With You, We've Learned

When we took on the idea of this blog, we wanted to pick something that would not only interest us, but our readers as well. We wanted to bring something to you all that you could learn from, and that would help you grow not only as a writer, but as a reader too, being given the tools to understand what words means and what they can be used for. Though like you, we came to learn as well. Trust us when we say, we don't have all the answers, and for these songs that we presented to you, we each dove into the text and began peeling away at the songs and began learning ourselves about song writing and it's techniques. Looking back, there were many things that we covered that we have probably all heard of time and time again; metaphors, repetition, voice, and audience. However, we were barely going on the surface of many of these and when we look at these techniques in song writing, these create different effects.

We are usually taught in school to be solely academic, to be professional and formal. Yet we've learned through this blog how there are those forms of writing in which we can be informal, where we don't have to be only academic or try to be complex with out words. To the greater appeal for many, this isn't only for songwriting as well, but even in academic writing, we can be "experimental". We learned many of the differences between song styles and genres, the way rappers actually change the spelling of words to create rhymes or how musicals may use music to tell a scene or story. We came to see that while it's always important to have an audience in mind when we write, songwriting may not begin with the audience, but with ourselves and the emotions we are feeling. With that, we picked up on how to express our emotions, how we may use figurative language to draw a point, or may find that our emotions can best be presented as they are, without added complexity. We looked at different forms of inspiration, from our own lives, to others and even history, to realize how we can expand our thoughts and ideas on what we write. We've all learned so much through this blog about songwriting, and even writing all together, and how we can apply it to our own. These techniques and ideas can help us grow into the writer's we can become and I hope, like us, that you have learned more about writing as we have.

-Adri

Mixing Different Forms and Genres

Many times, I believe we as writers think we need to solely stick to one medium, one genre or style. There is no room for experimenting in the world of rules. We must stick to the basics, the norm of what we are taught. However, there is so much we can learn and ways to grow when we experiment with different styles and genres. What happens when a writer decides to mix modes? Like many writers we've read this semester in our class, they did not simply follow the typical rules. They broke them, bent them, re-invented them. They were not afraid to experiment different modes and styles. We had some writers mixing poetry with their essays. One even mixed descriptions of bombs and artwork into their essay, and added power to it. In music, this experiment can be easily defined as well. There are certain genres.

Rock.
Country.
Pop.
Rap.
R&B

Even within these are more divisions. Take rock music for instance. Here are just some of the divisions.

Pop Rock.
Country Rock.
Alternative Rock.
Heavy Metal Rock.
Screamo.
Punk Rock.
Classic Rock.

With so many divisions, it almost leaves hardly any room for experimenting, and yet, we still see genres mixing together to create something new. For this blog, we'll look at Linkin Park's In The End.

In The End-Linkin Park

(It starts with)
One thing, I don't know why,
It doesn't even matter how hard I try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time, All I know
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It's so unreal
Didn't look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on but didn't even know
Wasted it all just to watch you go
I kept everything inside and even I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when

Chorus
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter

One thing I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the time you fought with me
I'm surprised it got so far
Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when

Chorus

I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know

Chorus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yw1Tgj9-VU

When we listen to the song, we can pick up on the different styles being used here. Since music is broken into genres we find that Linkin Park has experimented with two genres, rock and rap, and has found a way to bring these two different styles together into a new style. These days it may not be seen as such a big deal, but this mixing is the same as a writer mixing an academic essay with a narritive piece or poetry. There are two different mediums that are being brought together to make something new, make something different. This song even makes use of other techniques, such as the repetition in the two verses, making clear to the audience their opinion that efforts don't change anything, but my main focus here was to look at the different styles being brought together.

As many of the students in my class work our "experimental" essays, we are learning how to break past the typical norm and lessons that have been taught to us for years. We are learning it's ok to break certain rules and do something unheard of. It's ok to experiment. I would challenge you all, after the many lessons that we've brought to you, to not shy away from this one, but instead embrace the idea of letting your creativity create something no one else has. Don't be afraid to mix styles, genres, techniques, ideas. Some might work, and some might not, but that's why it's called experimenting.

- Adri

Playful Humor

Sometimes, I think writers think that they must be serious in order to get their points across. There is no room for light hearted playful humor. We must be proper in order for being to respect and listened to. However, we find that many writers use some form of humor in their writing to stir their readers, from dry humor to playful and even sarcastic. There are so many different forms of humor out there that can help mold and shape our writing, without losing it's message. For this idea, I thought we would look at Superchick's song "Princes and Frogs", that takes on the task of getting their point across by redoing bits of a common fairytale story into this playful, and humorous song.



