3 poetic songs

"Mad World" by Tears for Fears
The creator of the website was justified in choosing to include this song in the list of poetic songs. Most of the song is imagery, as the narrator describes his experiences and thoughts. Using a metaphor, people's daily lives are compared to "daily races going nowhere." The narrator conveys the message that people rush needlessly everyday, even though they are not rewarded for their needless rushing. It is ironic that the narrator says, "I find it kind of funny/ I find it kind of sad/ The dreams in which I'm dying/ Are the best I've ever had," for several reasons. First, it is contradictory to find something both funny and sad. Second, dreams about one's own death are commonly thought of as nightmares rather than the best dreams. The narrator uses the phrase "no tomorrow." This is a hyperbole because although he feels that he has no chance of a future, the future never stops becoming the present. Additional examples of hyperbole in this song are "drown my sorrow" and "look right through me." Both alliteration consonance and assonance are also employed to enhance the messages that the narrator gives about his sad and hopeless feelings.

"Dust in the Wind" by Kansas
Although this song is shorter than many others, it is definitely poetic enough to be included in the list. Imagery is used to help the listener to create a mental picture as a representation of the message of the song. The metaphor in the song compares us and our dreams to "dust in the wind." They are compared because they both do not stay forever. Various uses of alliteration, along with the hyperbole "all we do crumbles to the ground," exaggerate this message.

"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
This song is also a good choice to include in the list of poetic songs. It is almost all imagery, allowing the reader to create mental visual pictures. Alliteration and allusions to the Bible, such as "the holy dove," are included to support the messages about praising the Lord, hence the name of the song. Personification is used in the phrase, "the moonlight overthrew you." There are always multiple interpretations, but it may be related to "the baffled king" in the first verse. "Broken hallelujah" is an example of hyperbole because a word that is not a physical object cannot be physically broken.