
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Think of how many of Bob Dylan's songs are really poetry put to music. Alfer all, I'm not the only one who feels that so many of his songs are actually poems - he received the Nobel Prize for Literature - world wide recognition of that talent.
If You Wanna Be Happy
Song by
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
And very often causes his downfall
As soon as he marries her, then she starts
To do the things that will break his heart
You'll be happy for the rest of your life
An ugly woman cooks meals on time
She'll always give you peace of mind
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
Go ahead and marry anyway
Though her face is ugly, her eyes don't match
Take it from me, she's a better catch
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
I saw your wife the other day
(Yeah?)
Yeah, an' she's ugly
(Yeah, she's ugly, but she sure can cook, baby)
Yeah, alright
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
You posted a poem that was also a song
Its lesson is one which I’ll never agree
It wasn’t too short nor was it too long
My wife is so beautiful as all can see
She cooks up so well the veggies she grows
And our home is kept immaculately clean
If anything tears with a needle she sews
And never complains, she’s never been mean
She’s thrifty, spends little and saves us a lot
I know I was lucky to find her so fast
She’s proven to be the joy that I sought
And now I know our happiness will last.
Almost all song lyrics are poetry, the question is it good poetry or not so good, which is kind of personal preference.
People Get Ready
Song by
There's a train a-coming
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord
For the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers' coast to coast
Faith is the key
Open the doors and board 'em
There's hope for all
Among those loved the most
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own (believe me now)
Have pity on those
Whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's Throne
There's a train a-comin'
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord
Stardust (Remastered)
Song by
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we're apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by.
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song
The melody
Haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
You are in my arms
The nightingale
Tells his fairytale
Of paradise, where roses grew
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain.
Okay JR, here's another long one for you...
Desolation Row
Song by Bob Dylan
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tightrope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad, they're restless
They need somewhere to go
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pocket
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You belong to me, I believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody's making love or else expecting rain
And the good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
For her I feel so afraid
On her 22nd birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an ironed vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon Noah's great rainbow
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
Now, he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They are trying to blow it up
Now, his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have mercy on his soul"
They all play on the penny whistle, you can hear them blow
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the phantom shouting to skinny girls
"Get out of here if you don't know"
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
And they bring them to the factory
Where their heart attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles by insurance men who go
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much about
About the time the doorknob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mentioned
Yes, I know them, they are quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good, don't send me no more letters, no
Yep.
In The Garden
written by Van Morrison
The fields are always wet with rain
After a summer shower when I saw you standin'
Standin' in the garden
In the garden wet with rain
You wiped the teardrops from your eye in sorrow
As we watched the petals fall down to the ground
And as I sat beside you I felt the
Great sadness that day in the garden
And then one day you came back home
You were a creature all in rapture
You had your key to your soul
And you did open that day you came back to the garden
The olden summer breeze was blowin' against your face
The light of the Lord's shinin' on your countenance divine
And you were a violet colour as you
Sat beside your father and your mother in the garden
The summer breeze was blowin' on your face
Within your violet you treasure your summery words
And as the shiver from my neck down to my spine
Ignited me in daylight and nature in the garden
And you went into a trance
Your childlike vision became so fine
And we heard lil' bells within the church
We loved so much
And felt the presence of the youth of
Eternal summers in the garden
And as it touched your cheeks so lightly
Born again you were and blushed
And we touched each other lightly
And we felt the presence of the Christ
Within our hearts in the garden
And I turned to you and I said
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father in the garden
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
In the garden wet with rain
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
In the garden
In the garden wet with rain