Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds across nearby words, distinct from rhyme, which works at line-endings, and from assonance, which works on vowel sounds. The consonant cluster lets the poet bind a sequence of words sonically and carry a sustained register through the line.
Binds words into a sonic unit and lets specific consonants carry interpretive weight - sonorous L's extend mood and produce a tolling or singing quality; hard plosives (P, T, K) sharpen and accelerate; sibilants (S, SH) hush or insinuate. The choice of consonant signals the register before the meaning lands. The operating principle behind alliteration's interpretive force is sound-replicates-content: the consonant chosen should sonically enact what the line describes, rather than ornament it. Sibilant S sounds run through 'silent sleepers' because the consonant itself is a quiet sound; alliteration is doing interpretive work, not decorating. Where the consonant cluster matches the sense of the passage, the sound itself carries the line's tonal register before the words land. Alliteration can also operate across line boundaries, binding successive lines into a single sonic unit that the reader must take together rather than as separate statements. The cross-line variant becomes particularly load-bearing in free verse, where no rhyme scheme or fixed metre supplies structural cohesion - the recurring consonant carries the lines forward as a continuous register.
Appears in 38 songs
“I've been having a hard time adjusting”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration on the H sound in the opening line, reading the phrase aloud as he names it, and places the sound device alongside the understatement of the line. 'Having' and 'hard' are the words that carry the repeated H.
Uncle Jerry treats the sound pattern as evidence that the opening is worked rather than casual, part of what he describes as Taylor drawing on her toolkit of devices to build the first stanza.
“I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting”
Uncle Jerry hears the S sounds in the shiny-wheels phrase and names it alliteration, observing that Taylor is pulling from her toolkit of devices to build the opening stanza.
Uncle Jerry's point is cumulative rather than about this one effect: he reads the opening stanza as densely worked, with sound devices stacked alongside the caesura and the antithesis in the same line.
“And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad”
Uncle Jerry identifies the M alliteration linking 'my' and 'mad' across the line, noting how these alliteratively connected words bookend the statement about the speaker's verbal destructiveness.
The alliterative link between 'my' and 'mad' binds ownership to anger, reinforcing that the speaker takes responsibility for her weaponised words.
“You're a flashback in a film reel on the one screen in my town”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration with the F sounds in the bridge line about a flashback in a film reel, noting 'flashback' and 'film' as linked by the F sound. He calls this line one of the poem's finest and attributes much of its beauty to the accumulated sound devices, including this alliteration.
The F alliteration binds 'flashback' and 'film' into one sonic unit, reinforcing the cinematic metaphor that makes this the song's most vivid image.
“Never be so polite You forget your power Never wield such power You forget to be polite”
Uncle Jerry explicitly identifies the P-sound alliteration between 'polite' and 'power' in the second aphoristic verse, noting it bookends the K-sound alliteration of the first verse. He says 'she's kind of bookending these alliterative elements.'
The P-sound alliteration in the second aphorism mirrors the K-sound alliteration of the first, creating a structural parallel between the two pieces of grandmother's advice.
“What died didn't stay dead”
Uncle Jerry identifies 'a very strong sense of alliteration' in this line, counting six D-sounds ('died,' 'didn't,' 'dead', D's at beginnings and endings). He notes that with the line repeated four times in the chorus, 'there are 24 times we hear the letter D.' He describes this as 'drumming into you' and compares it to Buddhist monks chanting, 'it has that pulsing feel.'
The percussive D-sound alliteration creates a mantra-like, chanting quality that physically enacts the song's insistence that the dead remain present. The drumming repetition mirrors how memory persists through repetition.
“Never be so kind You forget to be clever Never be so clever You forget to be kind”
Angela & Uncle Jerry note the K-sound alliteration between 'kind' and 'clever' in the first aphoristic verse. Uncle Jerry explicitly identifies it as alliteration and notes it also functions as a mnemonic device, helping us remember the aphorism.
The alliteration binds the paired concepts of kindness and cleverness sonically, reinforcing the aphorism's memorability, which serves the song's theme of how wisdom is passed between generations.
“Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep-talked Spineless in my tomb of silence”
Uncle Jerry identifies extensive alliteration across these two lines, counting seven elements: sucker, walls, curse, sleep, spineless, silence (all S sounds). He asks 'why?' and answers that the S sounds create a hissing quality.
