the metaphorical meanings of maroon 5’s selected … · 2019. 8. 26. · the metaphorical...

THE METAPHORICAL MEANINGS OF MAROON 5’S

SELECTED SONG LYRICS

AN UNDERGRADUATED THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

GUSTI SORAYA

Student Number: 134214033

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA

YOGYAKARTA

2019

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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THE METAPHORICAL MEANINGS OF MAROON 5’S

SELECTED SONG LYRICS

AN UNDERGRADUATED THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

GUSTI SORAYA

Student Number: 134214033

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA

YOGYAKARTA

2019


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Dream is something you can reach

-Anonymous-

Follow your dreams, just make sure you have fun too

–Chris Brown-

The pain that you’ve been feeling,

can’t compare to the joy that coming

–Rephrase from Romans 8:18-


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This Research is Dedicated to

my beloved Parents, my Brothers

and

my friends who supported and encouraged me,

I present this to you all.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This present study cannot be finished without support, encouragement and

also hard work. First of all, I would like to praise Jesus Christ for letting me finish

this research, also for His blessing during the process until I can finish my present

study. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor, Arina

Isti‟anah, S.Pd, M.Hum for her patience, guidance and advices in helping me from

the start until the last word of this paper. Also I would like to thank my thesis co-

advisor, Simon Arsa Manggala S.S., M.Hum. for giving suggestions and

improvements. Their advices mean a lot for this research, thank you for every

chance that has been given to me.

I would like to express my gratefulness to my beloved mom, dad, and my

brothers who always give me their never-ending love, supports and prayers, also

for their trust in me. For my supporting team, Laras, Ame, Laura, Rico, Menyon,

Lia, Monic, Upik, Istu, Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Bhinna. I would like to thank them

for their supports, patients and encouragement. I especially thank Iman Juniarto

for always reminding me to finish my research and support me with all he can.

For those who always pour me with love, supports, trust and prayers, I give

my huge thank for them.

Gusti Soraya


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... ii

APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ................................................................ vi

MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................. vii

DEDICATION PAGE ....................................................................................... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... x

LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................... xii

ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... xiii

ABSTRAK .......................................................................................................... xiv

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study .......................................................................... 1

B. Problem Formulation ............................................................................... 7

C. Objectives of the Study ............................................................................ 7

D. Definition of Terms .................................................................................. 8

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................... 10

A. Review of Related Studies ..................................................................... 10

B. Review of Related Theories ................................................................... 13

1. Theory of Semantics .................................................................... 13

2. Theory of Metaphor ..................................................................... 16

3. Types of Metaphor ....................................................................... 19

C. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................ 21

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................. 22

A. Object of the Study................................................................................... 22

B. Approach of the Study ............................................................................. 23

C. Method of the Study ................................................................................. 24

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS (RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS) ..................... 29

A. The Types of Metaphor Used in Maroon 5‟s Song Lyrics....................... 29

1. Dead Metaphor ............................................................................. 29

2. Standard or Stock Metaphor......................................................... 30

3. Original Metaphor ........................................................................ 33

B. The Meaning of Metaphorical Expressions ............................................. 36

1. This Love ....................................................................................... 36

a. The fire ............................................................................... 36

b. Appetite .............................................................................. 37

c. Wings ................................................................................. 38


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2. She Will Be Loved ......................................................................... 39

a. Broken smile ...................................................................... 39

b. Rainbows and butterflies .................................................... 40

3. Tangled ........................................................................................... 41

a. A spider‟s web.................................................................... 42

b. An insect............................................................................. 43

4. Nothing Lasts Forever .................................................................... 44

a. Ditch ................................................................................... 44

b. A wall ................................................................................. 45

5. Payphone ........................................................................................ 46

a. Payphone ............................................................................ 46

b. Home .................................................................................. 47

c. Bridges ............................................................................... 48

d. The sun ............................................................................... 49

6. Daylight .......................................................................................... 50

a. The daylight ....................................................................... 50

7. Maps ............................................................................................... 51

a. A map ................................................................................. 51

b. Road ................................................................................... 52

