ABSTRACT
Harmastuty, Fransiska Neny Kris. (2016). A Study of Figurative Language in The
Script’s Album No Sound without Silence. English Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
Language is used to communicate with each other. One of the media to communicate is using songs in which instances of figurative language are frequently found. The figurative language challenges the listeners to spend extra effort to understand the meaning of figurative expressions.
This research aims to examine the types of figurative language found in the
lyrics of The Script’s album No Sound without Silence. There are two research problems formulated, namely 1) which types of figurative language are found in
the lyrics of The Script’s album No Sound without Silence? and 2) which types of figurative language predominate in the lyrics of The Script’s album No Sound without Silence? The two research objectives in line with the research problems are to find out the types of figurative language which are found and the types which predominate in the album.
To analyze the lyrics, the researcher employs the theories by Lakoff and Johnson (2003), Jay (2003), and Colston (2015). Based on the theories, the researcher made an index that helped to analyze the data. The method used in this research was descriptive qualitative analysis. Observation was used as the descriptive method supported by the use of cross tabulation to show the findings. Furthermore, verbal description was used as the qualitative approach to explain the findings. The data source was the eleven songs in The Script’s album No Sound without Silence. The researcher listened, observed, and recorded the lyrics of the songs besides searching them from the internet.
Based on the findings, the researcher found that there are ten types of figurative language, namely metaphor, simile, hyperbole, meiosis, idiomatic expressions, rhetorical questions, metonymy, irony, sarcasm, and personification. The most frequently used figurative language types are hyperbole and rhetorical questions. The use of songs for language learning particularly English is worth considering since it enriches the understanding of languages including figurative language.
ABSTRAK
Harmastuty, Fransiska Neny Kris. (2016). A Study of Figurative Language in The
Script’s Album No Sound without Silence. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, JPBS, FKIP, Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Bahasa merupakan sebuah instrumen untuk berkomunikasi. Salah satu media untuk berkomunikasi adalah lagu dimana terdapat bahasa kiasan. Bahasa kiasan tersebut memberikan tantangan tersendiri bagi para pendengar untuk berusaha lebih keras dalam memahami ekspresi-ekspresi kiasan.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tipe bahasa kiasan yang ditemukan di dalam lirik lagu dari album terbaru The Script yang berjudul No Sound without Silence. Terdapat dua rumusan masalah penelitan, yaitu 1) tipe bahasa kiasan apa saja yang dapat ditemukan dalam lirik dari album terbaru The Script dan 2) tipe apa saja yang mendominasi tipe bahasa kiasan dalam lirik dari album terbaru The Script. Lebih dari itu, tujuan pertama dari penelitian adalah untuk menemukan tipe bahasa kiasan yang terdapat dalam lirik lagu dari album terbaru The Script. Penelitian ini juga bertujuan untuk menemukan tipe bahasa kiasan yang mendominasi dalam album tersebut.
Dalam menganalisis data, peneliti menggunakan teori dari Lakoff dan Johnson (2003), Jay (2003), dan Colston (2015). Berdasarkan teori yang telah diperoleh, peneliti membuat indeks teori yang dapat membantu dalam tahap analisis data. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif analisis. Teknik observasi dilakuan sebagai metode deskriptif yang didukung oleh tabel untuk memaparkan hasil temuan. Sedangkan, deskripsi verbal digunakan sebagai pendekatan kualitatif untuk menjelaskan hasil temuan. Sumber data dari penelitian ini adalah album terbaru The Script yang berjudul No Sound without Silence yang berisi sebelas lagu baru. Peneliti mendengarkan, mengobservasi, dan menulis lirik lagu selain mencari lirik tersebut melalui internet.
Berdasarkan hasil temuan, peneliti menemukan sepuluh macam tipe bahasa kiasan dalam album The Script, yaitu metafora, simile, hiperbola, meiosis, idiom, pertanyaan retoris, metonimia, ironi, sarkasme, dan personifikasi. Terdapat dua tipe bahasa kiasan yang paling banyak muncul, secara berurutan yaitu hiperbola dan pertanyaan retoris. Penggunaan lagu dalam pembelajaran bahasa terutama Bahasa Inggris layak untuk dipertimbangkan karena lagu dapat memperkaya pengetahuan bahasa termasuk juga pemahaman bahasa kiasan.
A STUDY OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
IN THE SCRIPT’S ALBUM
NO SOUND WITHOUT SILENCE
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Fransiska Neny Kris Harmastuty Student Number: 121214055
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
A STUDY OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
IN THE SCRIPT’S ALBUM
NO SOUND WITHOUT SILENCE
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Fransiska Neny Kris Harmastuty Student Number: 121214055
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv MOTTO
vii
ABSTRACT
Harmastuty, Fransiska Neny Kris. (2016). A Study of Figurative Language in The
Script’s Album No Sound without Silence. English Education Study Program,
Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
Language is used to communicate with each other. One of the media to communicate is using songs in which instances of figurative language are frequently found. The figurative language challenges the listeners to spend extra effort to understand the meaning of figurative expressions.
This research aims to examine the types of figurative language found in the
lyrics of The Script’s album No Sound without Silence. There are two research problems formulated, namely 1) which types of figurative language are found in
the lyrics of The Script’s album No Sound without Silence? and 2) which types of figurative language predominate in the lyrics of The Script’s album No Sound without Silence? The two research objectives in line with the research problems are to find out the types of figurative language which are found and the types which predominate in the album.
To analyze the lyrics, the researcher employs the theories by Lakoff and Johnson (2003), Jay (2003), and Colston (2015). Based on the theories, the researcher made an index that helped to analyze the data. The method used in this research was descriptive qualitative analysis. Observation was used as the descriptive method supported by the use of cross tabulation to show the findings. Furthermore, verbal description was used as the qualitative approach to explain the findings. The data source was the eleven songs in The Script’s album No Sound without Silence. The researcher listened, observed, and recorded the lyrics of the songs besides searching them from the internet.
