Imagery

Wish You Were Here By: Incubus

I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy...happy
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles a back lit canopy
With holes punched in it
I'm counting UFOs
I signal them with my lighter
And in this moment I am happy...happy

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here
The world's a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air saying:
I wish you were here
I wish you were
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here


This song exemplifies proper use of imagery in many ways. In the first line of the song, the very first instance of imagery takes place when it says, "I dig my toes into the sand. The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket." This allows the listener to picture the singer at a beach, with his toes in the sand looking at a beautiful ocean. Since the goal of imagery is for someone to create a picture in their mind, this is a great example. Other examples of imagery occur in the second verse of the song. It says,"I lay my head onto the sand. The sky resembles a back lit canopy with holes punched in it," which creates an image of the singer laying on the sand looking at the stars in the sky. All in all, Wish You Were Here by Incubus greatly portrays imagery for the listener through its descriptions of some beautiful aspects of nature.



Blowin' In The Wind By: Bob Dylan




How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan greatly portrays examples of imagery. It contains many breif words that create images in listener's minds throughout the song. For example, the song says, "How many seas must a white dove sail and how many times must the cannon balls fly," at different parts of the song. Both of these phrases allow listeners to actually see a white dove sailing and a cannon ball fly when they hear those words. Also, the title of the song, and the chorus, include the phrase, "blowing in the wind," which creates the image of all of these examples amist an unseen wind. Although the song is implying that the answers to all of these questions are invisible, we can picture most of the questions in our minds. Dylan allows us to picture these beautiful and natural parts of nature being destroyed with no answer to when or how people will realize what is happening.




Boyd, Brandon. Lyrics. "Wish you Were Here." Morning View. CD. Epic/Immortal.
2001. http://sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Wish-you-were-here-lyrics-Incubus/723112D10329A3D148256AB5000A629A. Web. 3 February 2010.

Dylan, Bob. Lyrics. "Blowin in the Wind." The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Columbia Records.
1963. http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/blowin-wind. Web. 3 February 2010.