Assignment: Find Repetition in Song Lyrics

Visit the website http://www.azlyrics.com/ and look up a few of your favorite songs.

What kind of repetition do you notice? Remember, repetition can take a lot of different forms:

• sound
• syllable
• word
• phrase
• line
• stanza
• metrical pattern

Most likely, all the songs are following a standard form that puts a chorus after each verse. If nothing else, you will probably be able to find a certain line that occurs every so often.

But often it's not even that hard. Consider the opening lyrics for "I've got a feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, which repeats several times in a row:

I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good good night.

(check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go8ABAkQcfk)

Assignment: Reply to this post and put the name of a song in the title box (don't use the same lyrics as someone else).Then copy some of the lyrics from that song that show some type of repetition.

Next, explain what type of repetition it is and how it functions in the song (does it provide meaning? does it just sound cool?)

Repetition in the Media

Repetition can be done for emphasis or to drive home a point. Advertisers know this, so you hear the same commercial tag line again and again. They hope that you hear it and see it so much you believe it!

For example, think of all the mastercard commericals that you've heard again and again ending with the line "...priceless".



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDf751c1yiA

(note also the use of repetition in the form of parallel structure...starting phrases with "most popular" )

Does the repetition make you believe the message? It was once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” (Joseph Goebbels)

Check out these commercials featuring repetition. Would they convince you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is3icfcbmbs&feature=related




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8c2pYBmLxE

Repetition in oratory - "I have a dream"

Repetition is found in spoken language as well. One of the most famous examples is the "I have a dream" speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr., won the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

Below are two excerpts and a video of the famous speech. Compare your reaction to the written word versus the spoken delivery by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Excerpt 1:

Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

Excerpt 2:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

Poem - Pantoum Of The Great Depression

Author: Donald Justice (1924 - 2004)


Finding Repetition: A pantoum is a poem that uses cycles of repetition to explore a topic. Can you figure out the pattern? What effect does the cycle of repeated phrases have on the reader?

Pop Quiz: There is a band that wrote a song in pantoum form and has performed it at stadiums and concerts around the world. Do you know the name of the song and the band? For the answer, check out the video at the bottom of the page.

Our lives avoided tragedy
Simply by going on and on,
Without end and with little apparent meaning.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.

Simply by going on and on
We managed. No need for the heroic.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
I don't remember all the particulars.

We managed. No need for the heroic.
There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows.
I don't remember all the particulars.
Across the fence, the neighbors were our chorus.

There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows
Thank god no one said anything in verse.
The neighbors were our only chorus,
And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.

At no time did anyone say anything in verse.
It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us,
And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.
No audience would ever know our story.

It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us.
We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
What audience would ever know our story?
Beyond our windows shone the actual world.

We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
Somewhere beyond our windows shone the actual world.
The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.

And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
We did not ourselves know what the end was.
The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.
We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues.

But we did not ourselves know what the end was.
People like us simply go on.
We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues,
But it is by blind chance only that we escape tragedy.

And there is no plot in that; it is devoid of poetry.

Did you notice? Repeating a line in a different context can change the meaning of the words. Can you think of lyrics to a song you know where words or entire lines are repeated but as the song goes on, the meaning changes or even deepens?

Video: Here is the band "Rush" performing "The Larger Bowl", a song written in pantoum form. Some of the lyrics are below.

"Pantoum" by Rush

If we're so much the same like I always hear
Why such different fortunes and fates?
Some of us live in a cloud of fear
Some live behind iron gates

Why such different fortunes and fates?
Some are blessed and some are cursed
Some live behind iron gates
While others only see the worst

Some are blessed and some are cursed
The golden one or scarred from birth
While others only see the worst
Such a lot of pain on the earth

Poem by Maya Angelou - Alone

Author: Maya Angelou (b.1928)

Finding Repetition: This poem uses a refrain or chorus. What is your reaction to the words at the end of the poem compared to the first time you read or hear it?

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not a stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Video: Here is a video that presents the poem from a certain perspective. Does it change the way you understand the poem?

Alone By Maya Angelou from Brian Page on Vimeo.

Poem: The Charge of the Light Brigade

Author: Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892)

Background: This poem is about the Battle of Balaclava (Ukraine) fought during the Crimean Wat 91854 - 1856) between Russia and the combined forces of Turkey, Britain and France. The charge of 637 soldiers across open terrain led to the wounding or death of 247 men.

Finding Repetition: It is hard to miss the direct repetition, but look for more sophisticated uses as well. Also, reading the poem out loud will help you be more aware of the sound or rhythm created by the repeated words and phrases. Do you think this poem could be set to music?

Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Did you notice? What is the closest thing to a refrain (chorus) that this poem has?

Video: How does repeating something again and again strengthen an idea? When does that backfire? Here is an video featuring poet Allen Ginsberg reading "Hum Bom" which is also about war. Decide if the use of repetition works.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2FXdJ8VvD8&feature=related

Repeat, repeat, repeat - How poets use repetition

Poets often want to communicate many things in few words. To do that, they engage in certain techniques that communicate on several levels. One of these "poetic devices" is simple and effective: repetition. Repetition of a sound, syllable, word, phrase, line, stanza, or metrical pattern can add or provide structure, meaning and emotion to the writer's message.d

For example, rhyming is the repetition of sound: race, face, pace, lace

Alliteration is repeating sounds at the beginning of words: big brown bear

There are three poems posted that feature repetition on many levels: The Charge of the Light Brigade, Alone, and Pantoum of the Great Depression. Each poem also has a related video. Choose at least two poems to read so you can learn about repetition. Then feel free to explore some of the other posts linking repetition to oratory and advertising. Finally, don't forget to do the assignment! Instructions on replying to the post are included there. Have fun exploring!

What is Poetry in Motion?

Poetry is dynamic and full of life, but sometimes it is hard to appreciate. This site will offer you the chance to make a personal connection to poems and to the art of poetry writing. Yes, there will be poems to read and new terms presented! But you can apply what you've learned using lyrics from some of your favorite songs. You can learn why some lyrics work so well and how those same tricks have been used by poets for centuries. And you can find out how those tricks are part of your world everyday as they are adapted for business and art in fields such as marketing, speech writing, journalism and commercials.

Of course, you can also try writing poetry yourself and see how you do expressing ideas, feelings and observations within a poetic form. As you learn how to use language in a more sophisticated way, you will gain power to influence others. The key is understanding that how you say something carries as much meaning, or more, as what you are saying.

So be aware of the poetry in motion all around you: words, images, sounds are all working together in artful ways to send you a message. Some of it is purely for your enjoyment, while much of it is designed to sell you something! But no matter what the message, no matter how good it sounds and how well it is packaged, it is up to you if you want to believe it!