Based on the findings, the researcher found that there are ten types of figurative language, namely metaphor, simile, hyperbole, meiosis, idiomatic expressions, rhetorical questions, metonymy, irony, sarcasm, and personification. The most frequently used figurative language types are hyperbole and rhetorical questions. The use of songs for language learning particularly English is worth considering since it enriches the understanding of languages including figurative language.
viii
ABSTRAK
Harmastuty, Fransiska Neny Kris. (2016). A Study of Figurative Language in The
Script’s Album No Sound without Silence. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa
Inggris, JPBS, FKIP, Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Bahasa merupakan sebuah instrumen untuk berkomunikasi. Salah satu media untuk berkomunikasi adalah lagu dimana terdapat bahasa kiasan. Bahasa kiasan tersebut memberikan tantangan tersendiri bagi para pendengar untuk berusaha lebih keras dalam memahami ekspresi-ekspresi kiasan.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tipe bahasa kiasan yang ditemukan di dalam lirik lagu dari album terbaru The Script yang berjudul No Sound without Silence. Terdapat dua rumusan masalah penelitan, yaitu 1) tipe bahasa kiasan apa saja yang dapat ditemukan dalam lirik dari album terbaru The Script dan 2) tipe apa saja yang mendominasi tipe bahasa kiasan dalam lirik dari album terbaru The Script. Lebih dari itu, tujuan pertama dari penelitian adalah untuk menemukan tipe bahasa kiasan yang terdapat dalam lirik lagu dari album terbaru The Script. Penelitian ini juga bertujuan untuk menemukan tipe bahasa kiasan yang mendominasi dalam album tersebut.
Dalam menganalisis data, peneliti menggunakan teori dari Lakoff dan Johnson (2003), Jay (2003), dan Colston (2015). Berdasarkan teori yang telah diperoleh, peneliti membuat indeks teori yang dapat membantu dalam tahap analisis data. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif analisis. Teknik observasi dilakuan sebagai metode deskriptif yang didukung oleh tabel untuk memaparkan hasil temuan. Sedangkan, deskripsi verbal digunakan sebagai pendekatan kualitatif untuk menjelaskan hasil temuan. Sumber data dari penelitian ini adalah album terbaru The Script yang berjudul No Sound without Silence yang berisi sebelas lagu baru. Peneliti mendengarkan, mengobservasi, dan menulis lirik lagu selain mencari lirik tersebut melalui internet.
Berdasarkan hasil temuan, peneliti menemukan sepuluh macam tipe bahasa kiasan dalam album The Script, yaitu metafora, simile, hiperbola, meiosis, idiom, pertanyaan retoris, metonimia, ironi, sarkasme, dan personifikasi. Terdapat dua tipe bahasa kiasan yang paling banyak muncul, secara berurutan yaitu hiperbola dan pertanyaan retoris. Penggunaan lagu dalam pembelajaran bahasa terutama Bahasa Inggris layak untuk dipertimbangkan karena lagu dapat memperkaya pengetahuan bahasa termasuk juga pemahaman bahasa kiasan.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My first and greatest gratitude goes to Jesus Christ for His great blessings
and grace given to me that always make me feel lucky and blessed. I also thank
Him for giving me strength and patience to finish this research.
My special gratitude also goes to my parents, Bartolomeus Bul Hartomo
Panditadi and Benedicta Asteria Kristin Kumalawati, who never stop supporting
me in every condition and always pray for me to finish my research. I also would
like to thank my brothers, Hardian Putra Pratama and Bernadus Hardika
Christiawan, who always take care of me and back me in my research.
Furthermore, I also thank my sister-in-law, Fransiska Chandra Leonita and my
cute little niece, Dorothea Dawai Harvienna for sending me a bunch of love.
Next, I sincerely address my great gratitude to Dr. Emanuel Sunarto,
M.Hum. for giving me advices and suggestions during finishing my research so
that I can finish my research well. I also thank my academic advisor, Veronica
Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A., for her care and patience in supporting and
guiding me during my study at Sanata Dharma University.
I humbly would like to thank Maria Septiyani, S.Pd., M.Hum. and Priyatno
Ardi, S.Pd., M.Hum. for giving me the spirit to do my research and sharing their
knowledge and experiences that are helpful and beneficial to my life and my
research. Then, I would like to thank all of my friends from batch 2012 for the
experiences that we had together. I also would like to send my deepest gratitude to
x
I was down and for every single laughter and tear that we shared together.
Furthermore, I also thank Annis for every support given to me. I also send my
gratitude to Yuni for the tasty and tasteless dishes that we made and ate together.
At last, I greatly thank everyone who has helped and supported me during
studying at Sanata Dharma University and finishing my research. I am truly lucky
and blessed to have them all in my life as they have given me something special in
every single meeting.
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGE ... ii
MOTTO ... iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ABSTRAK ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xi
LIST OF TABLES ... xiv
LIST OF FIGURES ... xv
LIST OF APPENDICES ... xvi
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Research Background ... 1
B. Research Problems ... 4
C. Research Objectives ... 4
D. Problem Limitation ... 5
E. Research Benefits ... 5
F. Definition of Terms ... 6
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Review of Previous Studies ... 10
xii
1. Metaphor ... 13
2. Simile ... 14
3. Hyperbole ... 15
4. Meiosis... 16
5. Idiomatic Expressions... 16
6. Rhetorical Questions... 17
7. Metonymy ... 17
8. Irony... 18
9. Sarcasm ... 19
10. Personification ... 19
11. Indirect Requests ... 20
12. Contextual Expressions ... 20
C. Theoretical Framework ... 21
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A. Research Method ... 22
B. Research Setting ... 23
C. Data Source ... 23
D. Research Instruments and Data Gathering Techniques ... 24
E. Data Analysis Techniques ... 24
F. Research Procedures ... 26
CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A. Types of Figurative Language in the Lyrics ... 27
xiii
2. Simile ... 29
3. Hyperbole ... 31
4. Meiosis ... 34
5. Idiomatic Expressions ... 36
6. Rhetorical Questions ... 38
7. Metonymy ... 40
8. Irony ... 41
9. Sarcasm ... 42
10. Personification ... 42
B. Predominant Types of Figurative Language in The Script’s Album No Sound without Silence ... 44
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. Conclusions ... 48
B. Recommendations ... 49
REFERENCES ... 51
xiv
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
3.1 Observation Sheet of Types of Figurative Language
xv
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
xvi
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix Page
1 Index of the Clues
of Figurative Expressions ... 54 2 Number of the Use of Figurative Language Types
by Each Song ... 55 3 List of Data Classification
of Figurative Language Types ... 56 4.1 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: No Good in Goodbye ... 61 4.2 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Man on a Wire ... 62 4.3 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Never Seen Anything Quite Like You ... 63 4.4 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Army of Angels ... 64 4.5 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Superheroes ... 65 4.6 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Flares ... 66 4.7 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: It’s not Right for You ... 67 4.8 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: The Energy Never Dies ... 68 4.9 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Paint the Town Green ... 69 4.10 The Record of Figurative Language Types
in the Song: Hail Rain or Sunshine ... 70 4.11 The Record of Figurative Language Types
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The first chapter of this research presents the introduction of the topic.
