She burns like a burning bushdriven by a godawful wind.
This sounds like a forest fire which can spread very quickly by wind. The word "burning" shows that it is continuous. The word "godawful" shows the tone of the author and how all this destruction has caused so much grief for him.
She rises like dragonsmoke to my nostrils.
The author mentions inhaling the smoke. Which shows how the fires affected him as well.
She burns like a shot glass of vodka.She burns like a field of poppies
Two similes comparing to the burning taste of vodka and a field of poppies. Poppies are usually red and a field of them looks like a ball of fire. Giving it a sort of beauty.
silent as quicksilver.A tiger under a rainbow at nightfall.
The author is showing even though it is this raging fire is going on there is still this eerie feeling of silence. quicksilver is liquid. Could that be the blood of the people that flowed. the tiger who are silent predators.
She glows like the fat tipof a banker's cigar,
The end of cigars have this orange hue at the end as it is burning and it looks like it's glowing. That is what is being compared. "she" glowed as she was on fire. She could be a pronoun the author gives to Vietnam.
She burns like oil on water.She burns like a cattail torch
These are both similes that compares "her" burning to a cattail torch and oil on water.
like a sack of dry ice.
Dry smoke can burn if you don't hold them with gloves. The imagery from the smoke from dry ice could also represent the smoke from the fires.
We stand with our handshanging at our sides,while she burns
Hands hanging on our sides sounds like he is defenseless like cant do anything as they watch "her" burn. Could "she" represent the county and where they are is burning.
A skirt of flamesdances around herat dusk.
Sounds like a ring of fire. Personification of the dancing fire shows how active it is. Dusk, its in the dark. Making the fire more vibrant.
she burns like a piece of paper.She burns like foxfirein a thigh-shaped valley.
A lot of fire imagery. Paper burns really quickly. Foxfire, also known as fairy fire is a species of fungi on decaying wood. This is showing how fast fire is and how takes over quickly.
belongs to a girl still burninginside my head.
Who is this girl in his head? Was this a real person to him in his life? Inside his head, so could it be his subconscious?
The cry I bring down from the hills
Why is he crying? Could he be crying for help?
"You and I Are Disappearing"
Is he speaking to someone in particular. Whats does the author mean by disappearing. Is he lost?
Take me homeJust take me homeYeah just take me home, oh
Is she trying to leave?. Is interest wearing off? Did they have an argument? This is a shift from the beginning when she was sneaking out to go with him and now she wants to go home.
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of styleYou've got that long hair slick back, white t-shirtAnd I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
The repeating shows the pattern in this relationship how this is an ongoing cycle. The idea of them being together creates this obsession they have for each other.
I say "I've heard that you've been out and about with some other girl, some other girl"He says "What you've heard is true but ICan't stop thinking about you" and II said "I've been there too a few times"
This shows the obsession they have for this tumultuous relationship. They are infatuated with each other. They cant leave each other.
So it goes, he can't keep his wild eyes on the road
This shows the intensity of the relationship that she is a distraction for him.
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style
She is saying in this on and off relationship will keep going because they are made for each other.
You've got that long hair slick back, white t-shirtAnd I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
She is describing both of them. This could be the style she is talking about. They match each other.
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style
She is saying even if they break up they will still get back together because they match each other. They are made for each other.
You got that James Dean daydream look in your eyeAnd I got that red lip, classic thing that you like
James Dean was a famous actor known for his looks as well. She is comparing her partner to his charm. This is a surface description making it superficial. Red lips tight skirt she is talking about her looks. The relationship doesn't seem loving, more like an infatuation.
but IWatch it go round and round each time
It sounds like their relationship is in a cycle. An on and of relationship that keeps going.
And I should just tell you to leave 'cause IKnow exactly where it leads but I
This might not be a good relationship. She wants to leave the relationship but something is grabbing her in. Maybe the thrill and excitement from it.
Fade into view, oh,It's been a while since I have even heard from you
Sounds like they are distant from each other. She has not heard from this person in a while. Its almost like a blur.
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
They are driving for a long time, usually time to reflect and get your mind off things. Two different outcomes could come from this long journey.
Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights
She is being picked up in the dark. Why so late. No headlights, it's at night time why no headlight. Where are they going. Could it be a secret.
I call for youcultivation of victory Overlong blows that you want to give and blows you are going to get.