The sibilant alliteration creates a hissing, secretive sonic texture that matches the speaker's 'tomb of silence', the conflict that is being suppressed and internalized.
“Tore your banners down, took the battle underground”
Uncle Jerry identifies the B and D alliteration in this line (banners, battle, down) and connects the plosive consonant sounds to bombs exploding, noting 'Bs and Ds are like bombs.'
The alliterative consonants sonically enact the war imagery, with the explosive plosive sounds reinforcing the battlefield metaphor and the 'verbal imagery, sonic imagery of bombs exploding on this battle underground.'
“All that bloodshed, crimson clover”
Uncle Jerry explicitly notes that 'Crimson and Clover are alliterative.'
The alliteration binds the violence (crimson/blood) and nature (clover) into a single sonic unit, reinforcing their inseparability in the song's imagery.
“But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire”
Uncle Jerry says 'you have to love the alliteration', diesel/desire, with the D sounds binding the two words together.
The alliteration links desire to a combustible fuel, reinforcing the fire/combustion imagery that runs through the war metaphor.
“Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration 'prayer, place, poppy', three P sounds in sequence, noting Taylor is 'dancing on language' in this section.
The alliteration in the memorial verse gives the passage a solemn, prayer-like quality that fits the act of remembrance being described.
“We can plant a memory garden”
Uncle Jerry identifies the M-and-G pattern connecting 'memory garden' (M and G) to 'morning glory' (M and G), calling it 'fun' and noting she 'connects the memory garden with the morning glory' through this alliterative echo.
The shared M-and-G sounds link the act of memorializing (planting a memory garden) to the flower of renewal (morning glory), sonically connecting remembrance to rebirth.
“Broken and blue, so I called off the troops”
Uncle Jerry notes that 'broken and blue' are 'linked by their alliterative elements', the B sounds binding the two descriptors together.
The alliteration fuses the physical state (broken) with the emotional state (blue) into a single sonic unit at the song's crisis point.
“My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify the alliteration of 'pain' and 'palm' in this line, noting it is part of a sustained alliterative pattern through the chorus. Uncle Jerry traces the P sounds: 'pain and palm, then... promised... putting... roots.'
The plosive P sounds in the chorus create a percussive, pressing quality that mirrors the inescapable pressure of the forbidden love.
“Crescent moon, coast is clear”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify 'crescent, coast, clear' as alliteration, noting 'she just does not let this alliteration stop. It is just a free-flowing spigot of poetic loveliness.'
The C-alliteration creates a hushed, secretive quality appropriate to the clandestine meeting the verse describes.
“On begged and borrowed time”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify 'begged and borrowed' as alliteration. Uncle Jerry notes the B-alliteration and connects it to the twisted cliché of 'borrowed time.'
The alliteration binds together the speaker's desperation ('begged') and the impermanence of their stolen moments ('borrowed'), emphasising the precariousness of the affair.
“the fatal flaw”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify 'fatal flaw' as alliteration that echoes the 'faith forgotten' alliteration from verse one. Uncle Jerry notes: 'faith forgotten land becomes the fatal flaw... she uses the same alliteration', the same alliterative element (F) recurs across verses to create structural echoes.
The echoing F-alliteration across verses links the idea of a faith that has been forgotten to the fatal flaw that draws the speaker to forbidden love, sonically connecting the two concepts.
“In a faith-forgotten land”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify 'faith forgotten' as 'beautiful alliteration,' the first of many alliterative passages in the poem. Uncle Jerry calls it out explicitly and notes it sets a pattern that continues throughout.
The alliteration of 'faith forgotten' sonically binds the two words, reinforcing the sense that faith has been deliberately left behind, whether religious faith, marital faith, or both.
“When the first stone's thrown, there's screamin'”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify the S sounds in 'stones,' 'screaming,' and 'streets,' the TH in 'thrown' and 'there's,' and the pattern continuing through 'raging riot.' Uncle Jerry explicitly names this as alliteration.
The alliteration creates sonic intensity that mirrors the raging mob described in the pre-chorus.
“So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify the internal rhyme of 'first' and 'worst' within the same line, and the alliteration of 'tried to tell the town.'
The internal rhyme and alliteration create memorable, propulsive lines that carry the song's central accusation.
