Initial impressions, and lyrical analysisWake up! (You could do much better)

There once was a ragged man Who was not just a tyrant He would take, but sometimes he'd give something back Then there were the ones that loved him so They would get emotional When they thought of all the things that they should have had Oh isn't it sad? You can pull it back, if you just...

Wake! Up! You could do much better if you Wake up You're life would be much brighter With your eyes wide And a spirit that's alive Oh don't you think it's time To leave the past behind?

There once was a lovely soul Into the wilderness she'd go 'Cos there was nothing here that could hold her back In the darkness she would find It's not as bad as what lay behind She'll pull it back, she'll pull it back If she...

Wakes up She could do much better if she Wakes up Her life could be much brighter With her eyes wide And a spirit that's alive But oh the sadness of all those times And all the touches She left... ...but in her mind

Oh lovely one Oh you're beautiful Oh there's more than this Are you alive?

Wake up Time can be a healer if you Wake up You can see much clearer With your eyes wide And a spirit that's alive

If you wake up You can do much better if you Wake up You're life could be much brighter with your eyes wide And a spirit that's alive Oh don't you think it's time You came alive?

Verse 1There once was a ragged man Who was not just a tyrant He would take, but sometimes he'd give something back Then there were the ones that loved him so They would get emotional When they thought of all the things that they should have had Oh isn't it sad? You can pull it back, if you just...

Lexical set of emotions

These two ideas are oppositional- “tyrant” connotes power which is traditional associated with money and wealth, which the adjective “ragged” directly opposes this.

Lexical set of possession

vs.

There is a contrast between the idea of emotions and the idea of the material. If taken literally, this could mean that the “ragged man” chooses material wealth over emotional wealth. But if this is the case, why is he described as ragged? That reading of the lyrics does not seem to be much sense to me. However, if we take it that the material is actually an allegory for the emotional, the impression that the audience is given is that it is not wealth , or power that he is lacking- but emotion. In this sense, we can perhaps interpret “the ones who loved him so” as partners, and “things they should have had” as successful relationships. I feel that this is a much more interesting, much more subtle reading of the text and I would do better to pursue this perspective.

Conditional clauses “sometimes” and “should” indicate variability and instability, with the exception of the final line, in which the conditional clause “if you just” is juxtaposed with enjambment which introduces the prospect of a possible alternative to the ragged man’s current state.

Chorus• Wake! Up!

You could do much better if you Wake up You're life would be much brighter With your eyes wide And a spirit that's alive Oh don't you think it's time To leave the past behind?

The chorus really reveals a great deal of the meaning : it ultimately expresses the idea that by letting go of whatever holds you back- (“leave the past behind.”) you can move on in life, and be happier. The idea of having your “eyes wide” connotes seeing beyond your problems and your past, and unburdening your soul.

I had mentioned this in my analysis of the first verse, but I feel that this could perhaps be applicable to the idea of a broken relationship, and moving past it.

Exclamatory sentences used to mark a change in pace- could potentially use to mark progression of narrative in video.

Modal verb “could” again constructs possibility of alternative.

“Wake up” “Eyes wide” “spirit that’s alive-idea of being completely awake; living life to its fullest- as opposed to simply going through the motions.

Rhetoric question creates a gentle tone- gives the impression that the performer is guiding the audience towards a better life.

Verse 2• There once was a lovely

soul Into the wilderness she'd go 'Cos there was nothing here that could hold her back In the darkness she would find It's not as bad as what lay behind She'll pull it back, she'll pull it back If she...

“Nothing here that would hold her back”- is this positive or negative? Implies that her life was empty, that she did not have any ties to anyone or anything. I don’t think this is positive.

“Lovely soul- a personality that is the binary opposite to the ragged man.

Structural parallelism reflects first verse- gives the impression of two parallel narratives. Opportunity for me to link the two here; perhaps through the idea of a relationship?

This verse acts as a continuation of the theme of leaving, but not in the same positive sense as stated by the vocalist. In this case, it’s more of an idea of leaving because you have been hurt than leaving because there are better things ahead. There is also the idea that though there is a kind of resolution in running away from pain, that the resolution is “darkness” which is a binary opposite to life that could be much “brighter”- which is the resolution that the vocalist proposes in the chorus.

Chorus 2• Wakes up

She could do much better if she Wakes up Her life could be much brighter With her eyes wide And a spirit that's alive But oh the sadness of all those times And all the touches She left... ...but in her mind

Continuation of verse two narrative- counters the idea that being surrounded by darkness or nothing is better than what had been left behind.

Up until this point, the second chorus had been structurally identical to the first chorus. Here, however, is an elaboration which reveals some more of the narrative- “And all the touches she left” conforms to the idea that it is relationship that she left behind- for “touches” act as a metaphor for this.

The connective “but” here indicates that although she might have physically left the “touches” behind, she still dwells on them mentally.

Bridge• Oh lovely one

Oh you're beautiful Oh there's more than this Are you alive?

Wake up Time can be a healer if you Wake up You can see much clearer With your eyes wide And a spirit that's alive

Term of endearment- loving, gentle tone. Can I present the vocalist in this way? Possible means of constructing star image.

The idea that time can be healer is linked to the idea of old wounds healing with time- this is a phrase commonly used as a metaphor for emotional pain.

Enjambment on the second line gives the impression the third line “Wake up” is an imperative- here, the vocalist becomes more insistent in her advice.

Rhetoric question- expresses concern . Additionally describes something of the girls’ character or attitude: sad, and lost.

Final chorus•

If you wake up You can do much better if you Wake up You're life could be much brighter with your eyes wide And a spirit that's alive Oh don't you think it's time You came alive?

This chorus acts as a reinforcement of the message. Structurally and lyrically, it is nearly exactly the same to the two previous chorus with the exception of the fact that the repetition of the pronoun “ you” indicates that the performer is directly addressing the audience. In this way, the performer creates a bond with the audience, and the message which has been addressing fictional character throughout now has a very real level of relevancy to the listener because the song becomes about their lives.

Overall conclusions...• I would conclude that the lyrics express a couple

of key ideas, some more subtle than others. The main message of the piece is the idea of moving on, and seeing beyond the problems in your past.

• On a more subtle level, the narrative seems to express the characters moving on from a relationship, possibly with each other. This is absolutely a narrative I could work towards presenting in my video; and one which is very well suited to the indie genre in which relationships are a common theme.