Princes and Frogs by Superchick

All princes start as frogs, and gentlemen as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be
Cause some frogs will still be frogs
And some dogs will still be dogs
Some boys could become men
Just don't kiss us till then

You hate men is what you say and I understand
How you feel that way
All girls dream of a fairy tale
But what you've got's like a used car salesman
Trying to conceal what's wrong behind a smile and the song
And I'm not saying that boys are not like that
But I think you should know (you should)
That some of us will grow
Because

All princes start as frogs
And all gentlemen as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be
Cause some frogs will still be frogs
And some dogs willl still be dogs
Some boys could become men
Just don't kiss us till then

You found him is what you say
And we all want you to feel that way
But the frog you've got seems cute enough to kiss
And Maybe frogs seem like that's all there is
But just because you haven't found your prince yet
Doesn't mean you're still not a princess
And what if your prince comes riding in
While you're kissing a frog
What's he gonna think then?
So look into his eyes
Are you a princess or a fly?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfYNi9WRJb8



We see in this song that Superchick, a band typically lead by female singer Tricia Brock, is taking the fairytale story that many of us have heard before, and weaves it into a song. A princess kisses a frog that turns into this handsome prince charming. However, they take this new approach into this fairytale story, and try to get the point across to girls, or princesses, that not all "frogs" are going to turn into a prince charming. It's interesting that the boys in the band are the ones singing this song, as we realize that it's not simply bashing males, but that even they agree that men may not always start out perfect, saying that "I'm not saying that boys are not like that" when describing how boys can act. They will just be boys, but they have the opportunity to grow into men suitable for "princesses". However, the band does this playfully, always returning to a lighthearteness that we get from fairytales.

We see throughout the verses as well, that the band touches on the fairytale story again, stating how every girl dreams of that perfect fairy tale, but that it's not realistic of all guys. Probably the funnier portion comes in at verse two, when the story shifts into the girl having found what she thinks is a suitable frog to kiss. As the verse states, girls should be able to find the one and be happy and treated like a princess, but we need to be careful of those "frogs" that we go after. The question they present is humourous as well. What would your prince charming say if he came and saw you kissing just another lousy frog? It would most likely ruin your chances with the prince, which is how the song is attempting us to really think before we jump into a situation like that. Are we a "princess or a fly?" Are the guys we are with treating us like we are something to be treasured or as just another possesion or meal? This leads the listener, typically a girl, into really thinking about her value, in a playful manner over being serious and preachy.

Of course this isn't the only way to get our points across in a humourous way, this is simply only one option that really depends on your audience and what you are trying to say. Being playful can help to ease the tension of a more serious issue, and as we see in this song, can still be effective in leading it's audience to the writer's point of view. So don't be afraid to experiment with different forms of humor. Try being sarcastic. Try being playful. There are so many different options, and you'll find that each has will create a different effect and tone to your piece. Experiment and find what works best for you for your piece. You'll find, being funny is just as effective as being serious.

-Adri

Making a Statement Using Form

As writers, we don't simply create our works without a deeper purpose. Just as anyone else, we have something to say. The only difference is we use our craft to speak our thoughts, not only to ourselves but to our readers or listeners. While there are some songs out in the world that may have less depth and or seriousness to them, there are those out there that, like many of the readings we see in class, that are pulling the audience to a place where they begin to think about what is being said and even on their own lives. The author has their opinion on the subject, but they are trying to get their audience to see their line of thinking and come to terms with what the author says. The song I decided to share with you all is trying to present an opinion, a thought of the writer, and yet does it in a simplistic straightforward manner, while holding onto a slight poetic form or feel. While it is a much older song, we are going to look at Pink Floyd's "Time" off of their Dark Side of the Moon album, which may lead you to deeper thinking on your own life.