She is calling to overcome the obstacles and challenges they will go through and the anger they might feel. "going to get" showing that they will go through theses problems but bring out their inner strength.
many many mornings-after;
The repeating of many could mean the years or sentences that the prisoners are facing. The long days they are in prison.
non-cheering dark,
Dark or solemn. A feeling of isolation and depression. Were the prisoners are not happy.
To Prisoners
This is an open letter to prisoners and maybe even people who are imprisoned emotionally or psychologically
to heal
To heal could in reference from the line crumble you down, to sicken you.
I call for youcultivation of strength to heal and enhance
She calls for the prisoners to be strong and persevere through troubling times. she wants them to get through it.
Overwhat wants to crumble you down, to sickenyou.
Victory over things that will try to bring the prisoners down and make them feel low.
I call for youcultivation of victory Over
She is addressing her audience and giving them encouraging words.
Under the wolves and coyotes of particular silences.
These are violent animals. They could symbolize intimidation to create that chilling silence.
vertigo cold.
vertigo is dizziness. Could this mean confusion or anxiety.
in the dark.
Is this a physical darkness or a psychological darkness. Darkness is usually associated with fear and terror. Maybe that's where the strength is needed to brought out.
cultivation of strength
Bringing out the inner strength. Something that needs to be brought out.
Wildest Dreams
Wildest dream means something that is beyond your imagination. Could anything you want it to be. But it is not real, it is just for a moment.
Even if it's just in your (Just pretend, just pretend)Wildest dreams, ah-ha
She repeats "just pretend", she is telling him but it seems like she is trying to convince herself.
Say you'll see me againEven if it's just pretend
She wants him to still remember her even if it's not real. She wants him to hold on to those memories like she is. It seems that this might not have been genuine as she wants it to be.
Someday when you leave meI bet these memoriesFollow you around
She is suggesting that when this does end he will still think of her and remember her.
Someday when you leave me
She already knows this relationship will end. The ending is inevitable.
You'll see me in hindsightTangled up with you all night
When he thinks about her he will remember all the good times they had. But that will be all just the illusion of their happiness.
And when we've had our very last kissMy last request is Say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress
When it is the end she only wants one thing to come from this; that he will remember her. Good memories.
Nothing lasts forever but this is getting good now
She knows that this will not last, but she is saving all the good memories she has.
And his voice is a familiar sound
She will remember his voice. Maybe in her dreams. Could this be someone she's known all along and she is wondering if he will remember her.
I said, "No one has to know what we do"His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room
She wants it to be a secret. What they shared together will just be between them, making their bond even stronger. Why do they have to be a secret?
Say you'll see me againEven if it's just in your wildest dreams, ah-ha
She wants him to say they will still see each other, even just for pretend or in their dreams.
Staring at the sunset, babeRed lips and rosy cheeks
Sunset- sunshine, brightness. Red lips- kisses, intimate. Rosy cheeks- shy, red cheeks.
I can see the end as it beginsMy one condition is Say you'll remember me standing in a nice dressStaring at the sunset, babe
Even though she knows it will end soon she has one request. She wants to be remembered fondly.
I can see the end as it begins
This goes back to "nothing lasts forever". Even though it is the beginning she already knows it will end.
I thought heaven can't help me now
She is caught up in something that she can not get out of. What does she mean by this. Why heaven?
Nothing lasts forever,
She has a realization and understanding that "nothing lasts forever". What does she mean by this. Did she want something to last forever.
He's so tall and handsome as hellHe's so bad but he does it so well
She is describing someone's looks and attitude. Surface description of this person. She seems to be enamored by this person, even though he is "bad".
He said, "Let's get out of this townDrive out of the city, away from the crowds"
He is telling her they should leave the crowded town. It seems that they want to escape. Where are they going? What is wrong with where they are right now.
In Memory of Dennis Turner, 1946-1984
Who is this person the poem is honoring. Was he a basketball player?
floating perfectly through the net.