8. Closure ........................................................................................... 53

a. Face to face ......................................................................... 54

b. War ..................................................................................... 54

9. Whiskey.......................................................................................... 55

a. Blind ................................................................................... 55

b. Sold my soul ....................................................................... 56

c. Runnin‟ out ........................................................................ 57

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ......................................................................... 59

REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 62

APPENDIX ......................................................................................................... 65

a. Appendix 1. The metaphorical expressions of Maroon 5‟s

songs ......................................................................................... 65

b. Appendix 2. Maroon 5‟s song lyrics ........................................ 66


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LIST OF TABLES

No. Table Page

1. Table 1. Song Lyrics 26

2. Table 2. Dead Metaphor 30

3. Table 3. Standard or Stock Metaphor 31

4. Table 4. Original Metaphor 33


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ABSTRACT

SORAYA, GUSTI. (2019). The Metaphorical Meanings of Maroon 5's

Selected Song Lyrics. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of

Letters, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Communication is an important part of human life. Without communication,

humans cannot convey their intentions or purpose. Therefore, they need a

language and it has to contain meanings. Meaning is classified into two, literal

meaning and non-literal or figurative meaning. Figurative meaning can be found

in literary works, especially song lyrics.

The problems formulated in this research are: First, types of metaphorical

expressions found and used in Maroon 5's selected song lyrics. Second, the

meanings of those metaphorical expressions.

In order to analyze the meaning of metaphor, this research used semantics as

the approach of the study. Stratified sampling was used to collect the data. The

data were collected after metaphorical expressions are found. The types of

metaphor by Peter Newmark (1988) are applied to answer the first problem.

Meanwhile, to answer the second problem, the researcher applied the theory of

metaphor.

There are 9 song titles which consist of 21 song lines analyzed in this

research. Those song lyrics are classified into three types based on the

characteristics of each type. The types are dead metaphor, standard metaphor and

the last is original metaphor. There are 2 expressions classified in dead metaphor,

8 expressions in standard metaphor and 11 expressions are classified in original

metaphor. Thus, the metaphorical meaning can be found after comparing literal

meaning and metaphorical meaning by using semantics property.

Keywords: Metaphor, Metaphorical expression, Semantic property.


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ABSTRAK

SORAYA, GUSTI. (2019). The Metaphorical Meanings of Maroon 5's

Selected Song Lyrics. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,

Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Komunikasi adalah bagian penting dalam kehidupan manusia. Tanpa

komunikasi, manusia tidak mampu menyampaikan niat dan tujuan mereka. Oleh

karena itu, mereka membutuhkan bahasa dan harus memiliki makna. Suatu makna

dapat diklasifikasikan menjadi dua, makna sesungguhnya dan makna kiasan.

Makna kiasan dapat ditemukan dalam berbagai karya sastra, terutama lirik lagu.

Masalah yang dirumuskan dalam penelitian ini adalah: Pertama, jenis-jenis

ungkapan metafora yang ditemukan dan digunakan di lirik lagu terpilih dari band

Maroon 5. Kedua, makna dari setiap ungkapan metafora tersebut.

Untuk menganalisa makna dari metafora, penelitian ini menggunakan

Semantik, sebagai pendekatan dari penelitian ini. Stratified sampling diterapkan

untuk mengumpulkan data. Data dapat di kumpulkan setelah ungkapan metafora

ditemukan. Jenis-jenis metafora oleh Peter Newmark (1988) diterapkan untuk

menjawab masalah yang pertama. Sementara itu, untuk menjawab rumusan yang

kedua, peneliti menerapkan teori metafora.

Ada 9 judul lagu, yang terdiri dari 21 baris yang dianalisa di penelitian ini.

Lirik-lirik lagu tersebut diklasifikasi menjadi 3 jenis berdasarkan pada

karakteristik dari setiap jenis metafora. Jenis-jenisnya adalah dead metaphor,

standard metaphor dan yang terakhir adalah original metaphor. Terdapat 2

ekspresi yang diklasifikasikan dalam dead metaphor, 8 ekspresi di standard

metaphor dan 11 ekspresi yang diklasifikasikan dalam original metaphor. Makna

metafora tersebut dapat ditemukan setelah membandingkan makna sesungguhnya

dengan makna metafora dengan menggunakan aspek semantik.