"Time" Pink Floyd
Ticking away the moments
That make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours
In an off-hand way

Kicking around on a piece of ground
In your home town
Waiting for someone or something
To show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine
Staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long
And there is time to kill today

And then one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun

And you run and you run
To catch up with the sun
But it's sinking
Racing around
To come up behind again

The sun is the same
In a relative way
But you're older
Shorter of Breath
And one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught
Or half a page of scribbled lines

Hanging on in quiet desperation
Is the English way

The time is gone
The song is over
Thought I'd something more to say

Home
Home again
I like to be here
When I can

When I come home
Cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones
Beside the fire

Far away
Across the field
Tolling on the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYiahoYfPGk


First off, when we listen to the beginning of the song, we hear a massive collection of clocks ticking and alarms going off, which plays along to the title of "Time". We are immediately given the sensation of the first couple of lines, "ticking away the moments that make up a dull day". Though with this large amount of ticking clocks, it gives the impression, of not only the time of one day or moment, but the time spent over an entire lifetime. Pink Floyd was trying to explain our mentality of wasting days away and almost having this belief when we are young that we are immortal and will live forever.

In our younger years we think we are in destructable and time is taking so long to pass. We put things off because we believe we are promised yesterday, as it states "You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today". We have a habit of wasting hours away waiting for something to happen in our lives, instead of living. It isn't until we start to age and we see that "every year is getting shorter" and we're getting older, that we begin to realize how quickly time has wasted and passed us, when we believed it would last forever. As the song states, we start trying to catch up with time, but there is a realization that we cannot slow down time or catch up with it. Everyday is another day lost and we're "one day closer to death", until finally it's our last day. The song is trying to get the listener to realize how precious time really is. How quickly it can pass us by, and the years can easily pass without us realizing it, so that we can make a change to live our lives before it's too late.

Pink Floyd uses interesting techniques throughout this song, one of the main ones of course being the ticking clocks at the beginning of the song, however, there are also interesting visuals being used in the song. One visual we pick up on is that of a race.
"No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun, and you run and you run, to catch up to the sun, but it's sinking. Racing around, to come up behind you again."
Here, the sun is being personified, as we are in a race to fight the sun, a symbol of time. We are given the scene of a runner, starting a race who was too distracted to hear the gun start, while time has already been running. There is an attempt to catch up with the sun, but we find that as fast as we run, we can't beat time, let alone catch up with it, as it'll continually pass us on this race for life. We later get that reminder of a race with the comment "shorter of breath".

Even towards the end of the song, we see how even the author, while writing this piece, or feeling the effects of time catching up with them as he states, "the time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say". We feel that the author still has so much more to say on the subject, but because of time, because their song is over, they've lost that ability to time and cannot get it back.

As we can see in Pink Floyd's song, our writing does not have to be surfacing or even happy. There can be a seriousness to it, and we can use our craft to spread awareness to our audience. In the case of Pink Floyd, they used imagery and sound to create a line of thinking for their audience, techniques that we may be wanting to experiment with. However we decide to achieve it, there is power in our words and through what we write, we can make a strong statement that may even move other people to react.

-Adri

Writing for a Musical

After seeing Amanda's post on songs v. short stories, the thought came to mind on where these two concepts meet. In the case of a musical, we have a story, or a scene of a story, being told to us through song. It is not done in the same manner as a artist or a band would write a song however. In that manner of writing, it is very similar to poetry in that the writer has to compress an idea or thought into only a few minutes. They rely heavily on figurative language and other ways to depict what they are attempting to say without spelling it out clearly for the reader, or listener. When we look at songwriting for a musical, there can also be usage of figurative language to add a deeper meaning to a concept, but there is the ability to be more straightforward. Because the song goes along witha scene, we are allowed the chance to depict everything that is around us and what is going on, in a more literal term, over making the reader/listener figure out for themselves what is going on. It can be written more as a conversation that is simply sung over spoken. For this example, I thought we would look at "Poor Thing" from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A musical that may not immediately be thought of, for it's grotesqueness and darkness, but nonetheless, a great piece with interesting songs.

"Poor Thing" - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett)

There was a barber and his wife.
And he was beautiful,
A proper artist with a knife,
but they transported him for life,
And he was beautiful

He had this wife, ya see.
Pretty little thing, silly little nit,
Had her chance on a moon on a string.
Poor thing
Poor thing

There was this judge, ya see.
Wanted her like mad,
Everyday he sent her a flower
But did she come down from her tower?
Sat up there and sulked by the hour
Poor thing
Ah, but there was worse yet to come
Poor thing!

Well, Beadle calls on her all polite
Poor thing
Poor thing
The judge, he tells her is all contrite
He blames himself for her dreadful plight
She must come straight to his house tonight!
Poor thing!
Poor thing!