There are six parts presented to make the introduction clear. The parts are research
background, research problems, problem limitation, research objectives, research
benefits, and definition of terms.
A.Research Background
Language is human property that is used to communicate with each other.
People use language to deliver messages to others whom they are talking to.
According to Jakobson (1960, pp. 353-359), language has six functions, namely
referential, emotive, conative, phatic, metalingual, and poetic. Each function has
its own characteristics. For example, poetic function only focuses on the
messages. Thus, poetic function is not merely about poetry, but also about other
fields. One of the fields is about songs.
Songs consist of musical notes and words that people know as lyrics.
Lyrics have big power in the songs because they express messages and give the
listeners i mage of songs. When the listeners do not understand the meaning of the
lyrics, it is hard for them to gain the messages. Lyric is one of many types of
poem. Ade and Okuyene (2008, p. 190) state that “it is a short poem that can be
sung or that is musical.” Therefore, lyrics are included in the poetic function since
The songwriters use words as known as lyrics to convey meaning. In
linguistics, the study of meaning is called semantics (Heasly & Hurford, 1996, p.
1). There are some types of meaning that are studied in the semantics; one of them
is figurative meaning.
Figurative language is used to convey figurative meaning implicitly.
According to Heller (2011, pp. 62-63), figurative language “refers to groups of
words that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the component words.
Figurative language may involve analogy to similar concepts or other contexts,
and may involve exaggerations.” People need to spend extra effort to understand
the meaning of figurative language since the meaning is different from the words
spoken or written. Furthermore, confusion and misunderstanding possibly happen
when people use figurative language in daily conversations because it depends on
how the speaker or writer use it and the addressees understand it. Even though it is
not easy, people still use figurative language to communicate since “it provides a
lot of bang for its buck” (Colston, 2015, p. 3). It means that figurative language
offers rich and profound meaning.
Besides, songwriters use figurative language in writing songs. There are
many kinds of figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole,
personification, sarcasm, irony, idiomatic expressions, metonymy, indirect
request, and rhetorical questions. Each of them has different characteristics of
language and brings different meanings as well. The use of figurative language
meaning of the songs, they can take more pleasure and receive messages
contained in the songs.
There are many famous songwriters in the world. Some of them are Danny
O‟Donoghue, Mark Sheehan, and Glen Power who join together in a band named
The Script. The Script is a Pop Rock band from Ireland. In 2014, a new album
entitled No Sound without Silence was successfully released. The album consists
of eleven new songs.
Most of the lyrics of the songs are full of meanings and influencing in
some way. The meanings of the songs are not merely interpreted by the words
written literally, but the words written in the lyrics have other meanings and even
deeper meanings if they are interpreted and internalized well. The messages of the
songs are also meaningful. The songs are not only about love, but also life,
particularly a life struggle. The researcher is a big fan of The Script and likes to
listen to its songs. To introduce its newest album, The Script did a world tour in
more than forty countries all over the world, in more than fifty cities. Millions of
people all over the world also consider The Script as their favorite band since as
seen in the world tour that was done. Millions of people watched the concert and
sang along with The Script.
Research on figurative language has been conducted by some researchers.
Widianti (2007) examined the figurative language of the song lyrics of Coldplay
band using some components of Ethnography of Communication to describe the
figurative meaning. Another research on figurative language was conducted by
language types used in the lyrics and the most common figurative language type
appeared in the lyrics. Setiawan (2014) analyzed the figurative language used in
the song lyrics of Coldplay. He was about to find the figurative language type
which occurred the most in the lyrics. Fridayani (2015) examined sound
symbolism in lullabies and play songs in English language.
Based on the previous studies, the researcher intends to further examine the
types of figurative language in the lyrics of The Script‟s songs in its latest album
No Sound without Silence. The researcher chooses the album because it is a newly
released album by The Script in 2014. Besides, the researcher also likes the band.
B.Research Problems
The researcher addresses two questions, namely
1. Which types of figurative language are found in the lyrics of The Script‟s
album No Sound without Silence?
2. Which types of figurative language predominate in the lyrics of The Script‟s
album No Sound without Silence?
C.Research Objectives
There are two research objectives in line with the research problems.
Firstly, it intends to find out types of figurative language found in The Script song
lyrics of its album No Sound without Silence. Secondly, it aims to find the types of
figurative language which predominate in The Script song lyrics of its album No
D.Problem Limitation
The researcher focuses only on the discussion of figurative language of the
lyrics in The Script‟s album No Sound without Silence. It is because every song
normally conveys meanings and gives messages to the listeners. Thus, the
meaning can be in a form of figurative meanings. The figurative language is an
important aspect in the song lyrics because the listeners have to understand them
so that they can understand the meanings and messages conveyed by the lyrics.
Furthermore, the researcher chooses the latest album from The Script band
entitled No Sound without Silence which consists of eleven songs. The researcher
analyzes only the types of figurative languages that express the figurative
meanings. The eleven songs are the data source in this research. Therefore, the
research aims to find figurative language which exists in the song lyrics of The
Script‟s album No Sound without Silence.
