Lyric poetry

When asked to think of a song that juxtaposes lyrics with the tone and beat of the melody, I immediately thought of Lily Allen's "Fuck You (Very Much)." The lyrics are very adult, politically charged, and obviously includes words not suggested for children.

So you say
It's not okay to be gay
Well I think you're just evil
You're just some racist
who can't tie my laces
Your point of view is medieval

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
Cause your words don't translate
And it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Do you get
Do you get a little kick out of being slow minded?
You want to be like your father
It's approval you're after
Well that's not how you find it

Do you
Do you really enjoy living a life that's so hateful?
Cause there's a hole where your soul should be
Your losing control of it and it's really distasteful


Just a taste of the lyrics provided by Lily Allen. The music we'd expect to go with this is not at all what we get. Something a mix of sugary-sweet pop beats and an opening that reminds us of the Carpenters...




The question that this analysis raises is about lyric poetry. Is it becoming a new genre? In another class there was a group of future teachers that used lyrics as a genre of poetry in their hypothetical classroom. More and more teachers are using lyrics as a way to connect to their students and make poetry more contemporary.