“I was in my tower weaving nightmares, twisting all my smiles into snarls”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify the alliteration: the S's and T's in tower, nightmare, twisting, into, twists, smiles, snarls. Uncle Jerry explicitly calls this 'really nice alliteration.'
The alliteration creates a sonic intensity that mirrors the dark transformation described in the verse.
“The family, the pure greed, the Christian chorus line”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration in this line, Uncle Jerry calls it 'great alliteration.'
The alliteration binds the catalogue of antagonists into a single sonic unit.
“From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration of the S sounds: 'sprinkler, splashes, ashes.' Uncle Jerry calls it 'beautiful' and notes how the alliteration binds the line together sonically alongside internal rhyme.
The alliteration creates sonic cohesion in what Uncle Jerry considers the song's finest line, binding childhood imagery to mortality imagery in a single musical phrase.
“I search the party of better bodies”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration: 'better bodies.' Uncle Jerry calls it 'great alliteration.'
The alliteration draws attention to the body-image critique embedded in the line: the speaker's comparison of herself to others at the party.
“'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration: 'bridge burned' and 'pages, turned.' Uncle Jerry also identifies internal rhyme: 'turned' and 'burned.' He compares the line's binding elements to the sprinkler/ashes line.
The alliteration and internal rhyme pack multiple layers of meaning into one line (letting go of the past (pages turned) and irreversible transformation (bridges burned)), bound together sonically.
“So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration with T: 'take,' 'taste.' Uncle Jerry notes 'nice alliteration with a T.'
The alliteration emphasises the song's culminating advice: actively seizing the moment and savoring it, rather than passively waiting.
“I can see you standing, honey”
Uncle Jerry identifies the repetition of the 'S' sounds in 'see' and 'standing' as alliteration, noting that Taylor has 'opened up her poetry kit' from the very first line. The hard consonants bind these words together sonically, drawing attention to the act of seeing and the posture of the person being observed.
The alliteration links the act of perception ('see') to the physical stance ('standing'), foregrounding the exile's outsider gaze from the song's opening moment.
“Holdin' all this love out here in the hall”
Uncle Jerry identifies the H-sound alliteration running through 'Holdin', here, hall', calling it another reach into the poetry kit. The repeated breathy H consonant gives the line a quality of exhaustion, the speaker almost sighing as he describes where he has been left.
The alliteration binds the spatial imagery of the hallway to the act of holding on, sonically reinforcing the connection between physical location and emotional state.
“Balancin' on breaking branches”
Angela notes the alliteration in this line and Uncle Jerry confirms it, identifying the repeated B sounds in 'balancin', breaking, branches'. The plosive consonants give the line a percussive, precarious quality.
The B-sound alliteration mirrors the brittleness of the branches themselves, the sharp, breakable quality of the consonants echoing the fragility of the relationship.
“We always walked a very thin line”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in 'we walked', noting the W sounds.
The soft W sounds in 'we walked' give the line a wistful, wandering quality that suits the memory of moving carefully through a fragile relationship.
“Forgive me Peter, my lost fearless leader”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify multiple layers of alliteration in this line: the L sounds in 'lost,' 'fearless,' 'leader,' and the S sounds in 'lost' and 'fearless.' Uncle Jerry notes not just one but two levels of alliteration working simultaneously, calling the poetic technique 'really high.'
The soft L and S consonants create a sad, gentle tone appropriate to the song's overall mood of lost innocence and tender apology.
“Lost to the lost boys, chapter of your life”
Uncle Jerry briefly identifies 'more alliteration' in the 'Lost... Lost' repetition of 'Lost to the lost boys.' The L sounds continue the alliterative pattern he has been tracking throughout the song.
The alliteration connects the speaker's 'lost' state to the 'lost boys' of Peter Pan, binding the personal experience to the literary source.
“'Cause love's never lost if perspective is earned”
Uncle Jerry identifies 'beautiful double alliteration, the L's and the S's' in this line. He further analyses the consonant choice: 'L's and S's are soft and sad sounds,' connecting the alliterative pattern to the emotional register of the line. He explicitly argues that 'good poets use alliteration that creates a tone or a mood for the work' rather than just lining up consonants.
The soft L and S alliteration creates a melancholic, gentle tone that matches the line's bittersweet content, the idea that love can be redeemed through perspective, even when lost.
