"Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum SA2

 Love is difficult to find, but once found people are never happier. Some might take it to fast when falling for someone who might end the relationship, while others take it to slow and end up in the “friend zone”. One needs to find a balance between the two, and once found with the right person, love will be cast upon them. In “Just a Kiss” Lady Antebellum depicts passionate imagery in order to explore affectionate allegory, yearning mood, and intense understatement to show that when given time “It’ll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find”.



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Antebellum conveys affectionate allegory to show the extent of how two people feel about each other. This song is sung by two people, male and female, both preaching the same message. The person is on a date and has very strong feelings towards the other, but doesn’t want to fall to fast. She is trying “to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe” when she in on this date. She cannot actually “fight” the feelings she had, which is personification. She can also breathe fine, but she wants to show the listener the affect this man is having on her, he is simply taking her breath away. She goes on to say, “I’ve never opened up to anyone”; inquiring that she feels remarkably close to him instantly. One might perceive that she meant she opened up her actual body to this man. She knows she is starting to fall for this boy, and she doesn’t know what to do. She is “caught up in this moment” and” in your smile”; she doesn’t know how to react. There is no net or arms that the man is using to “catch” her smile and the moment, but rather she is saying that she is enjoying this moment and likes these things about him.

Antebellum portrays a yearning mood throughout the song. The song is talking about two people falling in love, but don’t want to take it too fast yet they want to because they love each other’s company. The mood is yearning because they want to be with each other, but also to “take is slow” by only giving each other “just a kiss goodnight”. The feelings are growing throughout the night, but she feels that if she goes to fast things can be lost. This is where the tone of the song comes in. She seems a little nervous throughout her date with him. She has these feelings that she cannot help yet she only wants “a kiss goodnight”. She decides that time will tell if they will have something special, so she says “No I don’t want to say goodnight, I know it’s time to leave, but you’ll be in my dreams”. The tone and mood of the song is that she is falling in love, but is going to take her time and not rush into anything to make sure that he is going to be the real deal.

Throughout “Just a Kiss” understatement is used to describe their night; it is lessening the effect it actually had. She starts by saying, “Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight”. Many people who have their first kiss with their boyfriend are very excited, especially if it is as romantic as under the night moon and stars. She goes to make it sound that it is nothing, and not a big deal to her. The chorus is filled with understatement:

“Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight

Just a touch on the first burning so bright

No I don’t want to mess this thing up

I don’t want to push to far

Just a shot in the dark that you just might

Be the one I’ve been waiting for my whole life

So baby I’m alright, with just a kiss goodnight.”

When one touches a fire, it is very hot and is excruciating pain. Antebellum makes it seem nonchalant as with “Just a shot in the ark that you just might- Be the one I’ve been waiting for my whole life”. When someone finds their sole mate it is one of the best moments in their life. She makes it sound that it is just another thing that happened to her; neither happy or sad. She makes these events sound average using understatement.

People search for their soul mate all their life.  In “Just a Kiss” she has found her soul mate, and decides that time will tell if they will last. By using allegory, mood, and understatement, she makes the listener feel that they are there that night going through what she went through using explicit imagery.

Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum lyrics

Lyin' here with you so close to me
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe
Caught up in this moment
Caught up in your smile


I've never opened up to anyone
So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms
We don't need to rush this
Let's just take this slow


Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch in the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight


I know that if we give this a little time
It will only bring us closer to the love we wanna find
It's never felt so real, no it's never felt so right


Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch in the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight


http://www.elyricsworld.com/just_a_kiss_lyrics_lady_antebellum.html
No I don't want to say goodnight
I know it's time to leave, but you'll be in my dreams
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight


Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch in the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, oh, let's do this right, with just a kiss goodnight
With a kiss goodnight
Kiss goodnight

"Little Green"

crocuses

           

           People need to make decisions in life, and some are harder than others. Many are life changing, and might not have worked out in the end. Some decisions are made that are terrifying and sad, but ultimately was the right decision; and this is exactly what Joni Mitchell went through. Moving from the characterization of the father to that of the mother in “Little Green,” Joni Mitchell portrays naturalistic imagery, melancholy tone, and uplifting personification to tell her daughter why she ended up where she is today, and that life can be enjoyable but “there’ll” also “be sorrow”.

            Illustrating fresh imagery, Mitchell shows the reader the insight of the troubles with the soon to be father leaving, “He went to California”, and Mitchell giving her daughter up, “you sign all the papers in the family name”, for adoption to happy and warm images about her daughter “Green”. Mitchell talks about the beginning of “little Green”, describing how the father was never there. He wasn’t there to see her face or to name her. He fled to “California” to get away from “the children who’ve made her”. He is getting away from the road block in his life. Mitchell writes him to tell him her daughters “eyes are blue”, and he reacts to this by showing no love towards his daughter or remorse for why he is in “California”.

