Tough Little BoysColin Olena

Lyrics

Well I never onceBacked down from a punchWell I'd take it square on the chinWell I found out fastA bully's just thatYou've got to stand up to himSo I didn't cry when I got a black eyeAs bad as it hurt, I just grinnedBut when tough little boys grow up to be

dadsThey turn into big babies again.

Lyrics

Scared me to deathWhen you took your first stepsAnd I'd fall everytime you fell downYour first day of school, I cried like a foolAnd I followed your school bus to townWell I didn't cry, when Old Yeller diedAt least not in front of my friendsBut when tough little boys grow up to be

dadsThey turn into big babies again

Lyrics

Well I'm a grown manAnd as strong as I amSometimes its hard to believeThat one little girl, with little blonde curlsCould totally terrify meIf you were to askMy wife would just laughShe'd say "I know all about menHow when tough little boys grow up to be

dadsThey turn into big babies again"

Lyrics

Well I know one day, I'll give you awayAnd I'm going to stand there and smileBut when I get home, and I'm all alone Well, I'll sit in your room for a whileWell I didn't cry, when Old Yeller diedAt least not in front of my friendsBut when tough little boys grow up to be

dadsThey turn into big babies againBut when tough little boys grow up to be

dadsThey turn into big babies again

Why I picked this song?

As I grew up my mom would always play this song in the car, she used to say "This is a real man" and since then I always tried to be how like Gary Allen explains throughout the song. But of course I don't have a child so I try to picture with the lyrics in this song.

Speaker of the Song.

I really feel like the speaker of this song is a middle-aged father that talks about the hardships and the things to live for in life. Gary Allen really makes it seem like you can picture what he is saying. He puts good emotion into the song, giving the phrases behind the words meaning.

Imagery

And as strong as I amSometimes its hard to believeThat one little girl, with little blonde curlsCould totally terrify me

Imagery Evidence

A word or phrase that uses description to creates mental picture/image(s) into the reader's mind.

Blank Verse

Well I know one day, I'll give you awayAnd I'm going to stand there and smileBut when I get home, and I'm all alone Well, I'll sit in your room for a whileWell I didn't cry, when Old Yeller diedAt least not in front of my friends

There is no specific rhyme scheme, fixed line length or a stanza form.

Narrative Poetry

The story of the song is about a kid who grew up from being bullied to fighting against bullying. Then the story progressively goes to where the boy is now a middle aged father, with a child going to school.

Narrative Poetry Evidence

Well I never onceBacked down from a punchWell I'd take it square on the chin

Scared me to deathWhen you took your first stepsAnd I'd fall everytime you fell downYour first day of school, I cried like a foolAnd I followed your school bus to town

Discussing of Song 1

My personal interpretation about the song is the story-teller in the song was bullied when he was younger, but he fought the bullying back and eventually grew out of the stage.

The next stage of his life was his child growing up, from first steps to first day of school

Discussing of song 2

The next stage in his life he talks about little girls and terrifying him, I think the reason is because he has a son and he doesn't want his son to grow up too fast like he did.

The last stage of his life in the song, is talking about when the son/daughter is going to go to college, and he is saying how he sat in his/her room and "Sat in the room for a while."

The Song's Theme

In the song the speaker is talking about the stages of life and getting through them with little to no hardships and how amazing life can actually be when everything is said and done and you're just moving forward.

Darry meets Gary Allen

In the book The Outsiders Darry was the father figure of the story. I feel as if Darry felt the same way as Gary Allen explained when his child went to school for the first time. I feel he felt this way when Ponyboy and Johnny ran away and he even cried, He didn't even cry at his parents funeral.

Darry meets "Tough Little Boys" 1

In the song Gary Allan talks about getting punched in the chin and just grinning it off. In the story "The Outsiders" Darry was punched in the rumble, and he was fine. Darry is a soft guy way deep inside, he was really worried the whole time Ponyboy was gone. This reminds me of the part of the song about sitting in the Childs room and "Waiting for a while".

Darry meets "Tough Little Boys" 2

I feel like the connection between Pony, Soda, and Darry is like the feeling of the Middle aged man in the story of "Tough Little Boys" and the way he felt when his Son/Daughter had their first day of school.