It quickens, it thickens. You can't put it down now...

Playing with the idea of poetry and song being intertwined. My previous blog about spoken poetry showed how poetry can come alive and break from its paper prison. Poetry isn't just for the eyes. Many poems are created around raw emotions set into words to describe feelings. Some poems move us beyond being crafted in a pleasing way. We attach ourselves to a poem that speaks to us, that we can relate to, in much the same way that we do to certain songs. Songs, just like poems, use the written language in order to convey a message, be it serious or for fun. So there is a progression in the different forms of poetry. (not that one is superior over the others... just different styles)

Written poetry ----> spoken word -----> lyrics

It's a broad category, but the latter two can be converted back down to the original form we see poetry in.
Singing is just melodic speaking. Sometimes what we think of as "singing" can be broken down into different methods. The band CAKE is an example of playing with this idea. John McCrea (lead singer) is known for "speak-singing", where he half-speaks/ half-sings his lyrics. CAKE's songs are full of word-play. Seemingly simplistic at first glance, there is depth and amazing craft put into their lyrics; it's pure poetry.

Many of you may know them best with their hit radio song: "The Distance" (which annoying fans scream out for them to perform constantly during their shows still- just fyi... they seem to not like that... and who would... that's not their only song). Check out some of their other pieces if you want.