            Mitchell pictures what life would be like with “Green”:

                        Like the color when the spring is born

There’ll be crocuses to bring to school tomorrow

Just a little green

Like the nights when the Northern lights perform

There’ll be icicles and birthday clothes

She thinks of the years to come, with her daughter picking flowers for school, the seasons such as winder, and her birthdays with clothes as presents. She talks about spring, the beginning of spring, which is beautiful and starting to take life like her daughter is. Mitchell portrays what life would be like with “Green” and she sets images of her with how beautiful she is. She shows the image of what she things her daughter is like through other images.

            Mitchell conveys a very depressing tone throughout the song to explain to her daughter why she did what she did, and although she is said about this event she is not “ashamed”. She uses a lullaby tune, which implies that the song was written for “Little Green”. It is serious, calming, and very melancholy. Mitchell talks about why she did what she did, “child with a child pretending”. She felt unfit to raise her daughter, and although she loved her, she was still just a child herself. She was wise and mature enough to decide to give her child up, but cannot help and look back on what could have been:

                        Just a little green

Like the color when the spring is born

There’ll be crocuses to bring to school tomorrow

Just a little green

Like the nights when the Northern lights perform

There’ll be icicles and birthday clothes

And sometimes there’ll be sorrow

She is singing to her, letting her know why things occurred the way they did; and although she is sorry she is “not ashamed”.

            Although “Little Green” is a serious and sorrowful song, Mitchell puts in uplifting personification about her daughter that has to do with things that are growing and beautiful. This contrasts to the tone of the song, but makes it successful because it shows two opposite feelings. When she is talking about her daughter she describes her as a beautiful and playful girl. She describes her daughter like when “spring is born,” which gives the reader a connotation that she is a breath of fresh air. Spring cannot be born because it is not a physical living thing, but “Little Green” is and that is how Mitchell feels about her daughter. She wants her daughter to “be a gypsy dancer” and live free and enjoy everything that comes her way; because as Mitchell knows, life can be unexpecting. She gives the “Northern lights” human characteristics to “perform” to show how she feels what her daughter does to her and everyone else.

            When an event comes one’s way that is much unexpected, people have to make choices on what to do. Mitchell made her choice, and she feels and knows that it was the right one. Through the imagery, tone, and personification the reader can understand and picture what Mitchell went through and can feel her sadness through her lyrics.

"Honey Bee" by Blake Shelton SA1

honey bee

It seems that everyone in life has a crush, and needs a little boost in trying to pursue the other person. People need opposites, so that they attract.  In “Honey Bee,” Blake Shelton uses contradicting imagery, not subtle contrast, and question love as tone to try and envision a person who could make one happy and excited for the next day to come.

Blake helps the listener envision just about everything that happens in the song. One can really picture a man trying to “persuade” a woman to fall in love with him. One can picture the man to be shy and nonchalant by saying, “Girl, I been thinkin’ ‘bout us- And you know I ain’t good at this stuff”, and also that he usually doesn’t say this to just any girl. He really cares for her and wants her to realize it. Also he shows imagery in his chorus and gets the listener thinking about states, drinks, and a “Honey Bee”:

“If you’ll be my Louisiana

I’ll be your Mississippi

You’ll be my little Loretta

I’ll be your Conway Twitty

You’ll be my sugar baby

I’ll be your sweet iced tea

You’ll be my honeysuckle

I’ll be your honey bee”

This makes one think of many different things, such as maps when hearing Louisiana and Mississippi; bees, honey, and there combs; and a nice cold drink. Obviously they cannot actually be these things to each other, but it’s showing the relationship towards the two things. These images contradict themselves because although they are similar they are opposites of each other; which this chorus does well and shows the not so subtle contrast.

            This whole song is about opposites. As just about everyone says, opposites attracted, and that is exactly what Blake is trying to portray in this song. By saying “If you’ll be my soft and sweet- I’ll be your strong and steady”, which implies that if the girl is compassion it and caring, he will be her knight in shining armor. He shows that he wants her to be gentle and uplifting, and in contrast he would be hard and comforting:

            “You’ll be my glass of wine

            I’ll be your shot of whiskey

You’ll be my sunny day

I’ll be your shady tree”

This contrast would ultimately be equilibrium between the two, balancing each other out. It would be a perfect match.  This song is about finding love, which is the tone of the song.

            Blake is trying to convince this girl to fall in love with him, and the chorus is the main part in which he is trying to get the point across that the two of them would be a perfect match. He tries to show her this in the chorus but he also uses personification too. “But every word was right on the money”; referring to the chorus that was before it. This phrase gives words the ability to land on money, which is not possible. It simply means that everything he is saying is true and comes from the heart.  Another example would be “you kiss just said it all”; a kiss cannot say anything, but it is implying that it shows that she cares for him. It also has clichés such as, “I could of said I love you- Could of wrote you a line or two”, this is something that is said all the time, and is not original. It is cliché for someone to write a woman a love song. These examples show how this man is trying to have this girl fall in love with him.