“I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone Trying to find the one where I went wrong”
Uncle Jerry points out the alliteration: 'footsteps,' 'stepping stone,' noting 'lots of ST' and 'lots of S's rolling through.' He also highlights the alliteration continuing across lines with 'where went wrong' linking W sounds.
The alliteration binds the lines together sonically, reinforcing the speaker's obsessive retracing of steps.
“Sending signals To be double-crossed”
Uncle Jerry notes the alliteration in 'sending signals' and 'double-crossed,' telling listeners to 'stop and admire the alliteration.'
The alliteration sonically binds the act of sending signals to the betrayal of being double-crossed.
“Writing letters Addressed to the fire”
Uncle Jerry notes the W alliteration tying across lines: 'where went wrong writing.' He explains that alliteration can 'not only tie sounds together or images together, but can also tie lines together so that your reader has to read lines together,' creating a naturalistic flow in free verse.
The cross-line alliteration creates continuity between the speaker's search for where she went wrong and her act of writing letters, linking self-examination to self-expression.
“Said, "They wanna see you rise, they don't want you to reign”
Uncle Jerry identifies 'rise' and 'reign' as alliterative, noting Taylor is very conscious of those poetic elements and loves alliteration. He calls the line intentionally alliterative, intentionally positioned, and intentionally paused.
The alliteration binds rise and reign together sonically, underscoring the tension between the permitted upward mobility and the forbidden assumption of power, the patriarchal bargain at the song's core.
Uncle Jerry identifies alliterative power in the final chorus, specifically noting 'deal, devil' and 'father figure' as alliterative pairings that demonstrate her poetic power.
The alliterative pairings in the final chorus reinforce the sonic force of the speaker's assertion of control, the hard consonants carrying the weight of confrontation.
“So (So) long (Long), London (London)”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify the repeated L sounds in 'long, London' as alliteration. Uncle Jerry describes the L's as 'sonorous,' 'sweet,' and extending the sound of the word. He connects the alliteration to having 'real meaning', the sounds carry and extend like bells ringing in fog.
The sonorous L sounds create a lingering, bell-like quality that evokes both the sound of London's bells and the speaker's reluctance to let go.
“I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift”
Uncle Jerry identifies the hard C/K sounds in 'kept, calm, carried' as alliteration, noting it as 'really nice poetic use of alliteration.' He further identifies alliteration in 'Pulled him in tighter each time' (tight, time) and 'my spine split', three consecutive lines with three different alliterative elements.
The alliterative patterns across three consecutive lines reinforce the speaker's persistent effort in the relationship and the physical toll it takes, with the hard C sounds emphasising the weight and struggle.
“Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?”
Angela & Uncle Jerry note the alliteration with the S and Z sounds in this line alongside the assonance. Uncle Jerry identifies it as part of her demonstration of poetic skill.
The alliteration works alongside the assonance to prove the speaker's mastery of sound devices, reinforcing the irony of being dismissed as a lesser poet.
“I'm not cut out for all these cynical clones These hunters with cell phones”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration in 'cynical,' 'clones,' and 'cell' (the hard C/K sound), as well as the harsh sounds in 'cut' and 'clones.' Uncle Jerry explains that a good poet uses alliteration to demonstrate tone or emotion, here the harsh sounds describe harsh things: the critics who hunt her with their phones.
The harsh consonant sounds sonically enact the hostility of the critics and the technological intrusion the speaker is trying to escape, reinforcing the Romantic retreat from a mechanized, critical world.
“She had a marvelous time ruining everything”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration of Rs and '-ing' sounds in this line: 'marvelous,' 'ruining,' 'everything.' He says 'the consonants really tie that line together' and that 'it dances trippingly on the tongue.' He also discusses the principle that artful alliteration should create meaning through sound, not just stack consonants together.
The rolling Rs and repeated '-ing' endings create a sonic quality of momentum and delight, matching the speaker's gleeful embrace of being labeled as destructive.
“And blew through the money on the boys and the ballet”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration of B sounds: 'blew,' 'boys,' 'ballet', the 'BBB.' He notes that the B sounds are 'hard, bouncy' and argues the consonant is 'supposed to be the harsh evaluation on the way she blew through money.' He calls it 'perfect alliteration' because the sound creates meaning rather than being merely decorative.
The hard B alliteration sonically enacts the town's judgment, the percussive quality mirrors the disapproving tone with which outsiders evaluate Rebekah's spending.
