Swing Life Away by Rise Against

Am I loud and clear or am I breaking up?
Am I still your charm or am I just bad luck?
Are we getting closer or we just getting more lost?
I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words


[Chorus]
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave 'til the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand


I've been here so long I think that it's time to move
The winter's so cold summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow
I've got some friends some that I hardly know
But we've had some times I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go


[Chorus]
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave 'til the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
Until you hold my hand


Ill show you mine if you show me yours first
Lets compare scars I'll tell you whose is worse
Lets unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end
I wont cross these streets until you hold my hand
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away

Swing Life Away - Rise Against

Rise Against is a punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They started off in 1999 and have released many hit songs since. One of these hits is the song “Swing Life Away”, released in 2004 album “Siren Song of the Counter Culture”. The song is unlike most of Rise Against other songs, because it is performed acoustic.
The lyrics of this song are optimistic and speak of happiness of life. “Swing Life Away” also consists of various poetic devices. “Let’s unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words” is a hyperbole and a symbol. Pages aren’t meant literally and stand for life. The line is basically saying that you should ignore everything that other people have planned for you and just follow your own path. Also, “unwrite” is a made up word, that doesn’t really exist. “We live on front porches and swing life away” is a hyperbole considering that no one can live on a front porch. The second part of that line is imagery. To swing live away means to live life in a relaxing manner, not worrying about small things. “We get by just fine here on minimum wage” alludes to the fact that the world revolves around money these days. Everyone wants to be rich, and thinks that that is how they’ll be happy. This line shows that you can enjoy life with the minimum. “If love is a labor I’ll slave till the end” is a metaphor. Love is being directly compared to labor. This line also shows devotion to love. “I won’t cross these streets until you hold my hand” is also considered a hyperbole. If you take “street” literally, you will realize that it is an exaggeration because it is impossible to not walk across any road until someone is besides them. However, this line is not meant to be taken literally. The streets stand for life itself. This line means that the writer doesn’t want to walk through life without their love. “I’ve got some friends, some that I hardly know” is a paradox. It is expected that everyone knows their friends. “We’ve had some times that I wouldn’t trade for the world” shows personification because time can’t be traded anyways. A second example of personification is the line “We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go”. Even though it is “we” that actually does the chasing, you can’t chase down something inanimate, or something that doesn’t actually exist.
This song indicates devotion to life. The writer expresses that he is just living with the minimum and that it is the simple things like holding someone’s hand that make life so special. You don’t need to have great opportunities to be happy; just the people you care about.

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Craigery Michael Owens

Craigery Michael Owens is an extraordinary song writer and singer from Davison, Michigan. At the age of 24, he is the lead singer of both Chiodos and Cinematic Sunrise. Besides being in two bands, he also has many guest appearances such as on the album Lover, the Lord Has Left Us… by The Sound of Animals Fighting. Most of his music can be classified as post-hardcore, rock, or emo but in and interview with Alternative Press he states that he doesn’t like when people put his music into categories. He is also the writer of both Chiodos’ and Cinematic Sunrise’s songs. On his online journal he tries to explain his utter need to write: “when i am the most alone, and in a state where i need to be lifted. i turn to my two best friends. they have never lied to me. two best friends that have, and will always be there when i need to say anything that needs to be said. when i need to scream, love, weep. i reach out for help from my two best friends, pen and paper.”

The diction in the song "You Told Me You Loved Me" by Cinematic Sunrise is rather simple. There is a lot of repetition. "Knowing that my heart still belongs to you" is imagery and symbolism. The heart stands for his love. This line indicates that he still loves the girl. There are not many other poetic devices in this song. Craig directly says how he feels, without using lots of imagery, metaphors, or similes. The song is very slow and has a sad but relaxing sound to it. The words Craig picked in this song are mostly simple and the song meaning is easy to understand.


"Lexington" by Chiodos, when compared to "You Told Me You Loved Me" has many poetic devices. "I can't stop holding this treasure in my arms" is imagery and symbolism. In this case, the treasure is a girl. "For all the water in the ocean could never turn this swan's legs from black to white" is imagery. Also, the color black is a symbol for bad or evil, and the color white represents good. The line "Screaming from the inside of me" is considered imagery because he does not literally scream. It can also be considered a hyperbole. "We're watching segregated illusions Between the things that we see, and the things that we fear" is also imagery. No one literally "watches" them.


Even though "Lexington" and "You Told Me You Loved Me", both written by Craig Owens, demonstrate devotion, they do it in two different ways. "Lexington" has a more positive and happy attitude towards devotions, while "You Told Me You Loved Me" is more negative and depressed. This is indicated by the rhythm of the songs and by the lyrics.

Contradicting Diction

You said you loved me
More than anyone else could ever know
But now you're leaving
Can't we just try to work this out
And I've never been one to brag

The nights get lonely
And all I have left is a memory of you
I tried to say this
But now there's nothing left for me to do
And I've never been one to brag

Please don't go, just stay
I watched with tears in my eyes as you walked away
Miss your voice, and your touch
And if I told you I loved you could that be enough?

An awkward silence
It's been too long since I've heard from you
And I lay sleepless
Knowing that my heart still belongs to you
And I've never been one to brag

Please don't go, just stayI watched with tears in my eyes as you walked away
Miss your voice, and your touch
And if I told you I loved you could that be enough?

Please don't go, just stayI watched with tears in my eyes as you walked away
Miss your voice, and your touch
And if I told you I loved you could that be enough?

And tonight I'll stay home and miss you more than you'll ever know
And tonight I'll stay home and miss you more than you'll ever know
And tonight I'll stay home and miss you more than you'll ever know
And tonight I'll stay home and miss you more than you'll ever know

You Told Me You Loved Me - Cinematic Sunrise





The fields are near and I won't trust the air with secrets.
I can't stop holding this treasure in my arms.
For all the water in the ocean
could never turn this swan's legs from black to white.

Let them say, let them say, let them say what they please.

You won't be leaving my arms...ever, I promise you that.
Even if you want me to let go, honey. Even if you want me to let go.
You won't be leaving my arms...ever, I promise you that.
Even if you want me to let go, honey.
Even if you say the things that make me want to lose you.

We went on drinking, celebrating something
I looked at you and said that I'm forever yours
You looked at me and said oh the idea of being in love
The idea. The idea of being forever yours.

You won't be leaving my arms...ever, I promise you that.
Even if you want me to let go, honey. Even if you want me to let go.
You won't be leaving my arms...ever, I promise you that.
Even if you want me to let go, honey.
Even if you say the things that make me want to lose you.

Screaming from the inside of me.
A lonely and pleading phantasm.
We only get what we see
Gazing so desperately
Between the things that we fear
Gazing so desperately
Elaborate delusions.
We're watching segregating illusions.
Between the things that we see, and the things that we fear.
No, no it won't make them disappear.

You won't be leaving my arms...ever, I promise you that.
Even if you want me to let go, honey. Even if you want me to let go.
You won't be leaving my arms...ever, I promise you that.
Even if you want me to let go, honey.
Even if you say the things that make me want to lose you.
Even if you want me to let go, honey...


Lexington (Joey Pea-Pot With A Monkey Face) - Chiodos