            These three literary devices really make the song what it is. Although it is simple, it has meaning and an average country beat. Imagery, tone, contrast, personification, and cliché were all found throughout this song, and they all come together to make a song about a man trying to have a woman fall in love with him.

lyrics:

Girl, I been thinkin' 'bout us
And you know I ain't good at this stuff
These feelings pilin' up won't give me no rest
This might come out a little crazy
A little sideways, yeah maybe
I don't know how long it'll take me but I'll do my best

If you'll be my soft and sweet
I'll be your strong and steady
You'll be my glass of wine
I'll be your shot of whiskey
You'll be my sunny day
I'll be your shady tree
You'll be my honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee

Yeah, that came out a little country
But every word was right on the money
And I got you smilin' honey right back at me
Now hold on cause I ain't done
There's more where that came from
Well you know I'm just havin' fun, but seriously

If you'll be my Louisiana
I'll be your Mississippi
You'll be my little Loretta
I'll be your Conway Twitty
You'll be my sugar baby
I'll be your sweet iced tea
You'll be my honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee

Your kiss just said it all
I'm glad we had this talk
Nothing left to do but fall in each others arms
I coulda said I love you
Coulda wrote you a line or two
Baby, all I know to do is speak right from the heart

If you'll be my soft and sweet
I'll be your strong and steady
You'll be my glass of wine
I'll be your shot of whiskey
You'll be my sunny day
I'll be your shady tree
You'll be my honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee

You'll be my Louisiana
I'll be your Mississippi
You'll be my little Loretta
I'll be your Conway Twitty
You'll be my sugar baby
I'll be your sweet iced tea
You'll be my honeysuckle
And I'll be your honey bee

I'll be your honey bee

" Burden in My Hand" by Soundgarden SA1(irony/kefor)



Album



            People can be shallow and superficial. They can only like a person for the fame and money, and would do anything, even affecting their health, for it. In “Burden in My Hand,” Soundgarden portrays abusive irony, blatant imagery, and intense understatement to show that some people will stay by you only because of your social status, even if they are getting abused, and will ultimately become a “Burden in My Hand.”

Soundgarden uses a lot of irony throughout this song to convey a message. It’s ironic how people who thought you were an outcast at some point come back into your life when you are successful. Now, I’m not saying that this was the case in this song, but to some aspect it is. A girl follows this man around because of his success, and he starts to lose his mind. The song starts off by having the man asking the girl to follow him “into the desert, as thirsty as you are”. It’s ironic because someone who is thirsty would normally not go into one of the hottest places where there is little to no water. This shows that the man has control over this woman because she is blinded by all of his success. He later goes on saying that the “truth is lying, beneath the riverbed” which conveys the message that whatever is down there, the truth will not be revealed. It also holds a pun with the meaning of lying being both the opposite in truth and where something stands. The man abuses the girl, “I lost my head again, would you lie for me”, and the girl acts like it is okay. She defends him when a source of authority, such as police, show up. The woman is too caught up in who he is and the money, that she is defending him for abusing her; which is pretty ironic. This girl is superficial and a burden to this man. With the Soundgarden writing with abusive irony, we are able to get a better sense with the imagery they portray through it.

The setting of this song is in a desert, where the man reveals how he feels about this girl; like he owns her:     
 “Follow me into the desert

  As thirsty as you are
  Crack a smile and cut your mouth

               And drown in alcohol
              Cause down below the truth is lying
              Beneath the riverbed”

This gives one the image of a desert, bare and hot, where a girl that is very thirsty has to go into. One also pictures a little water bed that is a ways down to get too. Her mouth is so dry that when she smiles her mouth cracks, and cuts form. The next line after that, although is imagery because one pictures someone drinking excessive amounts, it is also a hyperbole. One can take it literally and think someone is drowning is a big pool of alcohol. With the desert, one thinks of the being “Out in the sunshine” and here in the desert “the sun is mine”; where the sun is a symbol for the girl, and he owns the girl. With this imagery one can see that this man verbally and physically abused her, and she took this because she is superficial and he gets her everything. Soundgarden also uses intense understatement even though it is minimal. He is talking about how the woman will suffer with “just an anchor on my heart” and also “just a tumor in my head”.  Anchor will not actually be on his heart, but the weight of guilt will always be with you. Also “just a tumor in my head” will be her memory of him that will never go away and will eat at her for the rest of her life until she too is dead.

            Irony, imagery, and understatement are the main literary devices throughout this song, explaining that a man with a high social status abused a girl and got away with it because the girl was so caught up in the life of having superficial things. It talks about how the man basically owned her and could tell her to do anything and she would. She ultimately became a burden because she was always around, even when he didn’t want her. That is why he would lose his “head again”. “Burden in My Hand” had a message for people everywhere to not get caught up in the unimportant things in life, and to take charge of your own with full force, and to not let anyone degrade you.

Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts

Thesis:

In "Bless The Broken Road", the Rascal Flatts use dreamy imagery, romantic personification, and loving similes to show how "God blessed the broken road" with set backs and heart breaks that would ultimately lead him to his one true love.

"Bless The Broken Road"I set out on a narrow way many years ago

Hoping I would find true love along the broken road

But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing through

I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you


I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true


[Chorus]


Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you


That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.