Keywords: Metaphor, Metaphorical expression, Semantic property.


CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Since born, humans cannot live without communications. Human beings

always communicate with others, written or spoken. Therefore, humans need a

language in order to deliver one‟s intention. It is impossible for people to

communicate using language if the language contains no meaning because it

carries no function in communicating, as Jakobson also states that “language

without meaning is meaningless” (Jakobson as cited in Fromkin et al, 2002, p.

173).

To understand the meaning of languages, Fromkin et al (2002) add that one

needs comprehension of the meanings of words and the morphemes that compose

them. It also needs understanding on how the meanings of words combine into

phrase and sentence meanings. Then, context of speech needs to be reconsidered

in determining meaning (p. 173).

In understanding the meaning of language, there are two separate

classifications of language, which are literal and non-literal (figurative) meanings.

Literal meaning is stiffer than non-literal meaning because literal meaning does

not use or contain any figures of speech. It has common words that are usually

used in everyday life instead. The meanings of those words are the basic or

according to the dictionary. Literal meaning has no other meaning outside of what

is written in the dictionary. Elrington (2016) asserts that the meaning of literal

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language is “language that means the literal, or dictionary, meaning of a word or

phrase,” the meaning of word or phrase only based on the dictionary. The

meaning of figurative language is “language that goes beyond the dictionary

meaning of the word or phrase”. Therefore, it can be seen that literal meaning is

more rigid. On the other hand, figurative meaning uses figures of speech and the

meaning is different from the dictionary or the basic meaning of words. It also

means that the literal meaning contains the direct interpretation of what is said,

while figurative meaning connotes certain meaning beyond the meaning of the

word that is said itself.

In order to analyze a complicated idea, figurative language uses words

which are deviated from their actual meaning or dictionary meaning while literal

language uses words exactly according to their proper meanings or precise

definitions. As stated by Brinton (2000) that figurative uses of language

(personification, metaphor, etc.) routinely violate or break selectional restrictions,

figurative language is not a “normal” language. It is different from the language

used daily since figurative language often violates the selectional restrictions.

A burglar killed the old man (literal)

Sadness killed the old man (metaphorical)

Those two sentences are examples of literal and figurative language (metaphor)

respectively. In the first sentence, it is clear that the old man died because of the

burglar killed him. The burglar is [+animate] that has an ability to kill someone. It

shows that the first sentence is a literal language. In contrast, the second sentence

is a figurative language since it is violate the selectional restriction that “kill”

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requires a [+animate] subject. Sadness is [-animate], it seems impossible for

sadness to kill someone. Therefore, figurative language needs interpretation. The

comparison between two different objects or concepts creates the link that helps

the audiences understand the meaning of the first object or concept better.

Many writers prefer to use figurative language in their texts, poetry, books,

movie scripts and song lyrics because they want to give readers new insights.

When a writer writes his/her texts, he/she uses figurative words in to differ the

meaning from the literal meaning. New insights are derived from the readers

apprehension of the new meaning in the figurative language used in literary texts.

The following is the example of figurative language taken from song lyric.

From the lyric I‟m the shadow on the ground by Lonestar, the word “shadow”

contains several meanings. According to Oxford Dictionary (2010), shadow is “a

dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a

surface.” In other words, “shadow” is a dark image which is formed when the

light is blocked by an object and it will appear on the surface, usually shadow will

follow the object. The song forms a new meaning of “shadow” which is a person

or follower, as stated in Longman Dictionary, someone who follows someone else

everywhere they go. In fact, this song tells about a father and his children.

Therefore, the lyric wants to say that the father will never leave his children alone.

He wants to protect his children and follow the children wherever they go. The

father is always with them, just like a shadow that never leaves its object. Thus,

the writer gives a new picture and view of a word outside its common meaning.