“High heels on cobblestones”
Uncle Jerry identifies the 'HH' alliteration in 'high heels' as part of the sonic texture of the opening verse.
Contributes to the sonic richness that Uncle Jerry notes distinguishes cardigan from the other two triangle poems.
“You drew stars around my scars”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration with the S sounds ('stars,' 'scars') and calls them 'beautiful sounds' and 'flowing sound.' He notes this is part of a richly textured line that also contains internal rhyme and two levels of symbolism.
The sibilant alliteration creates a flowing, gentle sound that mirrors the tenderness of the act described, drawing stars around scars, even as the imagery carries deeper symbolic weight.
“I knew you through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration with the S sound between 'daze,' 'blades,' 'grass,' and 'summer.' He notes that the repeated S sound of the whispering grass gives a nostalgic sense of memory.
The sibilant S sounds create a whispering, grassy atmosphere that evokes the sensory experience of childhood summers, reinforcing the nostalgic tone.
“Wild winds are death to the candle”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify the alliteration in this line, the repeated 'w' sounds in 'wise,' 'wild,' 'winds.' Uncle Jerry explicitly names it as alliteration and notes it as one of the reasons the line is 'fun to say,' identifying it as a deliberate poetic technique.
The alliteration binds the 'wise men' opening to the cryptic warning, giving the line a proverbial, incantatory quality that suits the song's frame of sage counsel.
“How the death rattle breathing Silenced as the soul was leaving The deflation of our dreaming Leaving me bereft and reeling”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliterative elements in the bridge: 'silenced as the soul, the illiterate elements' (he means alliterative), specifically noting the S sounds, the D sounds in 'deflation' and 'dreaming,' and the L sounds in 'leaving.' He draws comparison to Edgar Allan Poe's use of alliteration and rolling rhyme in The Raven, Ulalume, and Annabel Lee.
The alliteration creates the beautiful, rolling sound quality that Uncle Jerry praises as deserving to be 'read aloud', the sonic beauty mirrors the poetic beauty of the language.
“Cancel plans just in case you'd call”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify liberal use of alliteration throughout the song. Uncle Jerry specifically calls out the alliteration in 'cancel, case, cause' with the hard C/K sounds, and later notes the soft S alliteration in 'summer, saying, us, cause' in the bridge section. He identifies alliteration as one of the Anglo-Saxon poetic elements Taylor consistently employs and lists it as 'typical Taylor.'
The alliteration binds words together sonically, reinforcing the cohesion of the speaker's memories and the poetic texture of her reminiscence.
“So you could sit there in this hurt Bustling crowds or silent sleepers”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration of repeated S sounds throughout the first verse, 'sit there in this,' 'bustling crowds, silent sleepers.' He notes that the verse ends with 'silent sleepers' and explains that the alliterative S is not there for show but to replicate the tone of the poem: the sound of the letter should replicate what is being described, and S is a quiet sound describing silent sleepers.
The sibilant alliteration sonically enacts the quietness and solitude of the scene on the night train, reinforcing the isolation of the character surrounded by sleeping strangers.
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in the bridge: 'want what's best', the W sounds repeated. He notes 'W's W's, nice alliterative feeling.'
The alliterative W sounds in 'want what's best' give the phrase a singsong quality that mirrors the performative concern of the people who claim to want what's best for the narrator.
“Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration: 'all the S's and the B and L's' in 'sanctimoniously performing soliloquies.' He notes 'it sounds beautiful, but she is describing something she really finds creepy', the alliterative beauty of the phrase creates an ironic contrast with its harsh content. Community readers tie the sound to the sense: the dense run of sibilants across the bridge's opening lines hisses like the snakes the verse has just named, the alliteration enacting the vipers it describes. The live performance is cited in support, where snake-strike choreography from an earlier song lands on the viper imagery.
The alliterative beauty of the phrase mirrors the song's critique of performative piety, the words sound sanctimonious and pretty, just like the people they describe who present a beautiful surface while harboring judgment.
“I'm tellin' him to floor it through the fences”
Uncle Jerry identifies the 'FF' in 'floor it through the fences' as 'nice alliteration.'
The alliterative F sounds create a percussive, forceful quality that mirrors the aggressive action of bursting through barriers.
