Poetry Blog #4

For this blog post, I chose a song by my favorite band The 1975 from Manchester, United Kingdom. 

"Girls" by The 1975

Bite your face to spite your nose (hyperbole)
17 and a half years old
Worrying about my brother finding out
What's the fun in doing what you're told? (rhyme scheme)

I said, "No!" 
"Oh give it a rest, I could persuade you"
I'm not your typical, stoned 18 year old (rhyme scheme)
Give me a night I'll make you'
"I know you're looking for salvation in the secular age, but girl I'm not your savior." (alliteration)
Wrestle to the ground
God help me now because (allusion?)

They're just girls breaking hearts
Eyes bright, uptight, just girls (rhyme scheme)
But she can't be what you need if she's 17
They're just girls (repetition)
They're just girls

A pair of frozen hands to hold, (paradox)
Oh she's so southern so she feels the cold, (alliteration)
One moment I was tearing off your blouse,
Now you're living in my house. (rhyme scheme)
What happened to just messing around?

I said, "Yo, I think you better go; I can't take you."
You just sit and get stoned with 30 year olds and you think you've made it. (alliteration)
"Well, shouldn't you be fucking with somebody your age instead of making changes?" (alliteration)
Wrestle to the ground
God help me now because (allusion?) 

They're just girls breaking hearts
Eyes bright, uptight, just girls (imagery)
But she can't be what you need if she's 17
They're just girls
They're just girls

I told her from the start (repetition)
Destined to be hard (repetition)
I told her from the start (hyperbole)
I'll break your heart (hyperbole)
Destined to be hard
I'll break your heart

Cause they're just girls...
Just girls, they're just girls...

Because this is a song, it is clear that there is a significant amount of repetition for the chorus and rhyme scheme to go along with the beat of the music. Alliteration plays a key role in each line to make the poem have a nice flow when sung. Additionally, the authors included examples of hyperbole to describe the inevitable failure of the relationship and I noted one example of paradox when the author describes wanting to hold a cold hand. There might possibly be an allusion when the singer begs God for help but I'm not entirely sure. Moreover, there is some serious imagery in this song, especially when it comes to describing teenage girls as snooty and ignorant of what a real relationship requires. The authors continually use caesura to end their thoughts after each line with only a few examples of enjambment. Referencing diction, the authors use simple language that is easy to understand for the audience. Overall, I feel that this poem could serve as a sort of modern ballad for the necessity of maturity in any relationship and that teenage dreams do not always translate into reality.