Songs are Poems too... right?

Rap, country, pop, rock, jazz, alternative, and literally so many more genres of music exist. Sometimes we listen for the beat, the instruments, or the bass (if you're in a frat). However, a lot of people listen to music for the lyrics, which are basically just poems set to music, right?

Some of the most famous songs (besides classical music) are noted for their clever lyrics or meaningful messages, such as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Bohemian Rhapsody covers multiple different genres of music within one song and each has specific lyrics associated with it. The introduction is very ethereal, with a high-pitched chorus and little background music as the speaker contemplates his life and what is happening to him.

The interesting thing about music, and the idea of poems combined with music, is that the music can convey emotions that the words themselves often cannot adequately capture, thus adding another dimension to the singer or speaker’s message. Unlike solely written poetry, the speaker can convey exactly how the poem is meant to be read by their inflection and tone when singing the song – although the level of permitted interpretation changes, it is a specific choice of the poet/singer/speaker/whatever to enunciate their message precisely.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

This song, in just the first few lines (out of very, VERY many), is obviously written as poetry and not prose. Even from looking at it, it appears to be a poem and one with multiple parts at that. There is so much emotion, internal distress, and pain conveyed in these lyrics through the various methods employed, such as rhyme, diction, and repetition of “Mama,” referencing the pain and limbic guilt he feels.

Alternately, you can have rappers who make millions of dollars with their clever puns, punchlines, and rhyming abilities- all while insulting another rapper's ability to do the same. Read: Remy Ma vs. Nicki Minaj (NSFW).

Rap is so interesting to me because although the content often focuses on more ...explicit topics... the rhymes are often so fast, clever, and even biting - they require a lot of thought and dedication to write. The rapper Future has even commented that he's a big fan of Shakespeare.

Overall I think that people can really relate to poetry more if they think about songs as poems set to music too - don't you have a favorite lyric? 

What the Shel is Going On?

Do you remember the days when you'd sit, reading Where the Sidewalk Ends, spending hours on end trying to comprehend what in the world Shel Silverstein was saying? His drawings, of course, complimented his quirky poems, but a lot of his poems had really deep messages that, as kids, we probably didn't fully comprehend. 

A lot of Silverstein’s poems are extremely upbeat, sometimes bizarre, and always heart-warming because they usually give an encouraging message. The poems are geared towards children – for the most part – and often teach important lessons about individuality and expressing oneself.

Many people don't know that Shel Silverstein is actually a veteran of the United States Army, having served in multiple foreign countries during his service. Additionally, he didn’t have the easiest adult life, having lost his first wife and his first child when she was only 11 years old. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a child, but I’ve had my own experiences with loss and I know how difficult it is to turn these bad experiences into something positive and uplifting. Silverstein also had a son with a second woman after losing basically his entire first family, but I think that the pain of losing a child never truly leaves someone.

I’d like to imagine that a lot of his poems are geared toward what he would tell his children, like the kind of advice a father would give, but wants to give it to as many people as possible since it would be a sort of way to “make up” for the lessons that he wasn’t able to teach his daughter who passed away.

One poem that really speaks to me is the following:

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
      Listen to the DON'TS
      Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT'S
      Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me-
      Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be

Something about this poem really resonates with me because it reminds me of a childhood lesson I learned. My dad was born in the USSR to a Jewish family where Judaism was severely looked down upon. He was a really skilled fencer and won a national tournament, but the title was given to the runner up because my dad was Jewish and they didn’t want a Jew to win. He didn’t let this experience discourage him, however, and when he came to the United States he worked extra hard at everything he did – and became extremely successful later in life. Silverstein’s poem isn’t exceptional in figurative language or creative structure – but the message is clear and gives a reassuring message to children. That’s really all it needs to be to be remembered – clear, concise, and correct.

Another poem I really like is “Masks.”

Taken from Tumblr

This poem is clearly about expressing individuality and not being afraid to be different, because by hiding one’s true identity and masquerading as something fake you’ll miss out on others who may be secretly like you but also afraid to reveal their true identity. There is nothing more important than remaining true to oneself, and as many of the poems written by “Uncle Shelby” state, uniqueness should be celebrated.

What Makes a Good Poem (To Me...)

I like to think that every poet has a different set of experiences and neurological makeup that make their poems unique and different. There are literally thousands of different choices that poets make whenever they write a poem. Their structure, word choice, content, and more is always variable and can be crafted in so many different ways, but why do we think some styles or poems are better than others? What makes each person decide whether or not they like a poem?

Whenever I think about what aspects of a poem I really enjoy, I am first drawn to the way the poem looks as a whole. Before even reading, I'll look at the poem and see if it looks appealing. Many poets take their aesthetic into consideration, especially if they are writing to a specific audience that has particular taste in aesthetic. Last week I wrote about Madisen Kuhn, whose poems have a minimalistic aesthetic. She often uses short lines and little to no capitalization or punctuation, which is often a unique and desired look.

Another poet who considered the way a poem looks is e e cummings, whose poems are noted for the way they are uniquely structured to almost give a visual aspect to the poem.
hist      whist
little ghostthings
tip-toe
twinkle-toe

little twitchy
witches and tingling
goblins
hob-a-nob     hob-a-nob

little hoppy happy
toad in tweeds
tweeds
little itchy mousies

with scuttling
eyes    rustle and run     and
hidehidehide
whisk

whisk     look out for the old woman
with the wart on her nose
what she’ll do to yer
nobody knows
for she knows the devil     ooch
the devil     ouch
the devil
ach     the great

green
dancing
devil
devil

devil
devil
        wheeEEE

Another aspect of a poem that I think sets some apart is figurative language and how a poet employs different techniques to get their message across. I think in some cases, poets can use figurative language that is intentionally vague so that it can be interpreted differently depending on someone's background of experiences that can shape various meanings for the poem. Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and many poets from the 1800s and 1900s spend a lot of effort on crafting vivid imagery, which is something I really appreciate in a poem.

And one other thing that can make a good poem is just plain confusion! What I mean by this is that some poems don't immediately make sense at all! If a poem says straight out what it means and what its goals are, there is much less investment into the poem. It's like a puzzle - at first it can be complex or difficult, but once you figure out its meaning, it is so rewarding. One example is the poem "This Is Just To Say" by William Carlos Williams

the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

This poem, at first, seems like it has no deeper meaning. But some careful analysis will give insight into lusting for something that is not yours, the trials of poverty and desire, and loyalty and forgiveness that exist in a family. Without the "mask" of beautiful words and artfully crafted phrases, there is no investment in the poet's message, and I think readers don't feel as much connection to the poet.

The final thing that I look for in a poem is shortness. Personally, I find long, epic poems much more draining and hard to read. My exception is Poe, whose longer poems are necessary for telling stories. However, if we go too long, like Beowulf or many Greek poems, they lose the attention of the reader because often they are not divided into parts that mimic chapters.