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There are several kinds of figurative language, such as metaphor, simile,

personification, hyperbole, symbols and idiom (Madden, 2004, p. 39). They

usually describe something with something else through comparison. The most

powerful part in figurative language is metaphor since it is used in everyday

language and as Madden states, metaphor is a “more direct and more complete

comparison” (2004, p. 65). Thus, in relation to other types of figurative language,

metaphor is more direct in giving comparisons although the meaning is more

implicit. Metaphor is a direct comparison because when it compares something to

another object, it does not use preposition, such as „like‟ or „as‟. Instead, it usually

comes in the forms of “is”, “am”, “are”, “was”, and “were”. As stated further by

Madden, “a metaphor does not announce itself; it states that something is

something else (My love is red) or implies it (My love has red petals and sharp

thorns). Our everyday language is filled with metaphors” (2004, p. 65). In

addition, metaphor gives the aesthetic value to the things that are being compared.

The definition of metaphorical meaning is the meaning that derives from

metaphorical expression.

Metaphor can be found in daily lives, everyday language, as well as literary

texts like poems, poetry, books and song lyrics. One of the texts which apply

kinds of metaphors is song lyrics. Song lyrics also have distinct characteristics

compared to other texts which contain metaphor. In other literary texts, people see

the texts apart from them, while people see the text as part of them in song lyrics

because most of song lyrics represent human‟s feelings.

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Other distinct features from song lyrics are the universality. Song is the

universal language which is not limited to a certain religion, race, age, and other

factors, but it can be enjoyed by everyone around the world. People speak

different languages but they can sing along to the same song. Even though songs

are sung in other languages that they do not understand, if they try to comprehend

the songs, the message and the meaning of the songs can still be delivered because

songs cover people from all over the world. Songs or the lyrics can also give a big

impact to the readers. The readers can become happier, sadder, more upset and

any other emotion because of a specific song‟s lyrics. In addition to bring out the

readers feelings or emotions, people love songs because songs are close to

people‟s feelings as songs can be related to the daily lives experiences as well. On

this, Grocke and Wigram also state that there is no doubt that people of all ages

relate to the lyrics of songs because the lyrics describe aspects of life that are

common to all people, irrespective of ages, culture and upbringing (2007, p. 159).

Song is everywhere. Therefore, in order to attract listeners‟ attention, the

songwriters have their own style in writing the song lyrics, whether it is the

theme, the choice of words or the figurative languages. That kind of style is one of

the characteristics that can make them special. One distinct musician is Maroon 5.

Maroon 5 is an American pop-rock band that comes from Los Angeles,

California. The band consists of Adam Levine as lead vocalist and lead guitarist,

Jesse Carmichael as keyboardist, Mickey Madden as bassist guitar, James

Valentine as guitarist, and Matt Flynn as drummer. They also have two new

members, PJ Morton as a keyboardist and Sam Farrar as a rhythm and lead guitar.

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Maroon 5 is not only famous in America, but also all around the world.

Their market share is also vast and global. All people without limitation of age,

gender, and jobs enjoy their songs, as proven by their achievements from songs

and albums. Maroon 5 has received three Grammy Awards, three American Music

Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and also four World Music Awards

(www.imdb.com and www.grammy.com).

Those achievements are evidence that global society welcomes Maroon 5‟s

songs and most people around the world enjoy the songs. In World Music Awards,

Maroon 5 achieves not only one but four awards, as more evidence for their

tremendous popularity. Their single “Moves like Jagger”, has been sold over 14.4

million copies and is one of the best-selling singles worldwide (www.imdb.com

and www.grammy.com).