Of course when she goes there
Poor thing!
Poor thing!
They're having this ball all in masks
There's no one she knows there!
Poor dear!
Poor thing!
She wonders, tormented and drinks
Poor thing!
The judge has repented, she thinks
Poor thing!
"Oh where is Judge Turpin?" she asks
He was there alright
Only not so contrite

She wasn't no match for such craft you see
And everyone thought it so droll
They figured she had to be daft ya see
So all of them stood there and laughed ya see
Poor Soul!
Poor thing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVPWoh8Iric

As we can see, this song isn't written about some abstract idea or leads the listener to dive deeper into themselves, but however, effectively moves the story along. It gives an opportunity in the movie to also create background information, adding all the important aspects of the past, without adding extra pieces that would only slow down the piece. If we read through the lyrics, we understand that the story is about a barber and his wife, but we are spared unneeded information of their life together, as the song is centered around the Judge's attack of the Barber's wife. While it is being sung from a different character, we get a sense that we are almost there, watching the story as it unravels. It is more of a story being told to us, in a conversational manner.

While there may not be a lot of use of figurative language, as it really isn't needed, there are other techniques being used and through the voice, we can sense the tone of the singer, Mrs. Lovett. Two of the main techniques work together; repetition and tone. Throughout the song we see a repetition of the phrase "poor thing". Through the repetition, we are told that the circumstances for the wife continue to get worse, and is rather unfair or brutual to the wife. The intention is to have sympathy for the wife for the outcome of her situation. However, when we listen to Mrs. Lovett tell the story, we sense a lack of sympathy at times. She is after the Barber's heart and therefore, in her voice we can sense the jealousy she has for her.

Another interesting effect in the song is the length of each line. Like poetry, the lengths of the lines help to determing the pace of the poem, or song. If we start at the beginning of the song, it is slow paced. Mrs. Lovett explains every scene with average sized lines and only returns to her phrase "poor thing" at the end. However, as the song and scene climax, the lengths of the lines become shorter. Every other line begins to become only a 2 word phrase: "poor thing". The reader/listener is given the sensation that the song and story have sped up, as the music inclines, and it gives the audience the sense of the rising action. The audience can also understand that there is a tension building up.

While many of us may not be writing musicals anytime soon, it is still good to know the difference between typical songwriting to musical writing. Musical writing is typically going to explain a certain scene or story within the piece. It has the ability to be more literal, and can be used to create flashbacks, background information, future scenes, and so on. While figurative language can be used as well, a useful technique can be watching the length of the lines, such as in "Poor Thing". For added dramatic effects this can be helpful to set the pace and overall feel for the audience.

-Adri

"Replace" dull language with Figurative Language

Replace Me -Family Force 5

My batteries died sometime ago
Gotta heart shaped box where they must go
Corrosions building everyday
My flesh is leading me astray, that's why I started to decay,
and I will slowly rot away, but I can't feel that anyway

This heart it wants to beat
These lungs they want to breathe
These eyes they want to see
Gotta mouth that wants to sing

Desperation, needing you
Every last breath I scream for you
Shatter me into a million pieces, make me new

Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me,
make me what you want me to be
I am yours for you to use
Oh, take and replace me with you

Needing more than just a jump start to get me through
My disconnection is now the issue

I miss my first love bad and it's driving me mad
Just like a mixed up crazy person out of his head
It's been a long long time, I've been on the decline
I do an a-bout face so I can be replaced. 180.

This heart it wants to beat
These lungs they want to breathe
These eyes they want to see
Gotta mouth that wants to sing

Desperation, needing you
Every last breath I scream for you
Shatter me in a million pieces, make me new

Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me
Make me what you want me to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmvj96NyVN0



So when I heard this song I thought it would be effective in displaying the usage of figurative language. Many of us know about similes, metaphors, and analogies, but this song by Family Force 5 (or FF5) makes use of an extended metaphor, which is like a regular metaphor except it spans the entire piece or most of the piece.



