You’ve got your gym playlist, your sad-hour mix, and your go-to shower anthems, but have you ever stopped to listen? I mean, really listen? Beneath the catchy beats, your favorite artists are weaving intricate tapestries of words, turning hit songs into hidden classrooms for figurative language. 

 

Celebrating the lyrics isn’t just about singing along; it’s about:

 

✨ Unlocking deeper meaning in the music you love 

✨ Appreciating the craft of songwriting as true poetry 

✨ Leveling up your English skills without a single textbook 

 

 

ABOUT THE RAREJOB SCRIBBLER:

Tutor Gelene is a dedicated professional from Valenzuela City, with the heart of a frustrated artist. She took up Civil Engineering and is a licensed Financial Advisor, bringing both analytical thinking and creativity into her work. For the past year and a half, she has been part of RareJob, where she enjoys helping learners grow in confidence and communication. Outside work, Gelene’s world is fueled by music and art. You’ll often find her singing while strumming her guitar, sketching cool characters, or crocheting cozy, cute pieces. Taking photographs on nature trips is a huge part of her weekends, often dressed in her thoughtfully curated outfits. She’s also a huge film and anime enthusiast, but she firmly believes that nothing beats experiencing a story through the pages of a good book.

 

Fun fact: She starts each day with a slow, mindful whisk, crafting her own matcha latte.

 

 

Here are 10 times your playlist dropped a masterclass on you:

 

1. GABRIELA by KATSEYE

Simile of a Searing Bullet: A simile comparing attraction to a high-velocity bullet. It conveys the sudden and intense impact of a love that was over before it could even be processed, leaving only devastation (“heart in the casket”) in its wake.

 

2. PINK PONY CLUB by CHAPPELL ROAN

Personified Destination: This is personification. The city of Santa Monica is given the human ability to “call out,” transforming it from a location into a force of freedom and self-discovery. It symbolizes the powerful pull of a place where one can truly belong.

 

3. DAISIES by JUSTIN BIEBER

Metaphor of Digital Anxiety: A metaphor for reading between the lines in digital-age dating. The three dots of a typing indicator (“…”) become a metaphor for unspoken words. “Connecting them” shows a desperate attempt to find hope in ambiguous signals.

 

4. LUTHER by KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA

The Allusion & Hyperbolic Devotion: This is allusion to the artist and a hyperbolic promise of protection. It evokes the gravity of a spiritual crusade, vowing to not just defend a lover but to divinely judge their adversaries, elevating the promise to a cosmic scale.

 

5. MIDNIGHTS by TAYLOR SWIFT

Personified Depression: This lyric blends metaphor and personification. “Midnights become my afternoons” is a metaphor for insomnia. Meanwhile, “my depression works the graveyard shift” personifies depression as a laboring night-shift employee. These lines create an image of anxiety and sleeplessness.

 

6. FOLDED by KEHLANI

Metaphor of Final Fold: The “folded clothes” is a metaphor of the final act of care in a relationship. It signifies beingready to close the chapter with grace. However, “Not frozen” signals a relationship that’s cooling but not yet irreparably frozen.

 

7. MANCHILD by SABRINA CARPENTER

Ironic Juxtaposition of Incompetence: This is ironic juxtaposition. She contrasts the immature games of “boys” with the disappointing reality of “men” who are still “incompetent.” The humor and irony lie in the sadtruth that both categories ultimately fail to meet her needs, critiquing emotional immaturity across the board.

 

8. RIBS by LORDE

Simile and Hyperbole of Nostalgia: A simile (“like little kids”) paired with hyperbole (“laughing ’til our ribs get tough”). It creates a perfect, exaggerated image of pure, childish joy and intimacy, highlighting the intense, almost physical ache of nostalgia for a simpler time.

 

9. APPLE by CHARLI XCX

Metaphor of Rotten Inheritance: It uses the classic “apple” as a metaphor to explore the concept of generational trauma andinherited flaws. It’s painting a picture of a family line (“the apples coming before”) that has passed down a legacy of dysfunction.

 

10. ZEN by JENNIE

Metaphor of an Untouchable Aura: This is a masterful use of metaphor to project an image of unshakable confidence. The artist compares her essence to immutable physical and spiritual concepts. By stating that no onecan move these fundamental parts of her being, she creates a metaphor for complete invincibility and self-possession. 

 

 

Final Chorus: How This Makes You a Better Listener (& Speaker)

 

Paying attention to the poetry in your playlist is a key to a deeper connection with music anda sharper understanding of English. 

You Appreciate the Art: You start to see singers as poets and songwriters as architects of emotion. 

You Understand Nuance: You grasp the feeling behind words, not just their dictionary definition. 

You Expand Your Vocabulary: You learn new ways to express complex ideas in vivid andimaginative ways. 

You Become a Better Communicator: These devices aren’t just for songs. Using themyourself makes your everyday English more engaging, descriptive, and powerful. 

 

Listen for the comparison, the exaggeration, the human trait given to a thing. The poetry is hiding in plain sight, waiting to make you feel and speak, just a little more brilliantly.

Now go ahead, turn up the volume. The lesson’s already started.