Thursday, December 10, 2015

"Walking in Memphis"

I chose the song "Walking in Memphis" on Marc Cohn's self-titled debut album to analyze as poetry. To me, this song reminds me very literally of walking down the streets of Memphis with my dad. He likes to match music to events or the mood, so as we were visiting family friends in Memphis, naturally we had to listen to this song.

In addition to the song's literal connection to the city of Memphis, Cohn presents a broader theme. Through his presentation of his first experience in Memphis, Cohn asserts that new experiences and personal growth
can be found in new places.

At the end of the chorus, Cohn sings, "Yeah I got a first class ticket/ But I'm as blue as a boy can be". In these two lines, Cohn appears to be ready for his trip, but he doesn't actually know what to expect. He conveys this idea by first referencing his first class ticket, showing that he is well off, but then claims that he is as "blue" or new as a boy can be. Throughout the rest of the song, Cohn details the events and experiences of the trip, including his trip to Graceland, the sermon he heard from Reverend Green, and singing in a bar with a woman named Muriel.

The song closes with the lines, "Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues/ In the middle of the pouring rain." Cohn clearly conveyed his feelings throughout his first visit to Memphis, gaining experience travelling and learning as a young adult. He was so overwhelmed by the experience that is felt like it was pouring rain.

Link to lyrics here.

2 comments:

  1. I love this song! I also appreciate the fact that you connected this song to a personal experience with your dad. I would definitely consider this song a work of poetry.

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  2. I also love this song! I think you did a really good job of showing how the song conveys experience and allows listeners to feel as if they were walking with the speaker. I never thought of the significance of the rain! Your connections add to the theme of the song well. Great post!

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