Tell me now, what more do you need?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything
And there's a few things I gotta say
Make no mistake, I'm mad
'Cause every good thing I had
Abandoned me
A sad and lonesome me
I'm the walking wounded
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This song contains an extended metaphor that compares a dejected man frustrated by fighting with his partner to a wounded soldier. "Walter Reed" is an allusion to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is part of a health care system operated by the U.S. Army. A broken heart rarely requires hospitalization, so Michael's request to be taken to Walter Reed is hyperbolic.
As the title of the song encompasses the metaphor and the comparison is the foundation of the lyrics, the song can be considered a conceit.
The verb "abandon" generally has a person as its subject: people abandon places ("to abandon a sinking ship," "to abandon a decrepit building"), other people ("to abandon one's child"), things and thoughts ("to abandon a car," "to abandon the idea of writing a novel"), and themselves to feelings ("to abandon oneself to grief"). Things rarely abandon people, so "every good thing I had abandoned me" can be considered an example of personification. It is unlikely that each and every good thing Michael has ever had "abandoned" him, so this is another example of hyperbole.
These lyrics contain two examples of alliteration: "Make no mistake, I'm mad" and "walking wounded."
dictionary.com: metaphor dejected allusion hyperbole personification explicit alliteration
Download "With a Little Luck" here.
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With a little luck, we can help it out.
We can make this whole damn thing work out.
With a little love, we can lay it down.
Can't you feel the town exploding?
There is no end to what we can do together.
There is no end, there is no end.
The willow turns his back on inclement [stormy; showing no mercy]weather;
And if he can do it, we can do it, just me and you,
And a little luck, we can clear it up.
We can bring it in for a landing,
With a little luck, we can turn it on.
There can be no misunderstanding.
There is no end to what we can do together.
There is no end, there is no end.
The willow turns his back on inclement weather;
We can do it, just me and you.
With a little push, we could set it off.
We can send it rocketing skywards.
With a little love, we could shake it up.
Don't you feel the comet exploding?
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"The willow turns his back" is an example of personification.
- personification: the assignment of human characteristics to inanimate objects or nature in a direct and explicit manner
dictionary.com: inclement
Download "Dyslexic Heart" here.
You shoot me glances and they're so hard to read
I miscontrue [interpret incorrectly] what you mean
Slip me a napkin and now that you start
Is this your name or a doctor's eye chart?
I try and comprehend you but I got a dyslexic heart
I ain't dying to offend you, I got a dyslexic heart
Thanks for the book, now my table is ready
Is this a library or bar?
Between the covers I thought you were ready
A half-angel, half-tart
Do I read you correctly, lead me directly
Help me with this part
Do I hate you? Do I date you?
Do I got a dyslexic Heart?
You keep swayin'… what are you sayin'?
Thinking 'bout stayin'?
Or are you just playing, making passes
Well, my heart could use some glasses
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Dyslexia is a reading disorder associated with an impairment in the ability to read and comprehend words. It may also involve challenges in interpreting auditory or visual information. Dyslexia is a pathological condition that affects people, so describing a heart as "dyslexic" is personification. Similarly, hearts do not wear glasses.
The series of questions "Do I hate you? Do I date you? Do I got a dyslexic heart?" is an example of anaphora because three successive sentences begin with the words "do I."
The couplet "Do I hate you? Do I date you?" is an example of antithesis because the sentences have a similar structure and they express contrasting feelings (assuming that dating someone is indicative of a lack of hatred).
- personification: the assignment of human characteristics to inanimate objects or nature in a direct and explicit manner
- anaphora: the repetition of a word or set of words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences
- couplet: a pair of successive lines of verse that generally rhyme and have the same meter
- antithesis: the placement of words, phrases, or sentences in a parallel structure to form a balanced contrast of ideas
dictionary.com: miscontrue