In writing their songs, Maroon 5 employs a lot of metaphorical expressions

to make their songs easy to listen to but still have deep meaning. In addition, the

use of metaphorical expression can indicate something beyond what the words

literally mean. The examples of metaphorical expression can be found in Maroon

5‟s song from album V, “Animals”:

You can start over, you can run free

You can find other fish in the sea

Those two lines have a certain meaning that cannot be taken literally. They have

to be understood figuratively. The “other fish in the sea” does not refer to any

animal that lives exclusively in water. The meaning of “other fish in the sea” is

used to indicate other romantic partners or significant others to pursue. „Fish‟ in

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http://www.imdb.com/

http://www.grammy.com/



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this line refers to person. Through those lines, the writer wants to say that he will

give freedom to another party. She can go wherever she wants, she can find

another person that she likes or loves.

Metaphorical expressions can create closer distance between the writers and

readers. Metaphorical expressions have a certain meaning. However, some people

do not understand how to obtain the meaning of metaphorical expressions. Some

of them just take the metaphorical expressions literally and even not realize that

the lyric contains metaphorical expressions. Therefore, this research aims are to

analyze what metaphorical expressions are used in Maroon 5‟s song lyrics as well

as the types and meanings of those metaphorical expressions. In this study, the

researcher selects song lyrics which contain metaphorical expressions in it. The

songs selected also have the same theme, which is heartbreak.

B. Problem Formulation

In order to analyze the metaphorical expressions, there are two problems

that the researcher tries to answer in this research:

1. What types of metaphorical expressions are found in Maroon 5‟s selected

song lyrics?

2. What are the meanings of those metaphorical expressions?

C. Objectives of the Study

This study is conducted for two purposes. The first one is to find out the

metaphorical expressions in the song lyrics and then determine the types of those

metaphorical expressions used often in the lyrics. After the metaphorical

expressions and the types are found, then the second purpose is to find out the

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literal meaning of those metaphors in the song lyrics using dictionaries. After the

metaphorical expressions, the types and the literal meanings are found, and then

semantic properties and metaphor analysis are used to find the metaphorical

meaning.

This study expects that the readers can apply the methods in finding the

metaphorical expressions, differentiate the types of metaphor and understand the

meanings of metaphors that they found in daily life or any other texts, especially

in song lyrics.

D. Definition of Terms

In order to prevent the misunderstanding that may happen in this study, the

explanation of term will be explained.

Metaphor is a word that often mentioned in this study. The meaning of

metaphor is one of figures of speech that compare two different things but have a

single or some common characteristics. Metaphor is a direct comparison that does

not use any preposition, such as like and as. When metaphor compares the first

object with the second object, the second object is directly become the first object

and vice versa.

Palmer states that a metaphor is a word which has two meanings; literal

meaning and „transferred‟ meaning (1981, p. 103). In order to get the meaning of

metaphors, the reader should know the metaphorical expressions of the text, and

then use their imagination, interpretation and knowledge of objects that tried to be

compared.

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Song lyric is another important term in this study. Song lyric has a meaning

which is the words in the song that can express personal thoughts and feelings

(Cambridge Dictionary, 2008). According to Dallin (1994), the meaning of lyrics

is written as a form of interaction between the writer and the listeners. Most of the

times, they carry a message (whatever that might be) with the purpose of

motivating the listeners, at least, to think about it. Such a purpose and form of

interaction are embedded in cultural context of these people, according to their

musical preferences, time, etc. In other words, song lyric means words that can

express the thoughts or feelings of the writer. It carries certain message or purpose

that can build an interaction between the writer and the listener as the listeners can

get or relate to what the writers want to deliver.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter discusses some studies that are related to this research, and also

the theories that are applied, in order to answer the problem formulations. There

are two main theories used in this research, semantics and metaphor. Semantics

analysis used to determine the literal meanings, and the semantic properties used

to compare as well as to strengthen the literal and metaphorical meanings.

Metaphor analysis used to find the metaphorical expressions and the types of

metaphor.

A. Review of Related Studies

The researcher tries to find some studies or journal articles that discuss

figurative language, especially metaphor. There are two studies and two journal

articles which are similar to this research, though the objects are different.

The study by Retobb (2015) also focuses on metaphor. The study discusses

how Eminem applied metaphor in his rap song lyrics to express his feelings,

thoughts and what he wants. The research has shown that song lyrics do not affect

the structure of the song figuratively and metaphorically. Instead, the songs are

correct in terms of both grammar and meaning projection.

