Lyrics have but used for many years to describe a variety of things from areas that we live in, to how we feel, or an event in time, an allusion so to speak. Depending on the area of focus in a song it can help the composer determine the flow or direction of a song or the placement of the lyrics or stanzas which can also aid in a captivating point to get the audience caught up in that allusion.
Yet, when we listen to some songs that can be special in some way or another, and as they explode across the music airway, have you ever evaluated these same lyrics as simple poetry.When famous rappers recite lyrics or rhymes as what they feel are lyrical masterpieces, what do we hear in those stanzas? Can one see what message the artist is truly trying to convey to us? What makes some artist sing these songs the way that they do? Or is this all just different ways of expressing poetry? Entertainment per say. Let’s take a look at Fantasia Barrino’s, Lose to Win, a song of pure emotion. When Fantasia aired singing this song on American Idol a few weeks ago, one can observe how the audience was captivated by her emotions in this song that it brought her to tears and some of her viewers as well.
Was it the love that she lost and won that brought her to tears or the passion of the allusion thereof? For some would say it was literal imagery for Fantasia knowing the hardships she has encountered with various relationships with men in her life. But at the same time it was both literal and symbolic imagery for many of her viewers. In her second stanza,“You ain't here for dinner; Like I 'm a beginner; Love you for your inner, inner, inner; And your next guy is out there...
... somewhereeeee; But you won't dare, cause your too scareeeeeed (Barrino, 2012).Here the rhyme scheme flowing perfect, somewhat like a limerick, clearly the metaphor is many women have been left at the dinner table waiting for their loved ones to return home, but she knows he is outside of the home doing God knows what. And yet she continues to love him for the person that he is inside.
But at the same token, she knows that there is another man that is outside the home willing to provide exactly what she is waiting for but afraid of losing the true love she thinks she has for another love she might win.Or is she afraid of losing the man that she thinks is her only true love? Now in the chorus, “Have you ever needed someone so bad; But he ain’t willing to make it last, Sometimes you gotta lose to win again. If it makes you cry, cry, cry; And All you do is fight, Can't get no sleep at night; Sometimes you gotta lose to win again (Barrino, 2012). ” A part of being in love, one would imagine, is the need to have that person in your life, the message that someone might guess is being said, like Romeo felt regarding Juliet.
But the person your involved with is not willing to put forth the afford to make the relationship continue, so you have to let go, to lose, to gain happiness within yourself or with someone, to win again. What drew me to this song was the strength that Fantasia put into singing this song to make her allusion for me clear. I have never needed someone so bad, but God. But after hearing and seeing the conviction she gave in her performance, I was able to fine myself wondering what life was like for her. Asking myself were her relationship that horrible.
And over time people have used a great number of songs to paint an allusion to take you into the message within the words. I remember several hymns and spirituals that slaves would sing just to pass the time away, but they also told the story of hardships of working in the field. These songs painted a very clear paint of what life was like in slavery. They also used these same songs as codes in their attempts to escape from slavery as well. Painting a clear picture and with such strong emotion to either inspire someone to reach their destination or drew you into the journey.
I’m sure when the writer sat down and wrote this song for Fantasia it was given to her with her various relationship issues in mine. The funny part of it all is that Fantasia states that the song is not about a relationship, but rather serves as a metaphor for her career. She further cites, “It’s been 10 years for me and there’s been ups, there’s been downs, there’s been people to walk away. So the message was strong for me and I just had to record it (ABS Staff, 2012)” “Sometime you gotta lose to win again. ”