In this song, the main message that is being conveyed is one of feeling dead or drained and needing to be refreshed or have a new set of "batteries". We see the comparion between batteries and our heart, as the first lines state that the batteries have died and there is a "heart shaped box where they must go". This implies that like many electronic items, that we run on "batteries" or on our heart. Without it our body has trouble functioning, there is "corrosion" building up and keeping us from living. We can see at the end of the chorus another implication with the batteries -"take and replace me" like you would a pair of drained batteries. Now that they are dead, we replace them with a brand new pair that's filled with life and energy. This regenerizes the heart and body. The Pre Chorus states how the heart, lungs, eyes and mouth want to continue working again, wanting to beat, breathe, see and sing. Without a working "battery" they are dead and unfunctioning, needig a replacement. When we get to the second verse, we get the idea of car with a dead battery, as not even a "jump start" can regenerate their heart.



Along with this idea of battery, we get the description of this regeneration by starting anew. The chorus explains this idea of shattering into "a million pieces" and starting a new creation, a remolding into something better. This is also seen in the line "so I can be replaced. 180". The 180 is implying a complete turn around, such as is implied in the song the change from death to life.

While this is a short song, we can see the overall usage of the metaphor of batteries throughout the entire song, giving the impression of a battery in an electronic and even later the battery of a car. By using an extended metaphor, the reader (or listener) can understand the overall implied comparison that is going on over simply stating it in one or two lines. We are able to understand the message the writer is trying to convey.

-Adri

Finding Creativity in History

I Believe in Love - BarlowGirl

How long will my prayers seem unanswered?
Is there still faith in me to reach the end?
I'm feeling doubt, I'm losing faith,
But giving up would cost me everything.
So I'll stand in the pain and the silence
And I'll speak to the dark night

I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining,
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God, even when He is silent
And I, I believe

Though I can't see my story's ending
That doesn't mean the dark night has no end
It's only here that I find faith
And learn to trust the one who writes my days
So I'll stand in the pain and the silence
And I'll speak to the dark night

I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God, even when He is silent
And I,

No dark can consume Light
No death greater than this life
We are not forgotten
Hope is found when we say
Even when He is silent

I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God, even when He is silent
And I, I believe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXyXNC15clQ
(This is a live video. I could not find one that wasn't, but it does have them explaining how they wrote the song as well)

I've heard this song many times at BarlowGirl concerts, and have heard the story on how the girls wrote this song, and thought it would be an interesting idea to show a song that took on a part of history for an idea, as well as a quote written by someone else. In short, the band was reading a book about the holocaust and came upon a story of people returning to a concentration camp and written on one of the walls of the men's camp was the lines of the chorus

"I believe in the sun even when it's not shining,
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God, even when He is silent"

They then took those lines and created this song, that may not only be seen as a story of the thoughts the man may have had during his time in the camp, but can also be taken for our own lives. There are a few techniques and pieces of the song I wanted to share with you all.

There are many words and ideas that we see repeated throughout the song. These include faith, dark or darkness, and silence. Many of these create similar thoughts and ideas, but are used to form an emphasis on what the speaker is feeling, and create and image of their surroundings. We can tell from the tone that the speaker is in a dark place in their life and is struggling to find hope to continue on. This feeling of darkness connects with the chorus, in believing "in the sun" even through this darkness and struggles or pain. This darkness can also symbolize isolation, as nothing else can be seen or felt, just the solitude. And with the bridge, we see the realization that "no dark can consume light", that this darkness will not last forever.

Along with darkness we have the word silent or silence. This is not simply speaking of a silence from the world around them, but is hinting at the silence of God. Like many people during the Holocaust, the speaker is crying out to God and wondering where He is. We see the connection being played on from the quote from the concentration camp to the speakers life. They are seeking his voice, but instead find silence and feel they are "speaking to the dark night". When it comes to the word faith, this is creating the contrast to the situation around the speaker. Though faith can likely mean belief, it can also be associated with strength, or will. The speaker is losing "faith" or the will to keep on living on hoping for things to get better.

One of my favorite parts of the song is the second verse. Here the speaker is creating metaphor of life and stories. It states "though I can't see my story's ending" and that they will "learn to trust the one who writes my days. This is creating the idea that our lives our stories that have already been written, regardless if we know what is contained in the pages. The speaker cannot see where their life will take them, but is attempting to find faith and trust that their lives have been written out for their good.

The chorus also shows some juxtaposition, as we are led to compare these three thoughts. The speaker knows the sun is still there when they cannot see it, or there is love in the world when they cannot feel it, so therefore they can still believe in God when he's silent. I believe it's a wonderful song that can embody the situation of the man at the concentration camp, and can as well, depict our lives in the everyday form.

