Question

What are two songs with examples of metonymy or paradox in the lyrics?

Answer 1

This is an awesome question, it's not very often I get to listen to music for an answer!

Explanation:

First, I'd be remiss (as an educator, student, and answer-er person) if I didn't provide at least a basic definition of metonymy and (lyrical) paradox.

Metonymy is a figure of speech where a thing (specifically, but not exclusively, a person) or concept is not identified by its name but by something that is associated in meaning with the thing or concept being replaced. A better way of saying this is: it's a metaphor, typically one in which a scary (or powerful) word is used to describe something not so scary (or powerful).

For example:

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Along with wolves like you, trust is counting sheep

—a line in We are the in Crowd's song "Manners" (In this instance, Tay, the vocalist, is referencing another human, not an actual wolf)

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I hope your hands burn

—a line in Against the Current's "Fireproof" (Chrissy, the vocalist is not actually hoping that the person's hands burn but rather that the person thinks of her and experiences some sort of remorse)

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Paradox (especially lyrical paradox): is the usage of two contrasting statements in which the line immediately preceding another contradicts the following line (the two lines are opposite in meaning).

For example:

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The sun so hot, I froze to death

—a line in the minstrel (a type of song) "Oh Susanna" by Stephen Foster (the video below is the new version of the song, it lacks the now controversial second verse)

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Give what I'm takin' —a line in We are the in Crowd's song "Waiting"

All intellectual and artistic rights are solely those of their respective parties

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