E. Research Benefits
By doing this research, the researcher expects this research will give
beneficial contributions to the readers, particularly the English Language
Education Study Program (ELESP) students, English teachers, and future
researchers. Firstly, for the ELESP students, the researcher expects that the
research gives deeper understanding about semantics, particularly about figurative
meanings. Then, it strengthens students‟ understanding types of figurative
language which in varies. It also helps students to understand the messages of the
sources to learn figurative language and its types since they songs are close to
their lives. They will be easy to learn figurative language through songs.
Secondly, for English teachers, the research is expected to inspire them in
teaching figurative language. They can use song lyrics as the sources to be
analyzed based on the figurative language in the teaching and learning process.
Thirdly, for the future researchers, the researcher can help those who are
interested in conducting research with a similar topic. The research gives
information related to the theories, the data, or even the findings that may help the
future researchers in doing their research.
F. Definition of Terms
This section explains the terms which are important to this research. Here
are terms reviewed by the researcher which are taken from some experts to give
clear understanding. Each point is discussed as follows.
1. Figurative Language
Heller (2011) states that “figurative language refers to words and groups of
words that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the component words” (pp.
62-63). Then, Perrine (1983) confirms that “figurative language is the language
that cannot be taken literally or should not be taken literally and say something
other than ordinary ways or say one thing and mean another” (p. 565).
To understand the figurative language of the songs, the listeners need to
words convey meanings which are different from the meanings found in the
dictionary.
In this research, figurative meanings are expressed by the figurative
language used in the lyrics. There are many types of figurative language which
exist in the linguistic works, but the researcher only focuses on some types of
figurative language which are obviously found in the lyrics.
The grass looks like spiky green hair.
She is the apple of his eye.
The sentences above express figurative meanings. The word like in the first
sentence is the sign of figurative language which is simile. The simile is a
comparison between the grass and spiky green hair. Both of them are green and
sharp. The grass is not as tidy as usual. It is sharp and uncomfortable to walk
through it. It may mean that someone wants to mow the grass since it does not
look nice. The latter sentence does not literally mean that she an apple for him.
The apple of my eye means the person whom someone loves most or is most
proud of. Thus, it means that she is the one that he loves the most.
2. Lyrics
According to Attig (2012, p. 2), lyrics are words of songs, including songs
from musical dramas. To support the previous definition, Ade and Okuyene
(2008, p. 90) define lyrics as a short poem that can be sung or that is musical
which means that lyrics consist of words full of meaning along with rhyme or
make songs become powerful, meaningful, and interesting. Lyrics have an
important role in the songs since they express meanings and give messages to the
listeners that may give them motivations or certain feelings.
3. The Script
The Script is a band from Ireland which comprises of three Irish men,
namely Danny O‟Donoghue (vocals, piano), Mark Sheehan (vocals, guitar), and
Glen Power (vocals, drums). It is a pop rock band formed in 2001 which still
exists until now. The Script released four albums which are The Script (2008),
Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012), and No Sound without Silence (2014). The
researcher chose the latest album which is entitled No Sound without Silence to be
analyzed.
4. No Sound without Silence
No Sound without Silence is the fourth studio album which is created by
The Script and it was released on 12 September 2014. There are eleven songs in
this album which are No Good in Goodbye, Superheroes, It‟s not Right for You,
Never Seen Anything Quite Like You, Paint the Town Green, Without those Songs,
and Hail Rain or Sunshine which are written by O‟Donogue, Sheehan, and Barry.
Then, Man on a Wire is written by O‟Donoghue and Sheehan. The next is The
Energy Never Dies which is written by the members of the band, Andrew
created by the band members and Ryan Tedder. The other song entitled Army of
Angels; it is created by O‟Donoghue, Sheehan, and Frampton (Wikipedia.com).
The lyrics of the eleven songs of The Script are the focus of this research.
There are some lines and choruses which repeatedly occur in each song. The
researcher does not analyze the repeated lyrics including choruses, but analyzes
10
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The second chapter of this research presents the literature review. It is
divided into three parts. The first part presents review of previous studies. The
second part presents theoretical description. The third part presents theoretical
framework.
A. Review of Previous Studies
There are several studies on the use of songs. Widianti (2007) used a
qualitative design as the instrument to gather data and used documentary study in
the song lyrics of Coldplay band as the method to determine data. There were 22
songs of Coldplay band used. Before she analyzed the data using some
components of Ethnography of Communication which was to describe the
figurative meaning, she coded and labeled the songs. She was to find types of
figurative language that were applied in the lyrics of Coldplay band using
Ethnography of Communication theory. Then, the analysis showed that in the
lyrics of 22 songs of Coldplay band chosen, there were six types of figurative
language applied which were simile was 2, metaphor was 100, symbolism was
47, personification was 1, hyperbole was 9, and synecdoche was 9. Then, it
could be concluded that the most figurative language frequently used was
Setiawan (2014) used 5 songs from Coldplay band which were Yellow,
Clock, A Message, Fix You, and The Scientist to be researched. The research
aimed to find what types of figurative language used in those song lyrics. To get
the answer, he used qualitative research and content analysis as the approach to
gather data and analyze them. It was stated in his research that he finally found
out five types of figurative language in those song lyrics which were metaphor
(80%), simile (4%), hyperbole (7%), personification (7%), and onomatopoeia
(2%). The most frequently figurative language type used was different from the
first research even though the object was the same. It was metaphor with 80%.
Fridayani (2015) analyzed the existence of sound symbolism in lullabies
and play songs in English language. She used 15 lullabies and 45 play songs
selected from the internet. Those songs were analyzed using content analysis as
the method and qualitative as the approach. To analyze the sound symbolism in
the lullabies and play songs; she chose to categorize them into four categories
which were corporeal, imitative, synesthetic, and conventional. Then, as stated in
the research, it was found that there were 15 sound symbolic words in the lullabies
and 116 sound symbolic words in the play songs. There were 6 conventional
sound symbolic words, 6 sound symbolic words of combined categories, 3
imitative sound symbolic words found in the lullabies. Besides, there were 55
imitative sound symbolic words, 27 sound symbolic words of combined
categories, 22 conventional sound symbolic words, 10 corporeal sound symbolic
Masruri (2012) analyzed the Letto‟s song lyrics in an album entitled Truth,
Cry, and Lie. He was to find types of figurative language used in the ten songs
inside the album and also to find the type of figurative language that was mostly
used in the lyrics. The approach which was used in the research was qualitative
descriptive analysis that meant that he gave the description of figurative language
used in the song lyrics of Letto. Then, he found that there were some types of
figurative language used in the Letto‟s song lyrics which were personification (9),
ellipsis (23), rhetoric (10), metaphor (3), synecdoche (1), anticlimax (1), and
pleonasm (1). It could be seen that ellipsis was the figurative language type that
was the most frequently used in the songs.
