Song: Good-bye Norton High

High School came and went
Years go by
Time quickly spent
But now it is time for a new chapter
New classes, new friends
and so much laughter
You hug your parents good-bye
Suddenly torn
Meet a first roomate in your first dorm
Soon everything is notes
No fun to the lesson plans
The most stressful week of your life:
Midterm exams
Party over the weekend
Dance with your friends
Meet a new guy
So glad, too glad
To be out of Norton High!

Short Story

Collecting these checks get better and better. They get bigger and bigger. I cash an outstanding amount then walk out of the bank. As I step in my gaudy car I hear my cell ringing. Is she really calling me again? I send the call to voicemail and start the engine.

            I pull up to the tall hotel made of glass. It towers over all the surrounding buildings and glistens when the sun hits. The inside has a marble lobby, all black and gold. Three beautiful females are waiting for me in my room. I throw my wallet in the safe, set the code and jump in bed. I certainly value my money more than these whores. Right as things are about to get interesting my phone goes off AGAIN. Knowing who it is without even needing to look I let it ring. Ring ring ring.

            Five days later I find myself at home. She’s at the kitchen table looking beautiful as always, but she looks weary. It appeared as if she had missed a decent amount of sleep the last few days. Hmmm, wonder why. I am not sure where the fight started, but I believe it was around the moment she started crying. “Shut the hell up,” I snarl. Her light green eyes turn three shades darker all of a sudden; she gets in my face and screams.

            It was the first time I ever hit her, but undoubtedly not the last. More and more women equaled more and more fights. I am not a monster however, you see. I felt guilt, in fact, I felt horrible. The lies helped a little bit…not that she believed a damn word I said. The gifts helped a lot…not that she believed I did it because I wanted too. They were a way of me saying let me do what I want, and do not ask questions.

            Things started falling apart even more when I was on the road. A woman a night, that’s what I like to hear. I was having a crazy time, and my wifey didn’t even call me off the hook! There I was thinking I could have my cake and eat it too; silly me. It wasn’t until I walked in the door and saw a note. I’m not sure when she left it there, and I guess it didn’t really matter. It read she was leaving me, moving on for good. My hands shook. I grabbed my cell and dialed her number. Straight to voicemail. “Have I really done this,” I thought frantically. She was the love of my life, and I messed it all up. It’s all gone now. She’s all gone now.

top 100

Alicia Perry

10/16/10

What qualifies a song to be poor written, and just considered “noise”? Young people often hear that their music is “garbage” and has profane, ludicrous lyrics. As each generation gets older, it seems that the music becomes more and more extreme. Some songs that did well on the charts such as Deuces by Chris Brown, Like a G6 by Far East Movement, and California Girls by Katie Perry reflect a shallow light on our generation.

            Deuces by Chris Brown is a song about meeting a girl that treats him good, and makes him want to leave the girl he is with. This sends some messages to the listeners. The line, “No more tryin to make it work…You made me wanna say bye bye, say bye bye, say bye bye to her” (stanza 2, lines 4-5) is insinuating that he is finished with dealing with him and his girlfriends problems. Also, that the new woman helps him forget about his current girlfriend.  This is otherwise known as cheating which is looked down upon in society. The line “But all that shit I do for her, you gon hear bout it” (stanza 5, line 14) means he plans on treating his new girlfriend well, and he wants his ex to find out, and probably feel jealousy. Instead of just moving on, he makes an example by putting himself in an unhealthy situation. As a male, he makes it appear that it is okay to trade in girls for other girls, which is very disrespectful.

            Like a G6 by Far East Movement is a song about going out and drinking. The line, “When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard” (stanza 4, line 2) means they are having drinks, and getting very intoxicated. The message being sent out is the “right” way to drink is to get completely drunk, or “slizzard”. Drinking to get drunk is discouraged supposedly, but then this kind of song promotes it. Music like this, which is most popular with my generation, shows that the generation does get reckless. The line “This is how we live, every single night” (stanza 5, line 3) also gives the impression of irresponsibility to the current generation. It is not a good model to put out for listeners that going out every night is a “daily occurrence” and that it is acceptable to do.

            California Girls by Katie Perry is a song about females from California being irresistibly charming. The lines “California girls, we're unforgettable,
Daisy dukes, bikinis on top!” (stanza 5, lines 1-2) are referring to the California girls wearing short jean shorts and bikini tops. “California girls, we're undeniable” (stanza 6, line 1) is calling these girls undeniable. People from California are notoriously known to be rich, and good looking. This song is implying that the girls from there are the best you will meet anywhere around the world. This shallow idea of perfection reflects the views of our generation. People have seemingly become more and more superficial throughout the years. This almost portrays females as objects in the way the song only talks about how crazy these ‘perfect’ girls get, and how beautiful they are. It mentions nothing about personality or intellectual capability.

