Comparison of two songs in terms of Poetry

For Poetry Assignment this semester, we were given two iconic songs from the 70s and 80s and were told to find the similarities and differences in the songs. The songs are One of these things first by Nick Drake and I'm your man by Leonard Cohen.

So, I thought why not share my essay with you guys. You never know when you might need them whether for another assignment or a homework. Okay then, without a further ado, let's jump right in.
The following essay is about the comparison of the two songs: “One of these things first” by Nick Drake and “I’m your man” by Leonard Cohen. Click on the song titles to hear them.

Foreword: The essay informs about the similarities and differences of the two songs on the basis of their imagery, main theme, internal meaning, structure and pattern, repetitions etc. By the end of the essay, the reader will be aware of the messages each song provides and will know where they are similar to each other or different from each other.

  

   “One of the things” by Nick Drake and “I’m your man” by Leonard Cohen both share the same theme of love. However, only their approach is different in terms of imagery and meaning. One of them talks about a failed relationship (One of these things by Nick Drake) whereas the other one talks about what he can offer to continue the relationship with his loved one (I’m your man by Leonard Cohen). Since both of these are originally songs, the lyrics and their meanings cannot completely be defined by terms of poetry. So, here the main focus will be imagery, structure and the comparison of the given songs on the basis of these.

    Nick Drake talks about ways he could have used to save his failed relationship in the song. He gives us various examples of what he could have been in order to continue his relationship addressing the person he is talking to in his song. For example:  he could have been an explorer (a sailor), a provider (a cook), and a lover, someone who spent their time gaining knowledge about the world (a book). He could have been simply something to show others the direction they should go in (a sign post), he could have been simply something to show others the stage of their life they were at (a clock). He could have been simple and unremarkable (a kettle), he could have been strong and reliable (a rock). He could still be any of those things but doesn’t know how to change. Note that he says “could have been” instead of just “had been” implying that he was not any of those things and this may in turn made him lose his relationship in the first place. Therefore, we can conclude that he did not have a successful relationship and is now contemplating what he could have done to save it.

    While Nick Drake tells us what he could have offered for the relationship, Leonard Cohen actually tells about his offerings. In fact, he goes a step further and shows that he is ready to so anything to protect his relationship. He does not care about physical pain (“If you want a boxer,/I will step into the ring for you”) or his reputation (“like a dog in heat”). This song about his love on obsessive levels. Comparing this song with Drake’s “One of these things first”, we can clearly see the main difference lies in approach. While Drake’s approach is weak, Cohen’s is much more strong and demanding. So, the main dissimilarity of the two songs lies in the imagery of the two songs.

    Structurally, the songs are quite similar. They are not written in free verse and they have a distinct rhyming pattern. For example: in the first stanza of Drake’s song, we notice that the last word of every second verse rhymes with the last word of the fourth verse. It is something like this: ababcded. For Cohen’s song, in the first four lines of first stanza, we can can see the abcb rhyming pattern. But, for the later verses it changes. For example, the last four lines of the first stanza has abac rhyming pattern. The bold words in the following table indicates the rhyming words.

One of these things first Nick Drake	I’m your man Leonard Cohen
I could have been a sailor Could have been a cook A real live lover Could have been a book I could have been a signpost Could have been a clock As simple as a kettle Steady as a rock	If you want a lover I'll do anything you ask me to And if you want another kind of love I'll wear a mask for you If you want a partner Take my hand Or if you want to strike me down in anger Here I stand I'm your man

    Apart from rhyming patterns, both the songs are also similar in terms of repetition. Drake’s song continuously repeats the phrases “I could be”, “I should be” and “I would be” and emphasizes the phrase” “Could have been” strongly. On the other hand, Cohen emphasizes more on the phrase “I’m your man” The dissimilarity here lies in the emphasis of the phrases. While Drake makes the repetition of the phrases to focus mainly on the theme, Cohen focus both of the imagery and title of his song. Drake focuses on telling the listeners what messages he wants to give whereas, Cohen focuses on telling the listeners what they are listening to. Hence the effects produced in the songs are different. Drake is more soft and appealing and Cohen is more empowering and demanding but both of them do not fail to sound quite pleasant.

    Even though two songs can have similar themes and connotation, different effects are produced based on the arrangement of verses, rhyming patterns and the uses of words. The given two songs are the best examples. Even though both Drake and Cohen are apparently talking about relationships, the way each of them arranged their lyrics and emphasized different words made it possible to create separate effects. One cannot be called a copy of the other as well as one cannot be completely differentiated from the other. Both of them gives a feeling of connection to the listeners while not sacrificing their uniqueness.

Share this post