Different from the previous studies, this research focuses on figurative
meanings found in The Script‟s song lyrics. The researcher also tries to figure out
the figurative language types which predominate in The Script‟s album. The data
source of this research is the latest album of The Script No Sound without Silence
that consists of eleven new songs. Furthermore, the lyrics of the eleven songs are
analyzed line by line based on the theories explained.
B. Theoretical Description
Figurative language refers to words or phrases which do not represent
exactly what is written or spoken. Jay (2003, p. 313) confirms that “figurative
speech is not intended to be interpreted literally.” He further explains that
“figurative language can describe something or compare two different things to
It is not easy to understand the meaning of the figurative language because
sometimes “the meaning can be ambiguous and it can be difficult to pin down out
of the context” (Jay, 2003, p. 313). People use figurative language in the daily
communication. If addressees cannot understand the figurative language‟s
meaning expressed by the speaker, then the communication is not delivered well
which means that “figurative language requires a special process that occurs only
after the literal fails” (Jay, 2003, p. 314). The figurative language usage is also
found in the song lyrics. The songwriters use the figurative language to attract the
listeners and make the songs more interesting. Grice (1978) “assumes that the
listener has to do extra cognitive work to figure out the meaning of figurative
language” (as cited in Jay, 2003, p. 314). The listeners need to think harder and
beyond the lyrics which are written in the songs.
The researcher analyses the types of figurative language applied in the
lyrics of The Script‟s eleven new songs. Here, the researcher provides a synthesis
of the theories of the types of figurative language. Each type of figurative
language is presented as follows.
1. Metaphor
According to Jay (2003, p. 315), metaphor is an implicit comparison
between two concepts. The concepts are typically ideas and objects (Lakoff &
Johnson, 2003, p. 14). Ortony (1975) sates that in the metaphor; a simple idea can
(2003, p. 316) explains that “through metaphor, the abstract and confusing can be
made more concrete and meaningful.”
Glucksberg and Keysar (1990) state that “metaphors are comprehensible
because interlocutors share knowledge about categorical structures and
memberships” (as cited in Colston, 2015, p. 106). Lakoff and Johnson (2003, p. 5)
mention that the importance of metaphor is to understand the meaning of one
thing which is expressed by another thing. The metaphor is used “to compare
similarities, to provoke thought, to clarify, and add interest” (Jay, 2003, p. 347).
The following is the example of metaphor mentioned by Lakoff and Johnson
(2003).
The mind is a machine (p. 28).
There is a comparison between the mind and a machine. The mind an
abstract which is further represented by the machine that is more concrete. The
machine gives addressees understanding that the mind is “having an on-off state, a
level of efficiency, a productive capacity, an internal mechanism, a source of
energy, and an operating condition” (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 28).
2. Simile
Jay (2003) mentions that simile is an explicit comparison using like or
as...as (p. 315). Preminger (1976) supports that “simile is a comparison of one
thing with another, explicitly announced by the word „like‟ or „as‟” (as cited in
Bethlehem, 1996, p. 210). Then, Abrams (1981) confirms that “in a simile a
or „as‟” (ibid). The connectives like and as are the markers of simile. There are a
few examples of simile found in the lyrics.
The sentence the box is as big as an elephant is an example of simile.
There is a comparison between a box and an elephant which both of them are big.
Then, it means that the box is very big and heavy.
3. Hyperbole
Kreuz and Roberts (1993, p. 338) state that hyperbole means deliberating
exaggeration (as cited in Jay, 2003). Furthermore, Jay (2003) explains that
hyperbole “refers to exaggeration; it aims to make an emotional statement.” He
adds that the hyperbole is not truthful. “It depends on the words used and how
much they depart from the truth” (Jay, 2003, p. 339). Colston (2015, p. 111)
confirms that the hyperbole is a difference between desires or expectations and
reality. Robert and Kreuz (1994, p. 160) state “that the major reasons for using
hyperbole are to be humorous, to emphasize something, or to be clearer.” The
following is the example of hyperbole.
That new car costs bazillion dollars.
The cost is used to emphasize the quality of the car. Bazillion is an
indeterminate number, so that there is no car that costs bazillion dollars. The
sentence means that the car is very cool, luxurious, and expensive or even it is the
4. Meiosis
Meiosis is the opposite of hyperbole. Jay (2003, p. 338) mentions “that
meiosis refers to understatement.” He further explains that it is “meant to
minimize the importance or impact of something” (p. 339). As the same as the
hyperbole, “the simile depends on the words used and how much they depart from
the truth” (Jay, 2003, p. 339).
When someone is full since he has eaten a big piece of cake, but he tells his
friend that he is full since he has eaten a little cake has meiosis meaning. He
minimizes the fact that he ate a big piece (Jay, 2003, p. 339).
5. Idiomatic Expressions
Jay (2003, p. 340) cites from Fromkin and Rodman (1998) that “idioms are
conventionalized expressions that have figurative meanings that cannot be derived
from the literal meaning of the phrase.” He says that “common idioms become
conventionalized or frozen in usage and they resist changes in syntactic structure”
(p. 340). Furthermore, Cutler says that “the longer an idiom has been used, the
greater the number of transformation it will resist” (as cited in Jay, 2003, p. 340).
Generally, each idiomatic expression has its own meaning which cannot be
replaced one another. People understand the meanings of the idiomatic
expressions by learning and using them time by time (Colston, 2015, p. 114). In
this case, the researcher looked for the meaning of the idiomatic expressions by
consulting online idiomatic dictionary. Thus, the researcher does not rely on the
idiomatic expressions cannot be replaced. The following is one of the idiomatic
expressions.
