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Lamentation Song Analysis: “When I’m Gone” Song by Joey + Rory
Introduction
Human life is characterized by a series of events that generate both sorrow and happiness. In the situations that create happiness, people make merry and celebrate the achievements made at the particular moment. On the other hand, human beings incur circumstances that cause grief. Among the key events related that facilitate grief development include, death, diseases, mistreatment and damaged relationships. In the presence of the outlined circumstances, people seek to express their emotions through which they overcome the grief and sorrow related to the effect of catastrophic events.
Regarding the emotion expression, people often develop lamentation songs whose lyrics express sorrow created by a particular circumstance. The move helps the composers to outline their status that could not get expressed in normal words or dialogues. The paper develops an analysis of a lamentation song upon which it identifies lyrics that express sorrow. Under the song “When I’m Gone” by Joey+Rory, Joey Feek outlines the suffering her husband will incur prior and after her death.
Lamentation Song Analysis: “When I’m Gone” Song by Joey + Rory
Song Review
The song “When I’m Gone” by Joey+Rory got produced in 2012 upon which a dying woman addresses her lover. In relation, the sick woman reveals the affliction that her husband will incur before and after her death and further reassures him that he will have the strength to endure upon which everything will be okay. The song was predicting Joey’s death upon which she got diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer in 2014 that further extends to her colons in 2015 (CNN 2015). The disease oversaw her death in 2016. Under the song, Joey was addressing her husband, Rory Lee.
Lamentation Aspect
The song is performed by Joey and Rory upon which Joey speaks to his husband who is grieving since his wife would die soon. The song adopts a slow rhythm that helps outline a theme of grief among the characters. Through the song, Joey seeks to express the suffering that is being incurred by her husband related to her expected death and the pain that would occur upon her death.
The lamentation aspect is evident in the lyrics of the song upon which Joey composes lyrics that outline grief and suffering. Among the lines that develop a lamenting attitude include “You wonder why the earth still moves; you wonder how you will carry on” (When I am Gone 3). Under this lyric Joey identifies her husband’s grief upon which he desires that the world would come to an end since it lacks meaning under the current conditions. In particular, Rory griefs since his wife is suffering from a disastrous disease and would die soon. Concerning the realization that his wife would die soon; the husband further develop fear of how he will move on with life upon his wife’s death. In this regard, the husband might have fears that he will lead a lonely life when his wife is gone.
The chorus further develops the aspect of lamentation by outlining the sorrow that will result in the demise of the wife.
“You will reach for me in vain
You will be whispering my name
As if sorrow were your friend
And this world so alien” (When I am gone 10-12)
In consideration, the wife identifies that the husband will develop grief such that sorrow will become his companion. In the course of the suffering, the husband will see the world as an awkward place owing to the loneliness created following the death of his wife. In return, he will try to reach out for his wife, but it will yield no comfort since he will neither access her nor manage to communicate to her. Instead, the attempts to reach out will generate more sorrow and portray a bad picture of the world since it can’t help bring the wife back to life.
Also, the line “You will lie down in our big bed, dread the dark and dread the dawn” (7) develop the aspect of sorrow upon which the husband will stay awake all night till dawn due to fear created by the loneliness. In particular, the husband will be sleeping alone in the large bedroom, anticipating the presence of her wife, who would not be present. The nights will be sleepless overshadowed by grief.
Lastly, the statement “Just give it time we will both be fine when I am gone” (16) outlines that the wife is also grieving about the suffering being incurred by her husband. The line further describes that her grief would persist until she is gone since she will not be in place to see her husband’s suffering upon her death.
Conclusion
Regarding the discussed lines, the song clearly outlines the grief of the husband about her projected death and her current deteriorating health status. The song further identifies that the wife is also grieving upon realizing the suffering being experienced by her husband. In relation, to this features the song qualify for categorization as a lamentation song since its grief and sorrow.
Work Cited
CNN. Country singer shares her last days on earth. (2015). YouTube Video.