“Autumn leaves fallin' down like pieces into place And I can picture it after all these days”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration linking pieces, place, and picture, noting that good writers use alliteration meaningfully to tie important phrases together, not just for decoration.
The alliteration binds the puzzle imagery to the act of remembering, reinforcing the connection between scattered pieces and the coherent picture memory assembles.
“And I know it's long gone and That magic's not here no more”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration with the Ns and Gs in this passage, paired with assonance, noting these sound devices serve a musical and reinforcing function.
The alliteration reinforces the repetitive quality of the speaker's remembering, the sounds echo and return like the memories themselves.
“A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration in this passage, 'love, li, ju, well, never needy', noting the interlocking loveliness of the poetics.
The alliteration creates a sonic beauty that mirrors the idealised version of the speaker he wanted, lovely on the surface, perfectly constructed.
“It's hell on earth to be heavenly”
Uncle Jerry notes the alliterative H sounds in this line ('hell,' 'heavenly'), calling it 'poetically pretty' and observing the H's specifically.
The alliterative H's bind 'hell' and 'heavenly' together sonically, reinforcing the paradox at the level of sound: the two opposed concepts share their opening breath.
“You look like Clara Bow In this light, remarkable All your life, did you know You'd be picked like a rose?”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in verse one, noting the L sounds rolling through the passage: 'look like,' 'in this light,' 'all your life,' 'like a rose.' He describes the L sounds as 'sweet, amiable, pulling, convincing', a sound quality that matches the talent scout's seductive pitch.
The alliterative L sounds create a pulling, persuasive sonic quality that enacts the talent scout's seductive recruitment pitch at the level of sound.
“Your roommate's cheap-ass screw-top rosé, that's how”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration in the phrase 'cheap-ass screw-top rosé,' noting how the S sounds in 'ass,' 'screw,' and 'rosé' connect the words and make the line flow. Uncle Jerry states that Taylor is intentional about using alliteration and that this line has connectivity through its alliterative pattern.
The alliteration binds the phrase into a single sonic unit, making the cheapness of the wine (and by extension the relationship) roll off the tongue as a unified, memorable image.
“Ain't that the way shit always ends?”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration in this line, noting the S sounds that link the end of the lines in verse two. Uncle Jerry explicitly calls out the alliteration here.
The sibilant alliteration creates a bitter, hissing quality that matches the cynical resignation of the line.
“And clandestine meetings and longing stares”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in the same chorus line, noting the repeated S and L sounds in 'clandestine meetings and longing stares'. He says the alliteration, combined with the assonance, makes the line 'pretty to read'.
The alliterative L and S sounds lend the line a softness that mirrors the longing it describes. The prettiness of the language is deliberately set against the darker content that follows.
“stolen stares”
Uncle Jerry notes the alliteration of the S sounds in 'stolen stares' in the second chorus and says 'it's alliterative, like you can't miss it'. Angela agrees. The alliteration makes the word-swap from 'longing' to 'stolen' land harder, drawing attention to the darker substitution.
The alliteration on 'stolen stares' binds the two words together sonically, emphasising the shift from desire to transgression between the first and second choruses.
“Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in this line: the repeated 't' and 'p' sounds in 'Twenties, tossing, pennies, pool.' He also notes the internal alliterative connection between 'twenties' and 'pennies.'
The alliteration gives the line a musical, percussive quality that matches the light, playful tone of the memory being described.
“I, I, I persist and resist the temptation to ask you”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration in 'persist and resist,' noting the repeated 's' sounds. He says the alliterative pairing reinforces the paradoxical quality of the line.
The alliteration binds 'persist' and 'resist' together sonically, making the paradox of doing both at once feel natural and inevitable rather than contradictory.
“Busy streets and busy lives”
Uncle Jerry notes the alliteration of the B sounds ('busy', 'busy', plus the bouncing Bs) and the sibilant S sounds ('streets', 'busy', 'lives') as sonic devices that bop the poem along and create rhythm.
The alliterative sounds reinforce the driving momentum Uncle Jerry sees as central to the song's depiction of love as a force that propels you forward.
“We learn to live with the pain”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in the L sounds ('learn', 'live') and the W sounds ('we', 'with'), plus assonance in the short I of 'live' and 'with'. He says these sonic devices add unity and beauty to the line.
The smooth, flowing sound created by the alliteration and assonance gives the line a quality of acceptance, matching its content: the speaker has made peace with pain as a feature of love.