That homework is a piece of cake.
That sentence has an idiom meaning since it contains the phrase a piece of
cake there. A piece of cake does not literally mean what is written, but it means
very easy. Then, that sentence means that the homework is very easy to be done.
6. Rhetorical Questions
Rhetorical questions are questions need no answer. Jay (2003) confirms
that “rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered” (p. 343). They functions
as statements. They mainly serve the purposes of making clarification and
expressing negative emotions (Robert & Kreuz, 1994, p. 161). In his book, Jay
(2003, p. 343) rewrites the definition of rhetorical questions that has been defined
by Roberts and Kreuz (1993) it is that assertion framed as question.
A question can birds fly? can be an example of the rhetorical question.
The question is not intended to be answered. People know that every bird can fly
since it has wings and naturally it can fly.
7. Metonymy
Lakoff and Johnson (1980) state that “metonymy is the tactic of using a
familiar or easily perceived aspect of an object or situation to stand for the things
as a whole” (as cited in Jay, 2003, p. 323). Moreover, Lakoff and Johnson (2003,
to it.” The meaning of the metonymic expressions depends on the context.
Speakers and addressees should share the same knowledge of the expressions.
Gibbs (1990b) states that people “can determine the appropriate referents for
metonymic expressions in discourse” (as cited in Jay, 2003, p. 324). There are not
many examples of metonymy found in the analysis.
Jay (2003, p. 323) states that there are three various types of metonymic
models, namely object used for user, place used for the event, and controller used
for the control.
Furthermore, the sentence let me give you a hand has metonymy meaning.
Giving someone a hand does not mean literally giving a part of body which is a
hand, but it means that he wants to help someone else.
8. Irony
According to Jay (2003, pp. 330-331), irony is “interpreted as the use of
figurative language to produce the opposite meaning of the literal meaning or it is
where one thing is stated but something else is intended.” Then, according to
Dews (1996), “irony requires the listeners to substitute a new meaning for the
literal meaning” (as cited in Jay, 2003, p. 331).
When someone has a new camera, but accidentally was broken by his
friend then he says, “Great! You have broken my new camera”. Someone in that
line does not literally praise his friend because she broke his camera. However, he
camera was broken. The camera should be taken care of well and carefully since it
is new.
9. Sarcasm
The definition of sarcasm is quite similar to irony. According to Jay (2003,
p. 331), “sarcasm operates like irony, but with more emotional punch.”
Furthermore, as cited in Jay‟s book, Haiman (1998) states that “sarcasm refers to a
satirical or ironic utterance that is intended to convey a negative attitude, insult, or
offend” (p. 331). Sarcasm is ruder than irony because it produces negative
feelings or attitudes for the addressee (Jay, 2003, p. 331).
When someone talks to someone else, “do not bother me, I‟m living
happily ever after.” He delivers sarcasm meaning there. It means that he is totally
in his stable condition that is full of happiness and comfortable and wants no one
to disturb his life.
10. Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language that makes things look
alive. According to Lakoff and Johnson (2003, p. 32), it is “where the physical
object is further specified as being a person.” The things which are nonhuman can
be seen as human by giving them motivations, characteristics, and activities of
human (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 33). Thus, it is personification when
inanimate things can do anything that only be done by animate things. In this
The sun smiles at me can be the example of personification. That is
personification because the sun is an inanimate thing, but it is made that it can
smile at someone. Smiling is an activity that can only be done by animate things.
That sentence can mean that the sun rises and shines warmly to the earth.
11. Indirect Requests
According to Jay (2003, p. 313), an indirect request is “a request for actions
stated obliquely.” He further explains that “indirect requests are not literally
meant to do what is expressed on the surface layer” (p. 327). The meaning
intended of the indirect requests is in the deeper layer which is derived from the
figurative language of the requests (p. 328). The indirect requests are intended to
be done. Moreover, the indirect requests will be honored if “the addresses have
the ability to comply, the desire to comply whether sooner or later, and a good
reason to comply” (p. 328).
Jay (2003, p. 328) explains that if someone literally answers the interlocutor
Sure I can! to Can you pass the salt? the indirect request is not delivered well
since it is not cooperative. In this case, the speaker wants the addressee to pass the
salt by requesting politely.
12. Contextual Expressions
According to Bethlehem (1996), contextual expressions are expressions
“whose the meanings depend on the discourse analysis” (p. 112). Gerrig (1989)
ought to get the cave man and We really ought to get the doorman is the same.
The meaning is the same because the context clarifies the words meaning. If there
is no context in the conversation, then the meaning of door and cave is different
(as cited in Colston, 2015, p. 112).
C. Theoretical Framework
The researcher aims to analyze the types of figurative language found in
the lyrics of The Script‟s album No Sound without Silence. There are two research
problems already formulated. The first research problem is which types of
figurative language are found in the lyrics of The Script‟s album No Sound
without Silence. The second research problem is which types of figurative
language predominate in the lyrics of The Script‟s album No Sound without
Silence.
The theoretical framework to study based on the review in the proceeding
sections is synthesized and displayed in the following figure.
Figure 2.1 The Theoretical Framework Lyric 6. Rhetorical questions 7. Metonymy Theories from Jay (2003)
Theories from Lakoff 3. Never Seen Anything
Quite Like You 4. Army of Angels 5. Superheroes 6. Flares
7. It‟s for Right for You
22
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The third chapter of this research presents the description of methodology
which is meant to answer two research problems formulated in Chapter I. This
chapter consists of research method, research setting, data source, research
instruments and data gathering techniques, data analysis techniques, and research
procedures.
A. Research Method
This research focused on the figurative language existing in the lyrics of
The Script‟s songs in its album No Sound without Silence. This research employed
a qualitative method. Qualitative research focuses on the phenomenon in natural
settings (Croker, 2009). Furthermore, this research was descriptive analytical
research. Sivasubramaniyan (2012, pp. 2-3) states that the descriptive research is
used to describe the phenomena that are happening at the time. The researcher did
not have the control over the variable, but reported phenomena that have
happened or are happening.
