Analysis of Keep A Song Up On De Way
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
Oh, de clouds is mighty heavy
An' de rain is mighty thick;
Keep a song up on de way.
An' de waters is a rumblin'
On de boulders in de crick,
Keep a song up on de way.
Fu' a bird ercross de road
Is a-singin' lak he knowed
Dat we people did n't daih
Fu' to try de rainy aih
Wid a song up on de way.
What's de use o' gittin' mopy,
Case de weather ain' de bes'!
Keep a song up on de way.
W'en de rain is fallin' ha'des',
Dey 's de longes' times to res'
Keep a song up on de way.
Dough de plough 's a-stan'in' still
Dey 'll be watah fu' de mill,
Rain mus' come ez well ez sun
'Fo' de weathah's wo'k is done,
Keep a song up on de way.
W'y hit's nice to hyeah de showahs
Fallin' down ermong de trees:
Keep a song up on de way.
Ef de birds don' bothah 'bout it,
But go singin' lak dey please,
Keep a song up on de way.
You don' s'pose I's gwine to see
Dem ah fowls do mo' dan me?
No, suh, I 'll des chase dis frown,
An' aldough de rain fall down,
Keep a song up on de way.
Scheme | abCdbCeeexc xfCxxCggddC ffCxfCaaddC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111010 1111101 1011111 1110101 1110011 1011111 101111 101111 11101111 1111101 1011111 111111 1110111 1011111 10011111011 1111111 1011111 11110101 1111111 1111111 1111111 1011111 1001111111 101111 1011111 1111111 111111 1011111 11111111 1111111 11111111 111111 1011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 940 |
Words | 216 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 11, 11 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 228 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:08 min read
- 72 Views
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"Keep A Song Up On De Way" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28763/keep-a-song-up-on-de-way>.
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