Even though it was a blur the ball goes through the net perfectly. Why use the word "perfectly", to give a satisfied feeling, a feeling of completion or victory.
orange blur
It was so quick the basketball looked like a blur. They couldn't see it clearly.
swiveling back to see
Why not saying turning around? It shows the disarray and frantic nature of the player as he fell but his eyes are still on the ball.
for the game he loved like a country
Metaphor. Comparing a players love to basketball and a patriots love for their country. Why? It's showing the devotion of the payer to the game and the sport.
losing his balance in the process, inexplicably falling,
The player loses control and "inexplicably" falls. that word is showing the confusion it seems like one second he was about to shoot then all of a sudden he falls.
laying it gently against the glass for a lay-up,
Lay-up: a shot near the basket, usually off the backboard from the side. The player is taking the ball and is about to shoot. Gently, even though the player came really fast he is about to shoot gently, showing the elegance of the game.
while the power-forward explodes past them in a fury, taking the ball into the air
While the guard calling the foul is going on a player passes them very fast. Explode is the exaggeration of how fast he passes by and the fury is an exaggeration as well. Takes the ball and it about to shoot.
guard finally lunges out and commits to the wrong man
The guard finally calls a foul. The guard is intervening.But fouls the wrong person.
a single bounce hitting the hardwood
The ball is up for too long they are not dribbling it.
moving together as brothers passing the ball between them without a dribble,
They are working together. Sharing and bonding like brothers. Not dribbling just passing the ball. If one person moves without dribbling it is against the rule. They are passing the ball around and using teamwork.
filling the lanes in tandem
Tandem- having two things arranged one in front of the other. So they are in a line.
both forwards racing down the court
The two players are racing. The fast pace of the poem. Forwards- they are both trying to reach somewhere. maybe a goal.
in the wrong direction, trying to catch sight of a high, gliding dribble and a man letting the play develop in front of him in slow motion, almost exactly like a coach’s drawing on the blackboard,
The clumsy defender fell in the wrong direction to watch the player with the ball dribbling and the person beside him watching him like a coach drawing a game plane on a board; paying close attention.
stunned and nailed to the floor
The defender that is clumsy is falling. nailed to the floor shows that he fell hard. Meaning the player that passed him was super fast the defender did not even know what hit him.
flat-footed defender
Flat-footed- clumsy, foolish. The defender seems to be falling as the players runs past him. Which also proves the fast pace in the poem.
spinning around to throw a strike to the outlet who is already shoveling an underhand pass toward the other guard scissoring past
A lot of movement. The sentences shows that it's fast past. Can almost hear the squeaking of the shoes on the court when read.
for once
Sounds like relief. Something that was not expected of the starting center.
our gangly starting center
The staring center is thin and awkward in movement. So he is not the strongest player on the team. He doesn't have a lot to offer to the time.
a cherished possession
There is a lot of emotion in catching the ball from the air. "Cherished possession"- something valuable to someone, something of importance. The ball is very valuable to the person catching. The person maybe have a lot riding on catching the ball. It means something to him.
orange leather
a basketball.
A hook shot kisses the rim and hangs there, helplessly, but doesn’t drop,
Hook shot- a ball is going through a basket. Personification, a ball kisses a rim. Showing a closeness "an almost there feeling". "Helplessly" shows that it's tense moment, "but doesn't drop" the hope is still there.
It's full as Opera
Even though she is not known and not boasted about, to her the crowd is as full as an opera house.
Nor any Placard boast me—
She is not on any posters to advertise her. so she is not known. She is almost a nobody.
Nor any know I know the Art
She may not know a lot, but she knows and understands the art of dancing. Ballet is an art to her. Something to be admired and payed attention to.
Nor tossed my shape in Eider Balls,Nor rolled on wheels of snow
Repition of "no" showing what she does not have. despite the fact she wants to dance. White imagery, showing how angelic ballet is.
Nor hopped to Audiences—like Birds,One Claw upon the Air,
Simile. She is comparing ballerinas to a bird. A negative comparison. She is mocking the audience and how they watch the ballerinas like a display.
Eider Balls,
Eider balls- birds with soft and light feathers.
I was out of sight, in sound,
Why out of sight? could be her isolation or imagination.
oftentimes, among my mind,
She thinks about dancing a lot. "among", wrong grammar is she she viewing her mind as plural.
Would put itself abroadIn Pirouette to blanch a Troupe—Or lay a Prima, mad,
If she knew how to dance she would be good at it. she could out do other dancers or groups. blanch- white mad-crazy
possesseth
Why the word posseseth. Could glee be a sort of spirit that overtakes her mind.
That had I Ballet knowledge—
She wants to know how to dance. she does not know how.
No Man instructed me—
What man. Is she saying that only men know how to dance? Why is up to a man to instruct her?