Besides, analytical research means that “the researcher has to use facts or
information available and analyze these to make a critical evaluation of the
material” (Sivasubramaniyan, 2012, p. 3). This research was also an analytical
research since the data was available on the internet. The researcher only
Furthermore, even though there were numbers in this research, the researcher did
not focus on them. The numbers only helped the researcher to figure out the
figurative language and to find out the types of figurative language that
predominated in the lyrics of The Script‟s album No Sound without Silence. The
researcher explained the numbers through verbal description. Therefore, this
research was a qualitative descriptive analytical research.
B. Research Setting
The researcher used the latest album of The Script band entitled No Sound
without Silence. The album was released on 12 September 2014. It consisted of
eleven songs and all of the songs were analyzed. The researcher started collecting
data from December 2015 and analyzed them from February 2016 until June
2016.
C. Data Source
The data source of this research was The Script‟s latest album No Sound
without Silence. The album consisted of new eleven songs. All of the songs in the
album were analyzed. The songs were No Good in Goodbye, Superheroes, It‟s not
Right for You, Never Seen Anything Quite like You, Paint the Town Green,
Without those Songs, and Hail Rain or Sunshine which were written by
O‟Donoghue, Sheehan, and Barry. Then, Man on a Wire was written by
O‟Donoghue and Sheehan. The next song written by the members of the group
band, Andrew Frampton, and Steve Kipner was The Energy Never Dies. Flares
Ryan Tedder. The other song entitled Army of Angels was created by
O‟Donoghue, Sheehan, and Frampton (Wikipedia.com).
D.Research Instruments and Data Gathering Techniques
The researcher did five steps to gather the data. Firstly, the researcher
listened to The Script‟s eleven songs for about five times to gain a deeper
understanding about the meanings of the songs. YouTube and Windows Media
Player were used to listen to the songs. Secondly, the researcher searched for the
lyrics of all eleven songs on the internet. The songs were categorized according to
the title as seen in Appendix 4.1 - 4.11. Thirdly, the researcher listened to the
songs over and over again while reading the lyrics that were gathered from the
internet. The researcher observed and recorded the lyrics. The researcher made
sure that the lyrics gathered from the internet were as the same as the lyrics in the
songs. Fourthly, the researcher made a checklist and classified the lyrics
figuratively based on the language used. Lastly, the researcher analyzed the
meanings of the lyrics and gave reasons or comments why the certain lyrics are
included in the certain types of figurative language.
E. Data Analysis Techniques
This section aimed to explain the techniques conducted by the researcher in
analyzing the data. Firstly, the researcher made an index based on the theories
presented in the previous chapter. Secondly, the researcher categorized the data
based on the types of figurative language. This process is also called coding.
passages within the text which express a particular idea or refer to an event.” In
order to make the categorization clearer, the researcher made Table 3.1.
Table 3.1 Observation Sheet of Types of Figurative Language by Each Song
1.
No Good in Goodbye 1All the things that we‟ve lost 2
Breaking off comes at a cost 3I know I‟ll miss this mistake
Me Si H Mi IE RQ My Ir S P
Abbreviations:
Me : Metaphor IE : Idiomatic Expressions Ir : Irony
Si : Simile RQ : Rhetorical Questions S : Sarcasm
H : Hyperbole My : Metonymy P : Personification
Mi : Meiosis
Furthermore, the index as seen in Appendix 1 helped the researcher to
categorize the lyrics of the songs based on the types of figurative language. Then,
the researcher compared and interpreted the lyrics based on the context of each
song. To avoid misinterpretation of the meaning, the researcher validated the
analysis by the assistance of two experts in figurative language. The experts
validated the analysis by reading the record of figurative language in each song as
seen in Appendix 4.1 – 4.11 and the list of data classification of figurative
language types as seen in Appendix 3. They gave comments and suggestions on
the analysis orally to the researcher. Furthermore, they corrected the wrong
analysis so that the researcher obtained the correct analysis. Lastly, after all the
songs were analyzed and classified based on the table, the researcher summarized
and concluded the data analysis. Moreover, the researcher used Table 3.2 to
present the results of data analysis. The table consisted of the eleven song titles
and figurative language types. Moreover, it showed the total number and
Table 3.2 Cross Tabulation of the Data Analysis Result
Abbreviations:
Me : Metaphor IE : Idiomatic Expressions Ir : Irony
Si : Simile RQ : Rhetorical Questions S : Sarcasm
H : Hyperbole My : Metonymy P : Personification
Mi : Meiosis
F. Research Procedures
In this part, the researcher explained how this research was conducted. The
steps were illustrated in the following figure.
Steps # Activities
1
2
3
4
5
6
Figure 3.1 The Research Procedures
Song Titles Me Si H Mi IE RQ My Ir S P
1. No Good in Goodbye 2. Man on A Wire Total
Transcribing the lyrics of eleven songs in the album
Observing and recording the result of figurative expressions found in each song
Cross tabulating of all figurative expressions found in the lyrics
Describing and explaining the figurative expressions found in the lyrics
Reporting and presenting the result of data analysis
27
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The chapter discusses the research results and the discussion. It is divided
into two sections. The first section discusses types of figurative language found in
The Script‟s album No Sound without Silence. The second section explains
predominant types of figurative language in The Script‟s album No Sound without
Silence. Those two parts are linked to the theoretical descriptions that are
explained in Chapter II.
A.Types of Figurative Language in the Lyrics
This section is intended to answer the first research problem which is to
find out the types of figurative language in the lyrics of The Script‟s album No
Sound without Silence. As stated in Chapter II, the theories employed as the
framework for analyzing the data are Jay (2003), Lakoff and Johnson (2003), and
Colston (2015). Based on the results of the analysis, there are ten types of
figurative language found in the lyrics, namely metaphor, simile, hyperbole,
meiosis, idiomatic expressions, rhetorical questions, metonymy, irony, sarcasm,
1. Metaphor
Jay (2003, p. 315) mentions that “a metaphor makes an implicit
comparison between two concepts.” The concepts are typically ideas and objects
(Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 14).
