Bring Me to Life -Evanescence

Evanescence is an American rock band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. The two met at a youth camp where Moody heard Amy Lee singing a song by Meatloaf. In early 2003, the band was completed by Amy Lee and Ben Moody's friends, John LeCompt, Rocky Gray and Will Boyd, all of whom worked on Evanescence's earlier songs. Meanwhile, Evanescence signed on with their first major label, Wind-up Records, and began work on their first album, Fallen. Fallen spent forty-three weeks on the Billboard Top 10, was certified seven times Platinum in the United States, and sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide, including seven million in the U.S. The album was listed for one hundred and four weeks on the Billboard Top 200, and it was one of eight albums in the history of the chart to spend at least a year on the Billboard Top 50. Evanescence's major label debut single "Bring Me to Life", featuring guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 Stones, was a global hit for the band and reached number five on the American Billboard Hot 100. It gave Evanescence their first UK number one single, where it stayed for four weeks from June-July 2003. The song also became the official theme for WWE No Way Out 2003.
The song “Bring Me to Life” has many poetic devices in it. For example, there is a simile in the line “How can you see into my eyes like open doors?” This shows how he can see what she is thinking, as if her eyes were open doors. There is consonance in the line “Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold.” There is a hyperbole in the line “Frozen inside without your touch.” This is an exaggeration because she is not really frozen inside. There is another hyperbole in the line “Only you are the life among the dead.” There is another hyperbole in the line “I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.” Obviously, he has not really been sleeping for a thousand years.
The main device in this song is hyperbole, because they are both exaggerating the fact that they feel empty without the other. They use many hyperboles to show how alone they feel and how they feel like they are going to die unless the other one is with them.

Social Relevance in Country Music

Tim McGraw-If You're Reading This

This song is talking about a soldier in the war writing to his wife. He is saying that he wishes he were with her, and could see his daughter being born. “If you're reading this, half way around the world, I won't be there to see the birth of our little girl. I hope she looks like you. I hope she fights like me. Stand up for the innocent and weak.” This shows how he wants his daughter to fight like him, even if he’s not there for her. He is saying how he is going to day one day, and his wife will move on and be happy. “There's going to come a day, when you'll move on and find someone else, and that's ok. Just remember this. I'm in a better place where soldiers live in peace, and angels sing amazing grace.” He wants his wife to know that when he dies, he’ll be in a good place, and that he wants her to be happy. “So lay me down in that open field out on the edge of town.” This shows how he is ready to die. He is not afraid to be killed for his country, and he wants his wife to know that he is safe and that he wants her to be happy.

Toby Keith-Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue

This song is about people who are proud of America, and who always respect their flag and their country. “American girls and American guys, will always stand up and salute. We'll always recognize, when we see ol' glory flying.” He talks about all the different symbols of freedom in the United States, and what they mean. “Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list, and the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist. And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell, when you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.” This shows how they have different things that show their dedication to the United States. He also talks about how we are in war, and how no matter what, we fought back. “Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack. A sucker punch came flyin' from somewhere in the back. As soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye, man we lit up your world like the fourth of July.” This quote shows a lot of imagery of war, and of American citizens showing their pride. Another thing he talks about is how his dad served in the Army, and fought for his country and supported it until he died. “My daddy served in the Army, where he lost his right eye. But he flew a flag out in our yard 'til the day that he died.”

Carrie Underwood-Don’t Forget To Remember Me

This song is about a girl going off to college and moving on with her life, and asking her family to always remember her. “18 years have come and gone. For momma they flew by, but for me they just drug on.” Throughout the song, she talks about her new life, getting an apartment, and paying bills. She thinks about how her life is now, and how her life was then. “This downtown apartment sure makes me miss home and those bills there on the counter remind me I'm on my own. And just like every Sunday I called momma up last night. And even when it's not, I tell her everything's alright.” She talks about how she misses her family, but she’s trying to be her own person. She wants her family to remember her all the time, and know that she misses them. “Before we hung up I said ‘Hey momma, don't forget to tell my baby sister I'll see her in the fall. And tell mee-mal that I miss her. Yeah, I should give her a call. And make sure you tell Daddy that I'm still his little girl. Yeah I still feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. Don't forget to remember me.’” This shows how, as much as she misses her family, she is living her life and growing up, and she doesn’t want to give up. She is all alone, but she feels like she’s doing the right thing by growing up, and she doesn’t want to give up. “Tonight I find myself kneeling by the bed to pray. I haven't done this in a while, so I don't know what to say but Lord I feel so small some times in this big ol' place. I know there are more important things, but don't forget to remember me.”

The World in Six Songs

The six songs in "The World in Six Songs" are friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love songs.

A song about friendship is "Me and My Gang" by Rascal Flatts. A song about joy is "Give Me Sunshine" by Ryan Adams. A song about comfort is "Cowgirls Don't Cry" by Brooks & Dunn. A song about knowledge is "Stand" by Rascal Flatts. A song about religion is "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. A song about love in country music would be "Two People Fell in Love" by Brad Paisley.

Allusion, Ambiguity, and Allegory in Country Music

The song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift uses allusion in its lyrics. The line "Cause you were Romeo, I was the scarlet letter, and my daddy said, 'stay away from Juliet'" alludes to Romeo & Juliet and The Scarlet Letter to describe a boy that the father won't let her see.

The song "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood uses ambiguity in its lyrics. For example, the title "Wasted" can refer to the girl not wanting to waste her life away, or the man in the song who spends most of his life wasted.

The song "Welcome to the Future" by Brad Paisley includes allegory in its lyrics. The entire song references things from the past that are so different from today. It also talks about his grandfather in World War Two, and talks about things back then that could apply to things in other wars.

Simile in Country Music

One song with a simile in it is "Love Like Heaven" by Sarah Buxton. The line "a love like heaven" is a simile. It shows how she wants a sweet, pure love like heaven.

Another song with similes in it is "To Find A Heart" by Big Kenny. The line "and when it hurts like Hell, that's when you know it's real" shows a simile by saying the level that love hurts, and when it feels like Hell, then you know it's real.

Metaphor in Country Music

The song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift includes examples of metaphors in it's lyrics. For example, the line "Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter" is a mixed metaphor, because Romeo was in love with Juliet, and the girl from The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, was a whore who had her minister's love child.


The song "She's My Kind Of Rain" by Tim McGraw has many literary devices in it, including metaphors. The line "She's the sunset's shadow, she's like Rembrandt’s light, she's the history that's made at night, she's my lost companion, she's my dreamin' tree, together in this brief eternity" is an extended metaphor, showing that his wife is everything in his life.

Paradox in Country Music

The song "Hate to Love" by Shania Twain is an example of a paradox. For example, the title "hate to love" is a paradox because she is saying that she hates to love him, which contradicts what she is saying.