In this research, there are 4 song lyrics which are selected based on Eminem

personal life. In order to analyze metaphor in the song lyrics, the writer used 2

combinations of critical approach, which are formalist approach and biographical

approach. There are 17 metaphors which are found in those song lyrics.

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This research is different from the study written by Retobb as the musicians

discussed are two different musicians and both of them have different methods on

projecting their messages. In this research, the researcher also focuses on the

analysis of the metaphorical expressions and the meaning of those metaphorical

expressions as well. This research does not analyze the grammar or the structure

of the song as the study by Retobb.

The second study is from Sylvia (2015). She also focuses on metaphor. The

study discusses the metaphorical meaning behind several Coldplay‟s song lyrics.

She tried to analyze metaphorical expressions in 15 songs by Coldplay. After the

metaphorical expressions in each song lyrics are analyzed, Sylvia tried to explain

the meaning of those metaphorical expressions.

The study has shown a particular classifications of metaphors, as the

metaphors are divided into dead metaphor and live metaphor, based on how poetic

the word is. The study also shows that metaphorical meaning is different in each

part of lyrics. It depends on the context of the song and the certain of the

meanings were also influenced by the classifications.

The research by Sylvia, classified the types of metaphor which are presented

by Mildred L. Larson. The types are dead metaphor and live metaphor. There are

5 metaphorical expressions analyzed in dead metaphor, while in live metaphor

there are 14 metaphorical expressions.

This research discusses some similar things with the thesis written by

Sylvia. However, there are some distinctive differences. As the musicians

analyzed in this research and the thesis are clearly different, the song lyrics

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discussed in this research are selected based on one specific theme. The researcher

only chooses songs that express heartbreak. The heartbreak mentioned is not only

in terms of a relationship between lovers, but also refers to a general heartbreak.

The result of the heartbreak may vary as well. It can show sadness, anger, relieve,

and many others.

The third is a journal article from Afriani (2014). Afriani analyzes the

figurative language that is found in Michael Jackson‟s song lyrics, Heal the

World. This journal article also analyzes the meaning of figurative language that

is found in the song lyrics.

To analyze the data, written texts, the researcher chooses qualitative data as

the type of data. As the result, this study found that there are four figurative

languages that are used in the Michael Jackson‟s Heal the World lyric. They are

metaphor, personification, synecdoche and antithesis.

The journal article by Afriani has several similarities to this research.

However, the focus of the journal article and the research is different. The journal

article focuses to find the figurative languages in every line of a song lyric and its

meaning, while the focus of this research is on the metaphors, precisely, the

metaphorical meaning of the song lyrics. This research also analyzes more than

one song rather than focuses on one, which means it has more variants of results.

The fourth is journal article by Ahmad (2014). Ahmad‟s journal discusses

the concept and meaning of metaphor in the Bob Marley‟s song lyrics. In the

analysis, it is found that the meanings of metaphors in Bob Marley‟s songs are

affected by the social reality and culture in Jamaica. The songs are affected by the

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background of Bob Marley himself, the sufferings and the struggles of Black

people, in relation to slavery and injustice. This journal classifies the metaphor

into metaphorical concept using conceptual metaphor.

This research is different from the journal article stated as the journal article

focuses on the conceptual metaphor affected by the background of the song

writer. This research focuses only on the metaphorical meaning, not on the

background of the songwriter. The data collection method that is used in this

research also differs from Ahmad as the researcher uses stratified random

sampling, while Ahmad classifies the metaphor through the conceptual metaphor.

B. Review of Related Theory

1. Semantics

Semantics is the study of the meanings of words and sentences. Since

meaning is a part of language, therefore, semantics is a part of linguistics; the

scientific study of language (Palmer, 1981, p. 5). According to Saeed (2003), the

definition of semantics is “the study of meaning communicated through language”

(p. 3). Saeed adds that the meaning of semantics is “the relations of signs to the

objects to which the signs are applicable” (p. 17). The focus of semantics then is

about how the morphemes, words, phrases and sentences create meaning.

