Often, we have strong, immediate reactions to the music we hear on the radio or online, not just from the melodies or rhythms themselves, but because the lyrics, in some way, mirror what we are experiencing in our lives at the moment. Words bring clarity and drama, opening a secret passage to an artist’s internal life.

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Defining Terms

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Close reading: the careful reading and rereading of a brief passage of text. Such a reading places great emphasis on noticing individual words, syntax, and the order in which sentences and ideas unfold as they are read.

 

Annotate: the act of adding notes to a text as a comment, question, or explanation.

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We are going to break down the lyrics the the songs below. We will listen to them several times. The first is to get an initial feel for the tone and subject matter. Further plays you will conduct closer readings and eventual annotate on the lyrics, what you interpret as the underlying meaning.