There are six metaphorical expressions found in the album. The first
example is when love‟s a battle (Army of Angels, line 1). It is a comparison
between love and a battle. People need to give their best efforts to win the love as
it is to win the battle. The second example is and life‟s a war (Army of Angels,
line 2). It compares life and a war. Life is a struggle as it is a war. People need to
fight for their lives in a war so that they will not die wastefully as it is in this life.
They need to fight for their lives to survive. The third example is this world‟s a
warzone (Army of Angels, line 7). World is represented by a warzone as the place
which all struggles and efforts are done. The fourth example is if hate is poison
and love‟s the cure (Army of Angels, line 15). There are two comparisons in one
line; first is between hate and poison and the other is between love and cure. For
the first comparison, the songwriters want to say that hatred and poison are all
negative things that could hurt other people. Then, the other comparison means
that love and cure are all positive things or even can eliminate negative things. In
short, the line means that the negative things can be beaten up by the positive
things.
The next example is I‟ll tell you life‟s just a blinkso don‟t think twice (The
Energy Never Dies, line 6). The metaphor is a comparison between life and a
long. Thus, the line means that this life is too short to hesitate when taking a
chance or something that has a good impact on them. The last example is because
time‟s a ticking bomb (The Energy Never Dies, line 11). The songwriters want to
tell that time is as dangerous as a ticking bomb since it could kill people. If they
do not use time wisely it is the same as they waste their lives and it is dangerous
for them since the waste of chances in life.
2. Simile
Jay (2003, p. 315) says that “simile makes explicit comparisons using like
or as...as.” There are nine lines consisting simile. The first example is found in
the line cause I feel like I‟m walking on a tightrope (Man on a Wire, line 13). The
songwriters compare the man‟s condition and his feeling when he is walking on a
tightrope. Walking on a tightrope means that he is in the difficult and dangerous
situation as it is in the complicated relationship. He needs to be extremely careful
with decisions that he is going to take since each decision has its effects on his
life. Therefore, it means that he is in the complicated relationship when he wants
to struggle for his love even though he knows that his woman probably does not
want to do the same. The second example is but I‟ve never seen anything quite
like you tonight (Never Seen Anything Quite Like You, line 12). The songwriters
want to tell that the woman who is looked at by the man has a different
appearance from daily appearances. It can mean that the man sees the beauty of
The third example of the line consisting simile is cause your love feels like
an army of angels (Army of Angels, line 11). It is a comparison between your
love and an army of angels. An army of angels does not mean literally a group of
angels from heaven who are ready to fight, but it represents The Script‟s fans.
Therefore, the meaning of the comparison between your love and an army of
angels is that they both are great because they are all brave, loving, kind, and
caring supporters. The fourth example is Oh I feel you round me like a second skin
(Army of Angels, line 19). “You” refers to the fans. Then, the comparison is
between the fans and a second skin. Thus, the line means that the fans are really
close and stuck to the band since it is the same as a skin.
The fifth example is my heart, my heart is heavy and it sinks like a stone
(It‟s not Right for You, line 2). It is a comparison between two things that is
totally different which is between the man‟s heart and a stone. Then, the
songwriters explicitly want to say that the heart is heavy since it is full of burdens
and problems.
The next examples of the lines consisting simile are just like home, let‟s
color the streets like our own, let‟s make the place feel like our own, and and we
travel on the subway like it was the Luas Line (Paint the Town Green, lines 16,
17, 18, and 21). The meaning of the similes is almost the same one another which
is telling Ireland immigrants to enjoy their lives even though they are not in their
3. Hyperbole
Jay (2003, pp. 338-339) explains that hyperbole “refers to exaggeration; it
aims to make an emotional statement.” Robert and Kreuz (1994, p. 160) mention
that “the reasons to use hyperbole is to emphasize meaning, to clarify, and to be
humorous.”
There are 46 lines consisting hyperbolic expressions. Among those
hyperbolic expressions, there are 14 hyperbolic expressions are used to emphasize
meaning. Then, there are 12 hyperbolic expressions are meant to clarify.
Furthermore, there are 16 hyperbolic expressions are intended to show positive
emotion and 4 hyperbolic expressions are used to show negative emotion.
The examples of hyperbolic expressions which are aimed to emphasize
meaning are as follows. The first example is when they got me cornered (Army of
Angels, line 17). Based on the context, “they” refers to the demons. Furthermore,
the demons have a symbolism meaning which is the bad sides of one‟s characters.
The bad sides can harm them or even others. Thus, it means that the bad sides can
give bad impacts to their lives if they do not maintain them. The next example is
you‟ve been working every day and night (Superheroes, line 17). The line means
that they fight for their lives all the times as long as they can afford to do it.
Another example is …, it‟s hard enough trying to live your life (It‟s not
Right for You, line 6). Based on the context, the woman wants to tell that the
man‟s life is amazing and hard to live because it has its hard challenges that only
the man can deal with it. The line may God strike me down if I tell you lies (The
God will strike people down just because they lie to someone else. The meaning
of that line is that he will not tell any lies to his woman. He will only tell all the
truth to her so they will be always together because people do not want to die
because they want to achieve their dreams while they are alive and be forever with
the one they love.
The examples of hyperbolic expressions which are intended to clarify are
as follows. The first example is no matter how it falls apart (No Good in
Goodbye, line 18). Based on the context, “it” refers to the man‟s heart. The
songwriters exaggerate that the man‟s heart is in the very bad condition. His heart
is breaking off too and it is also a part of exaggeration. A heart has parts that
cannot be breaking off. Thus, it means that the man does not care anymore if his
heart is seriously broken.
The next example is I‟m trying to fight the feeling (Man on a Wire, line
10). The word “fight” is the evidence of exaggeration because fighting is usually
done for something harder than the feeling. Moreover, feeling in the relationship
is full of love or can be hurt sometimes and it is impossible to be fought for.
Therefore, he tries to forget his past so that he will not remember his woman since
he is hurt and he does not want to feel it anymore. Another example is my heart,
my heart is heavy, and it sinks like a stone (It‟s not Right for You, line 2). The
line means that he is going through his hard situation related to his heart so that it
feels that his heart has enough burdens and problems.
The next example is I found you before and I‟ll find you again (The Energy