There are several subfields of semantics. The first one is lexical semantics.

Lexical semantics is concerned with the meanings of words and the meaning

relationships among words, and the second subfield is phrasal or sentential

semantics which concerned with the meaning of syntactic units larger than the

word.

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a. Lexical Semantics

This research concerns the meaning of words, and the subfield of semantics

that is suitable to be used is lexical semantics. As described above, the meaning of

lexical semantics is the meanings of words and the meaning relationships among

words. Morpheme is also focuses on word since it is the smallest linguistic unit

within a word that carries a meaning. Lexical semantics is the branch of

linguistics that concerns with the study of lexical meaning. The difference

between lexical meaning and non-literal meaning is that lexical meaning refers to

the meaning of a word which appears in a dictionary, while non-literal meaning

contains figure of speech, it is an everyday words that have meanings beyond the

dictionary meanings. For instances, the word “sun” in “the sun shines brightly”

and “you are my sun” have different meanings. The “sun” in “the sun shines

brightly” lexically means a shining star in the sky during the day that can give

heat and light, it refers to the real sun. Meanwhile the “sun” in “you are my sun”

refers to a person that has characteristic(s) as a sun, it is non-literal.

Charles (2007) says that lexical meaning is the word‟s meaning itself. The

definition of “meaning” itself is still questioned by some people and philosophers.

There are many different opinions about the definition of meaning, but the

important thing of meaning here is a concept, understanding, and ideas that

contained in the literary words (p. 116). For example, a tool that can help people

to see something better, worn in front of the eyes and has two lenses is glasses,

and another example is a tool to write that contains ink describes a pen.

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b. Semantic Properties

Semantic properties or features are needed in order to analyze the meaning

of words. The definition of semantic properties is the smallest unit of meaning in

a word. Fromkin et al (2011) states that semantic properties are properties that are

part of words meanings and reflect our knowledge about what words mean (p. 9).

On the other hand, semantic features are conceptual elements by which a person

understands the meaning of words. Thus, someone needs knowledge to

comprehend what the meanings of those words. Semantic features are the

elements to help someone to understand those meaning. The example can be seen

in the following sentence “the milk drank Daniel”. In here, the milk can be

translated as the kind of beverages which commonly produced by cows, and it

drank Daniel, a human. Knowledge helps someone to understand that word

“milk” is not an animate or living creature. The noun “milk” does not have the

property as human has, which is capable of drinking.

There are some classes of semantic properties, such as countability,

animacy, sex and gender, social status, size and consistency. Countability includes

countable/uncountable items. Animacy includes animate/inanimate objects, it can

be human/non-human and animals. Sex and gender include male, female and

neuter. Consistency includes flexible and rigid. Other semantic features include

natural forces, floral, material, concrete/abstract and time. Semantic properties as

the components of meaning of words have a characteristic to distinguish one word

from another, which is with two possible values (+ / -) (Frawley, 2009, p. 68). The

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word “woman” as the example, the semantic properties of that word can be found

in mother, daughter, sister, aunt and widow. Word “woman” can be mean

+female ,+human ,+mature and –male . The use of semantic property here is to

compare the literal and metaphorical meanings. Through the comparison the exact

meaning of metaphor can be found.

2. Metaphor

Metaphor is an important component of language creativity. Goatly (1997)

states that metaphor is everywhere in the language we use and there is no escape

from it (p.2). It also means that people cannot escape from metaphor whenever

they talk, even they are not realize that they already use metaphor. It happens

because metaphor already fused with everyday language.

