Song Analysis 2

Ray Charles – A Song for You

Shifting from a regretful mood to one of optimistic hopefulness in “A Song for You”, Ray Charles uses powerful hyperbole, fleeting personification, and metaphor that serves to intensify the life of a celebrity in order to demonstrate his complete and total devotion to “a friend” of his: his lover.

Throughout the entire piece, Ray Charles over exaggerates certain aspects of the story being told, which adds depth and strength to the point he is trying to get across. In stanza two, he begs his lover to “please see through” him, which obviously could never legitimately happen, but instead he uses the figure of speech to reiterate just how badly he wants his lover to know he has nothing to hide, and she is everything to him. Later on in the song, Charles claims that he loves her “in a place where there’s no space or time”, which again, is not true, but serves to represent the fact that he is willing to devote all of his “life and time” to her. The intensity and meaning that Ray Charles attaches to the hyperbole he uses definitely solidifies the idea that no matter what, nobody or nothing could ever taint or cloud his love for her. 

The way in which Ray Charles incorporates sparse humanistic characteristics into his works by applying them to inanimate objects is essential to the deeper meaning in that it captivates the listener and causes them to really think about what he is saying. He claims that his love is “hiding” inside the “melody” he’s singing to her, and in order to find it, she needs to actually listen to what he is saying instead of going on by her own opinions. He also, by saying that she taught him “precious secrets of the truth”, implies that “truth” is an animate object that has the ability to hold secrets. Through the meager instances of personification, Ray Charles is able to intensify the feelings he harbors for his love and express them through the animation of non living objects such as “love” and “truth”.

Despite the assimilation of various other meaningful poetic devices into his song, Ray Charles adds in a touch of metaphor when he uses it in order to describe his famous lifestyle. It is said that he has “acted out [his] life in stages/ with ten thousand people watching”, which, through the interpretation of the word “acted” can be seen as him indirectly comparing his life to that of a movie star’s. In doing this, Charles elicits a sympathetic reaction from the listener, due to the fact that no child or person wants to live out their life under the constant scrutiny of “ten thousand people” that they don’t even know, who are watching them. 

"A Song For You"

I've been so many places in my life and time

I've sung a lot of songs, I've made some bad rhyme

I've acted out my life in stages

With ten thousand people watching

But we're alone now and I'm singin' this song for you

I know your image of me is what I hope to be, baby

I've treated you unkindly but girl can't you see

There's no one more important to me

So darling can't you please see through me

'cause we're alone now and I'm singin' my song for you

You taught me precious secrets of the truth, withholdin' nothin'

You came out in front and I was hiding

But now I'm so much better so if my words don't come together

Listen to the melody cause my love's in there hiding

I love you in a place where there's no space or time

I love you for my life, 'cause you're a friend of mine

And when my life is over, remember when we were together

We were alone and I was singin' my song for you

I love you in a place where there's no space or time

I've loved you for my life, yes, you're a friend of mine

And when my life is over, remember when we were together

We were alone and I was singin' my song for you, yes

We were alone and I was singin' this song for you, baby

We were alone and I was singin' my song,

Singin' my song, singin' my song, singin' my song

Singin' my song