Since I began this blog, I've been wondering if any song lyrics fit the haiku poem format without alterations.
The answer is very few do, if any.
And taking the song lyrics out of the context of the whole work really changes their meaning and emotional charge.
This morning, though, I came up with one, through a random moment of I-Pod bliss while walking my dog Marley. "Save It For Later" by the English Beat, a mild 80s hit, contains three lines that indeed fit into the 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern:
Save it for later
Don't run away, let me down
Sooner or later
Do these lyrics, isolated like that, make any sense?
Not really.
You have to invent a story to go with it, like a jilted boyfriend or girlfriend who know their going to get left. The "save it for later" sounds a bit more hopeful to me, but when you hit the "sooner or later," they know heartbreak is around the corner.
Other haiku lyrics can be found in "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
She sees my good deeds
And she kisses me windy
I never worry.
What does it mean to kiss someone "windy"? Don't ask me; I'm not Anthony Kiedis. But it's great that it's open to interpretation. Since we end on "I never worry," the sort of depressed mood of the song as a whole is totally gone. But if you take these three lines, you get a totally different vibe, closer to the original song's intent:
Together we cry
I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Same song, a line taken from the verse and two from the chorus, totally different sounding haiku.
Haikus embedded in existing songs are hard to find and totally change the meaning of the lyrics. Find any yourself? Share them here!
Posts
night walk
4 years ago
Nice idea. thanks for the introduction to the songs.
ReplyDeleteSave It for Later is Adam Duritz's favorite summer song! (Obviously we were listening to NPR at the same time...)
ReplyDeleteAdam has such eclectic taste in music.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, I think it's impossible to find a haiku in a Counting Crows song. They're all like stories. The lines are too long.
I don't know what "she kisses me windy" means exactly, but I like original lyric phrases that are open to personal interpretation.
ReplyDeleteIt does sometimes help me enjoy a song more if I can put my own stuff into it, like Kemuel said, open to personal interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI think I found one that works! From 'One of My Turns' by Pink Floyd:
ReplyDeleteDon't look so frightened
This is just a passing phase.
One of my bad days.
Memoirs -- Perfect!
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you, Trina!
ReplyDelete