But I've got a blank space, babyAnd I'll write your name
She repeats the same thing but she decides to end it with the blank space and I'll write your name. Showing that she is still open to having someone in her life.
Boys only want love if it's tortureDon't say I didn't say, I didn't warn ya
Goes back to that love is a game theme she has going on in the song. She sees love as a get back game. Who can hurt the other the most which she probably got from her previous relationships. The whole was basically a warning that even though theirs good there is also bad, and the bad is extreme.
I get drunk on jealousy
Her sudden mood changes could be triggered by her jealousy, maybe from other girls.
Keep you second guessing like"Oh, my God, who is she?"
She saying she can be a completely different person. Her partner might not even recognize her.
Screaming, crying, perfect stormsI can make all the tables turnRose garden filled with thorns
Like all relationships things change and sometime the good can turn bad. She can be good girlfriend who treats her partner like a king but also she can his life really difficult.
Wait, the worst is yet to come, oh, no
There is a pause then after all the good there also the bad that comes with a relationship and it always happens.
You're the King, baby, I'm your QueenFind out what you wantBe that girl for a month
she is saying that she can offer what he wants in the relationship treat him well but just for a certain time frame.
Stolen kisses, pretty lies
Illusion of good things paired with negative things, going back to that good vs. bad narrative.
I could show you incredible things
she is saying what she can offer in the relationship that he may not have seen before.
Cherry lips, crystal skies
Imagery. Positive feelings.
But I've got a blank space, babyAnd I'll write your name
Even after all she's been through in relationships she has a clean slate and ready to start something new with this person.
It'll leave you breathlessOr with a nasty scar
Back to the this or that ending. No in between. They could be together forever or end very badly.
We'll take this way too far
Goes back to the young and reckless, not taking anything serious and playing games may lead to something they did not intent to happen. Going to far.
we're young and we're reckless
She is comparing youth to recklessness, and innocence and making mistakes.
Cause you know I love the playersAnd you love the game
She is comparing love to a game again and the men as players. She likes the chase and and the challenge. When men are called players they are usually unfaithful so she is still putting them under one umbrella once again.
They'll tell you I'm insane
Her many ex- boyfriends has something to say about her that are all the same. She's crazy. So maybe all her relationships ended the same way.
Got a long list of ex-lovers
She has a many ex-boyfriends. Emphasizing that she had many failed relationships.
You can tell me when it's over, mmhIf the high was worth the pain
she's seems to be numb to relationships, she has to be told when it's over. her "high" is the numbness, she doesn't feel and then when it wears off she feels the pain and hurt emotions and was it worth the pain when all is said and done.
go down in flames
Imagery of fire. Very intense feelings. Showing how she feels at the ending of a relationship.
So it's gonna be foreverOr it's gonna go down in flames
She's saying that the relationship could end in one or two ways; a long time or a disaster.
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
So in this relationship or "game" she saying that she can change him into who she wants him to be. She sort of sees relationships as a task or challenge.
I'm dying to see how this one ends
She is anticipating the ending of this relationship. She knows that it will end but she sees it as a game so she is kind f ready to see how or when it's going to end.
So hey, let's be friends
Back to a casual tone. Even after the whole roller coaster of emotions she is going through. Very playful tone, So she is ready for the game she mentioned previously.
And I know you heard about me
She says he probably knows about her already because rumors fly so maybe she has a sort of reputation that may or may not know.
Ain't it funny rumors fly
She is saying rumors go around quickly. Calling it funny gives a sarcastic tone.
I can read you like a magazine
Simile; comparing someone to a magazines. She is prejudging this person she sees. She seen this sort of things before so she knows whats going on with this person already.
New money, suit and tie
She is observing this "new mistake".
Love's a game, wanna play?
So she is taking this challenge she views as a next mistake. Comparing love to a game shows that she does not take love seriously. Like she is trying to get back at someone.
I thought"Oh, my God, look at that faceYou look like my next mistake
She notices someone and saying they would be her next mistake maybe referencing to a previous relationship. Sounds almost like a challenge or curiosity.
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
She is sort of sharing the "up and downs" in a relationship. The good vs.bad.
I could show you incredible things
She is saying she has something to offer in this relationship.
where you been?
She has not met this person before but she is wondering why she has not met them sooner. Seems to be someone she knows but haven't seen them in a while.
Nice to meet you
Formal introduction. Positive beginning. She is being introduced.