I am not a fan of Taylor Swift, but after taking songwriting classes inspired by her style, I have come to appreciate her talent in crafting meaningful lyrics and catchy melodies.
It appears that Swift incorporates various literary devices in her songs, whether intentionally or not. These devices add depth and complexity to her lyrics, making them more engaging for listeners. Here are some examples of literary devices found in Taylor Swift’s songs:
Polyptoton: This device involves repeating words derived from the same root in close proximity to each other.
- “We never had a shotgun shot in the dark” (from “Getaway Car” by Taylor Swift)
- Who will watch the watchman?
- Takers take and that’s the truth
- Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers
Anastrophe: Anastrophe is the inversion of the usual word order in a clause or sentence, similar to the way Yoda speaks.
- “The greatest teacher, failure is” (Yoda in Star Wars)
- Blue is the color of the shirt he wore
- September was the month we met
Asyndeton: Asyndeton involves omitting conjunctions between parts of a sentence for a specific effect.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle
- Hope, joy, tears, pain; can’t go through that again
- You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought, sold, stolen, arriving on the nightmare, praying for a dream
Epizeuxis: Epizeuxis is the immediate repetition of a word for emphasis.
- O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee!
- Break, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
- Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
- We are never, ever, ever, ever getting back together (Taylor Swift)
Chiasmus: Chiasmus involves repeating words, grammatical constructions, or concepts in reverse order.
- “She has all my love; my heart belongs to her”
- “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate” (John F. Kennedy)
- “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with” (Stephen Stills)
- “With my mind on my money and my money on my mind” (Snoop Dog)