“A liberated libertine who then longed for home”
The repeated l-sounds tie the line together, from "liberated" through to "longed". "Liberated" and "libertine" share the Latin root liber, meaning free, and a libertine was originally a freed slave before the word came to mean a man without moral restraint. The pairing piles freedom on freedom, which makes his longing for home at the end of the line more striking.
Angela & Uncle Jerry note the alliteration of 'foes' and 'friends' in the pre-chorus, though Uncle Jerry characterizes it as 'very cute' but 'not alliteration that strikes deeply at the heart of the tone', lighthearted rather than substantive.
Contributes to the playful, lighthearted tone of the song rather than carrying thematic weight.
“Mine play out like fools in a fable”
Uncle Jerry explicitly pauses to 'admire the use of alliteration', the F sounds in 'fools' and 'fable.' He notes 'a lesser writer would have said fools in a story.'
The alliteration binds 'fools' and 'fable' sonically, making the line more memorable and emphasising the fairy-tale register.
“the magic fabric of our dreaming”
Uncle Jerry calls attention to 'magic fabric' as being 'alliterative and rhymed.' The repeated 'a' sounds in 'magic' and 'fabric' bind the words sonically.
The alliteration gives the phrase a musical, incantatory quality appropriate to the dreamlike state it describes, the magic of the relationship rendered in sound.
“Please picture me in the trees”
Uncle Jerry identifies the alliteration of the P sounds in 'please' and 'picture', noting the 'nice poetic elements' of the line.
The alliteration binds the plea and the act of imagining into a single sonic unit, reinforcing the collaborative invitation the speaker is making.
“Bad was the blood of the song in the cab”
Uncle Jerry identifies alliteration in this line: the B sounds in 'bad,' 'blood,' and 'cab,' and the S sounds in 'song' and other nearby words. He also identifies alliteration in 'boys who broke' in verse three, and notes the alliterative quality of 'invisible string' in the chorus. He treats the alliteration as part of the embedded poetic devices that make the language beautiful beyond its surface meaning.
The alliteration gives the lines a musical quality that reinforces the song's light, playful tone while also binding words together sonically, mirroring the thematic idea of connection.
“Suddenly, this summer, it's clear”
Uncle Jerry points out the alliteration on the S sound across this line: 'Suddenly', 'summer', and the S embedded in 'this' and 'it's'. He calls it 'alliteratively strong' and notes that four of the first five words carry an S sound.
Uncle Jerry reads the sound work as part of the poem's strong craft in the opening verse.
“Or does she mouth, "Fuck you forever"?”
Uncle Jerry explicitly identifies alliteration with the F sounds: 'It's also by the way alliteration with the F's.'
The alliteration with the harsh F sounds reinforces the aggression of the line, with the repeated consonant adding percussive force to the speaker's defiance.
“burned the disco down”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify alliteration in the bridge: Uncle Jerry notes 'we have some alliteration, disco down.' The repeated 'd' sound binds the two words together sonically.
The alliteration in 'disco down' creates a percussive, emphatic quality that underscores the finality of the shutdown being described.
“We never had a shotgun shot in the dark”
Uncle Jerry explicitly identifies alliteration in this line: 'it's alliterative... alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds. So the S's, the SH in shotgun shot are really nicely alliterative.'
The alliterative sounds bind the words together sonically, reinforcing the percussive, gun-like quality of the image.
“'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play”
Uncle Jerry identifies 'players play' as alliteration, a sound device that binds the words sonically and adds to the song's rhythmic pleasure. He also notes consonance across the chorus lines and identifies the sound devices as part of what makes the chorus memorable and fun.
The sound devices contribute to the song's rhetorical effectiveness. The alliteration makes the chorus catchy and easy to remember, which is part of why the song is so successful as a pop song and as an argument.
“Magic, madness, heaven, sin”
Uncle Jerry notes the alliteration in 'magic madness' and the connected S sounds and M sounds across the line: 'the alliteration with magic madness, you know, is kind of nice. Heaven, sin. So you get the S's and the M's that are all connected. And, you know, I do love alliteration. It's not too obvious. It's kind of nice.'
The alliteration contributes to the carnival-barker quality, the tumble of attractive-sounding words designed to sell something, reinforcing the speaker's role as a salesperson hawking her faux persona.