            Success is measured through various new ideas that originated in the current generation.  Throughout the songs I have analyzed I see that the singers, as well as the listeners who enjoy the music, find getting numerous girls, getting drunk, and looking good to be defined as success. This sheds obvious negativity on the current generation because of the trivial and irresponsible stand points in the most popular songs in the US.

self expression rap (1)

Hailey's Song- Eminem
I can't sing
I feel like singing
I wannna f****n' sing
Cuz i'm happy
Yea' i'm happy
He He
I got my baby back
Yo, check it out?

Some days i sit, starin' out the window
Watchin' this world pass me by
Sometimes i think theres nothing to live for
I almost break down and cry
Sometimes i think i'm crazy
I'm crazy, oh so crazy!
Why am i here? am i just wastin' my time?
But then i see my baby
Suddenly i'm not crazy!
It all makes sense when i look into her eyes (oh no)

Sometimes it feels like the world's on my shoulders
Everyone's leaning on me
Cus sometimes it feels like the world's almost over
But then she comes back to me

My baby girl keeps gettin' older
I watch her grow up with pride
People make jokes,
cus they don't understand me
They just dont see my real side
I act like shit dont phase me,
Inside it drives me crazy!
My insecurities could eat me alive
But then i see my baby
Suddenly i'm not crazy!
It all makes sense when i look into her eyes (oh no)

Sometimes it feels like the world's on my shoulders
Everyone's leaning on me
Cus sometimes it feels like the world's almost over
But then she come back to me

Yeh and if i could sing,
i'd keep singing this song to my daughter
If i could hit the notes,
i'd blow something as long as my father
To show her how i feel about her,
how proud i am that i got her
God, im a daddy, im so glad that her mom didn't want her
Now you prob'ly get this picture from my public persona
That i'm a pistol-packing drug-addict who bags on his momma,
But i wanna just take this time out to be perfectly honest
Cus there's a lot of shit i keep bottled that hurts deep inside of my soul,
And just know that i grow colder the older i grow
This boulder on my shoulder gets heavy and harder to hold
And this load is like the weight of the world
And i think my neck is breaking
should i just give up or try to live up to these expectations?

now look,
I love my daughter more than life in itself,
But i got a wife who's determined to make my life livin' hell
But i handle it well, given the circumstances i'm dealt
So many chances, man, it's too bad, coulda had someone else
But the years that i've wasted is nothing to the tears that ive tasted
So here's what im facin: 3 felonies, 6 years of probation
I've went to jail for this woman, i've been to bat for this woman
I've taken bats to peoples' backs bent over backwards for this woman
Man, i shoulda seen it comin, why'd i stick my penis up it?
Wouldn't have ripped the pre-nup up if i'da seen what she was fuckin'
But fuck it, it's over, there's no more reason to cry no more
I got my baby, baby the only lady that i adore, hailey
So sayonara try tomorra, nice to know ya
our baby's travelled back to the arms of her rightful owner
And suddenly it seems that my shoulder blades have just shifted
Its like the greatest gift you can get
The weight has been lifted

Now it dont feel like the world's on my shoulders
Everyones leaning on me
Cos My baby knows that her daddy's a soldier
Nothing can take her from me

Woo!
I told you, i can't sing.
Oh well, i tried
Hailie, remember when i said
If you ever need anything, daddy will be right there?
Well guess what, daddy's here.
And i ain't goin nowhere baby
I love you (kiss)"

 Analysis:

Eminem's song "Hailey's Song" expresses Eminem's personal struggles with his public persona, ex wife, and his daughter who he loves very much. Eminem, otherwise known as Marshal Mathers, grew up in a Trailer Park in Detroit. He was in a bad area, with a bad home life. His mother, Debbie Nelson, was a heavy drug user as well as an alcoholic. 

Eminem raps, "Sometimes it feels like the worlds on my shoulders, everyone’s leaning on me" (stanza 2, line 8-10). This simile expresses Eminems raw feelings of intense pressure on him at times. The fact that so many people look up to him and so many people critique him must run a psychological toll on him. Another simile is when Eminem says, "It's like the greatest gift you can get" (stanza 7, line 17). He is referring to the return of his daughter which makes the pressures of his life almost dissipate. He is correlating that to the greatest gift a person can get, meaning, obviously, that he would prefer that gift over anything else.

His love for his daughter is expressed when he raps, "But then i see my baby, suddenly I'm not crazy, it all makes sense when I look in her eyes" (stanza 2, line 8-10). Although he is affected by strain he feels from the media, he finds comfort in his daughter. He is able to overcome stressful points in his life when he puts Hailey first, she is the first real, as well as most important, responsibility he has. 

Eminem says, "I love my daughter more than life in itself, but I got a wife that's determined to make my life living hell" (stanza 3, line 1-2). He is bitter after his Kim his wife, and mother of Hailey, cheated on him. They take care and see Hailey separately. She and Eminem were continuously in court when this song was made. Although he hates Kim, his hate for her is outweighed by his love for his daughter.