Song Lyrics as Poetry: Teaching Music Alongside Literature

Introduction: The Poetry–Lyrics Debate

One of the more interesting discussions in modern literature is whether song lyrics should be considered poetry. Historically, there was not necessarily a distinction between songs and literature, as bards used music to help convey literary ideas — whether in the form of songs, spoken verse, or even stories set to music. However, modern society has differentiated song lyrics from poetry, and has done so in a manner that can be dismissive of the meaning embedded in lyrics. Song lyrics are often regarded as merely a part of popular culture, while poetry is treated as a distinct art form.

The reality, however, is that song lyrics can engage in the same in-depth level of storytelling and address the same issues as poetry. Cornelius Eady's poem "The Supremes" discusses bullying in schools from the perspective of the bullies themselves. Taylor Swift's "Mean" — arguably the most widely known song about bullying — approaches the same topic from the perspective of the victim. When the two works are examined together, it becomes clear that both employ literary devices to convey their messages.

Literary Devices in Cornelius Eady's 'The Supremes'

Eady begins his poem with a metaphor: "We were born to be gray" (1). This figurative image signals to the audience from the outset that the narrator does not consider himself exceptional. He views himself — and his group — as gray, a word that can suggest both dreariness and ordinariness. The full significance of this choice becomes clearer as the poem develops, but the audience is immediately warned that the narrator does not see his circle as remarkable, a notable contrast to the poem's title.

Eady structures two stanzas around a repeated introduction, each describing a different aspect of bullying. In the first, he writes: "A long scream. We did what we could, / And all we could do was / Turn on each other. How the fat kids suffered! / Not even being jolly could save them" (5–8). The long scream appears to represent the internal suffering of the bullies themselves — people who, struggling to find their place in the world, redirect their anguish outward onto victims. The scream thus becomes a metaphor for the inner turmoil that precedes and motivates the act of bullying.

The same introductory phrase recurs in a different context: "A long scream. We snapped butts in the showers" (18). While the physical act described may not have literally produced a scream, using the same opening to frame what the bullies do to their victims underscores how bullying transfers the bully's unhappiness onto others. The phrase carries layered meanings: it suggests that aggressing against others does not relieve the bully's suffering. Rather, Eady seems to reinforce the idea that every act of bullying deepens the narrator's sense of being locked into a life and a pattern he did not choose. Over time, the narrator simply accepts that he was born into that life — and with each act of aggression, moves further from self-determination. These are meanings that are never stated overtly in the poem.

Taylor Swift's 'Mean' as Literary Text

On its surface, Taylor Swift's song may appear more straightforward than Eady's poem. Nevertheless, Swift employs many of the same literary techniques. Where Eady relies on metaphor, Swift uses simile and vivid imagery. The opening lines of "Mean" read: "You, with your words like knives / And swords and weapons that you use against me" (1–2). With this image, Swift directly challenges the idea that language is harmless. She reinforces the point with the line "You have knocked me off my feet again" (3), suggesting that the bully's words have struck her with enough force to cause her to stumble — at least figuratively.

Whether the physical stumbling is purely figurative, however, remains a question each listener must answer for themselves. Bullying frequently combines verbal with physical violence, and Swift's use of physically violent imagery can be read on multiple levels. On one reading, the violence is metaphorical, illustrating the serious emotional impact of cruel words. On another, it gestures toward the way verbal aggression often precedes physical harm. A third interpretation suggests that the narrator may not be addressing a schoolyard bully at all, but an abusive partner — a context in which verbal degradation commonly precedes physical violence.

Swift also characterizes the bully as mediocre, though she does so with more specificity than Eady's single word "gray" (Eady, 1). She paints a detailed portrait of the bully's future: "And I can see you years from now in a bar / Talking over a football game / With that same big loud opinion / But nobody's listening / Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things / Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing" (Swift, 32–37). In just a few lines, Swift renders an image of a person who has passed his prime and become entirely irrelevant — a vivid illustration achieved through specific, concrete detail rather than abstraction.