I hope that this song has shown you some new techniques or ideas in writing. While it is wrong to steal another person idea as your own, or plagerize what someone has written, that does not mean that we are not allowed to seek inspiration from other people's lives or ideas. We have to make sure to make it our own, such as the band did here. Repeating words also helps for emphasis on the theme you are trying to depict, and the tone is likely the most useful in helping your audience understand what you feel or believe. Other forms of figurative language, like metaphors or juxtaposition, can also help create a comparison or image for the audience as well. Have fun experimenting with these techniques and ideas.

The Kind

The Kind by Flyleaf

Verse
It's like being in love
You rob your own mind and defile your bed
You ignore the fate of the players who both end up dead
And you pretend for us and you pretend for them
This fairytale will make them jealous of you

Chorus But it's not the kind, the kind you talked about
And it's just the kind that rips the clothing off your mind Verse
She is feeding you and you lie with her
And for the first time your right arm becomes useful
As you sin with it, you wanna cut it off
But instead you thank God for all of the wrong you do

Chorus
But it's not the kind, the kind you talked about
And it's just the kind that rips the clothing off your mind And she is feeding you and you lie with her
And for the first time your right arm becomes useful
As you sin with it, you wanna cut it off
But instead you thank God for all of the wrong you do

Bridge
You cut the cord today, with God's hand to hold yours steady
He waits for you to apply the pressure, the warmth of His breath
Wrapped in His words as He repeats His truth, after truth,
after truth, after truth, after truth, after truth, after truth, after truth, after

Chorus 2
And it's just the kind, the kind you talked about
And it's just the kind that clothes your mind with Christ
He is feeding you, and you know the truth
And I pray this is the last song I will sing to you
Outro
I'm sorry father, I'm sorry sister
I'm sorry brother, I'm sorry father
I'm sorry father, I'm sorry sister
I'm sorry brother, I'm sorry everybody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbnGAMLf2Bc

This song is off of Flyleaf's new album Memento Mori. If you are familiar with the band they are a Christian rock band, with some screamo, so most of their songs contain biblical references or statements. While we will be looking mainly at the lyrics and techniques that the writer Lacey Moseley uses, it is also effective to pay attention to the music and vocals, as we can sense the seriousness of the song, and shifts in emotions.

Reading through the lyrics of this song, I took it as a song on adultery, lust, or even an addiction with pornography (these can also tie together in different ways). One of the first things we notice is that the piece is written almost as a conversation, giving the idea of someone confronting a friend of their addiction. It allows the reader to feel like they are there, almost even looking in.

We also see a usage of repetition throughout the piece. When we reach the chorus we get a repetition of the word "kind". It is a vague word that can be used to describe different ideas, such as truth or relationship. Another repetition we see in the song is the phrase "after truth" used in the bridge. The repetition is there to show us that this speaking of truth does not occur once, but many times, with more explanation and depth into those truths as they are spoken. Another idea that is repeated is the action of cutting the "sin" away. In the second verse it says that as we sin we "wanna cut it off", a form of description that I believe, helps to show the disgust and attempt to be free of something, especially as it later says how he "cut the cord today". These hints of cutting that sinful part off, is a symbolism the artist is trying to show for that sense of freedom or not being held down by ones sin.

We see the bands use of figurative language to describe lines like "she is feeding you" or "wrapped in his words". We can understand that these are not literal details of what's going on, but are describing the ideas. The first being that the girl is feeding his sinful desires, and the second is more like a description of protection by the "words" that are holding him as he gives up the addiction. In the song we also see a comparison going on between life before and after letting go of that addiction and following God. In the beginning, he is being fed by her, a way to describe how his sinful desires are being fueled by this addiction, while at the end he is being fed by Christ. Instead of the sinful desires being fed, he is being fed truth, and we are to see how life changes for the better with this change. In the end we also see a shift in the voice. While before it was in a conversation form, the last part seems to almost change to the man's voice or line of thinking, feeling sorry for the things he has done.

We can see through Flyleaf's song some techniques that are useful and may help to better our own writing. One of the main techniques to try would be repetition when trying to show significance to a certain word or idea. It is also effective to find a voice that is appropriate with the writing you are doing. In the case of Flyleaf's writing, songs are more personal, and can therefore use different forms of voices or styles, such as the conversation approach used here. Hope you enjoy the song, and have fun experimenting with these techniques.

-Adri