Literary Devices

1. The Traveling Wilburys sing, “Like a weepin’ willow tree, her love hangs over me” (“Like a Ship”).
This is an example of a simile that likens a woman’s affection for a man to a weeping willow. It is used to characterize the love as something inescapable, a ubiquitous entity that follows the man everywhere he goes.
2. Paul Banks of Interpol sings, “My love’s a laboratory, I set all my pets free” (“Specialist”).
This is a pair of metaphors that are used to represent both the singer’s love and the various charms and romantic tactics that are entailed with it. His love is compared to a laboratory because it has been kept under wraps and tinkered with; finally he can release his inhibitions and become Romeoesque, which is embodied by the release of the pets.
3. Paul Banks of Interpol sings, “She feels that my sentimental side should be held with kids gloves” (“Leif Erikson”).
This is an example of personification, in which the singer’s sentimental side, an abstract, emotional quality, is treated as something life-like. The literary device is used to show that his sentimentality is a domineering facet of his personality; it deserves to be represented as an entirely separate being that needs special treatment.
4. Jim Morrison says, “Fear is a porch where winds slide thru in the North” (“Fear is a Porch . . .”).
This is a metaphor that compares fear to a porch that suffers the brute force of raging Northern winds. Morrison characterizes the emotion of fear as a vulnerable, exposed entity, like a rickety porch that has cracks for the wind to attack.
5. Negrodamus, a fictionalized character on Chappelle’s Show, prophesizes, “Arsenio Hall will have a new show called ‘Good Morning, Black America.’ It will be played at noon throughout the country.”
This is satire of the racial misconception about blacks that stereotypes them as listless, jobless bums that litter the ghettos of America. The famous talk show host Arsenio Hall is predicted to host a morning show that’s televised at noon, presumably to accommodate blacks that wake up incredibly late because they don’t have jobs, who in fact don’t represent the majority of the black population.
6. Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters sings, “You got so many colours, make a blind man so confused” (“I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”).
This is an example of a hyperbole that describes a girl’s apparel as being so vibrant that it discombobulates a blind man. It is an overt exaggeration to help convey the flashy and vibrant nature of the girl’s appearance to the listener.
7. Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine sings, “Something about silence makes me sick'Cause silence can be violent sorta like a slit wrist” (“Fistful of Steel”).
This is an example of a simile that compares the violence of silence to a slit wrist. Zack attempts to explain how silence, the epitome of complacence, can lead to grisly results. He likens it to the demise of suicide to show those who refuse to speak out the error of their ways.
8. Paul Banks of Interpol sings, “I see your lips are on fire, and life is wine” (“No I in Threesome”).
This is a couplet that contains both a hyperbole and a metaphor. The singer describes a woman’s lips as being on fire, an extreme exaggeration used to convey the passionate lust within her. Then he describes life as being wine, the quenching drink for all of her decadent desires. This is perhaps an enticement to tempt the woman to try something new.
9. Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine sings, “Set the groove, then stick and move like I was Cassius” (“Wake Up”).
This is an example of a simile that compares the lyrical prowess of Zack to the agile boxing ability of Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali. The singer boasts he can throw barbs at his targets like Ali could throw punches at his opponents.
10. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden sings, “But you’re staring at me like I need to be saved, in your Jesus Christ pose” (“Jesus Christ Pose”).
This is an example of an allusion to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Chris accuses someone of trying to garner excessive sympathy or pity, when in fact the person in question doesn’t carry a burden that warrants those sentiments.