Metaphor defines one idea or object with another, used to assist readers or

listeners to be more expressive or understanding. Basically, figurative language is

comparing something to something else that is familiar to human in a new way as

well as metaphor (Madden, 2004, p. 63). According to Cambridge Dictionary

(2008), metaphor is “an expression that describes a person or object by referring

to something that is considered to possess similar characteristics.” In other words,

when describing or comparing something, metaphor uses another word which

completely different with the things before. However, those words have common

characteristics and they are still in the same context. For example, when someone

wants to describe “smart people”, he/she will use different words and not telling

the real meaning directly. He/she will describe the people by saying “people who

always get good scores” or “people who always come in the first place”, those

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sentences are different than the first but they are still in the same context as it

implies that the people smart. Another example of metaphor is he is a snake. The

meaning of „snake‟ in this metaphor is not an animal, but a treacherous person, sly

or full of trickery, therefore, he resembles a snake. On these, Madden (2004)

states that metaphor is describing something is something else but still in the same

context (p. 65).

Madden (2004) states that metaphor is a more direct and more complete

comparison since it does not use any preposition but is, are, was and were as used

for comparison (p. 65). The Colombia Encyclopedia explains that a metaphor

states “A” is “B” or substitutes “B” for “A”. In other words, when comparing the

first subject or object with the second subject or object using metaphor, the second

subject/object directly becomes the subject/object, and vice versa. It happens

because “A” and “B” share same characteristics. According to this definition,

then, another example can be seen from the metaphor corruptor is ragtag. The

word „corruptor‟ has characteristics about „ragtag‟ and „ragtag‟ automatically

becomes „corruptor‟, thus „corruptor‟ is absolutely or exactly the same as „ragtag‟.

Since metaphor can be found in everyday language, it is also used in song

lyrics. The comparisons in the songs are usually having a specific theme, the

songs also related to recent or popular issues, culture or other songs. The uses of

metaphor in song lyrics are to develop the creativity of the song writers in writing

song lyrics. Metaphor can gain creativity as song writers change some words into

other words which have similar meanings when write songs. Metaphors also allow

the song writers to change the subject/object into other subject/object; it makes the

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songs have the aesthetic value as they are considered to be more beautiful and

have deeper meaning. More than that, deeper meanings then lead the writers to

express the emotions or feelings better. When the song writer tries to compare an

object, such as a person, feeling or another thing to another object which is has

similar characteristic and has a meaning outside the dictionary meaning, then the

writer already use a metaphor.

A word of metaphor appears to have two meanings, „literal‟ meaning and

„transferred‟ meanings (Palmer, 1986, p. 103). The example can be seen from the

word “sugar” in Maroon 5‟s song entitled Sugar. According to Oxford Dictionary

(2010), sugar is “a sweet substance, often in the form of white or brown crystals,

which is obtained from the juices of various plants. Sugar is used to cook and to

make beverages”. A word “sugar” in “your sugar// yes, please// won‟t you come

and put it down on me”, is a metaphor, because the writers of the lyrics compares

“sugar” with another thing and the meaning of “sugar” in that sentence is different

than the dictionary. Therefore, a word “sugar” has a transferred meaning and the

transferred meaning of “sugar” in Maroon 5‟s song is a love or desire for a lover.

The definition of metaphorical expression is the expression which contains

metaphor in it. It is an expression that is used to describe or define another object.

As the example, the word "sugar" above, is a metaphorical expression, because it

contains metaphor and the writer uses it to change another word.

Since metaphor has another meaning outside the dictionary, the listeners or

readers have to use their experiences or knowledge and should comprehend the

facts of the words, in order to find the hidden meaning. It causes the listeners or

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readers to have different understandings, since their experiences or knowledge

about the objects that are compared, may be different. Therefore, the metaphors

should be proved and the lyrics have to be seen as whole. It should be known that

the meaning of metaphors may vary when people apply the metaphor in one

literary work to another work.

3. Types of Metaphor

Metaphor can be classified by some different types. According to Newmark

(1988) the types of metaphor can be classified into six groups. They are dead,

cliché, standard or stock, adapted, recent and original. In this research, the

researcher decided to choose several types of metaphor that mostly used in the

metaphorical expressions of Maroon 5‟s song lyrics.

a. Dead Metaphor

Dead metaphor is the one whose image is unrecognized. It has lost the

meaning through heavy use. It makes the dead metaphor become normal or daily

language. The users no longer recognized or noticed them as a metaphor. Words

such as part of body, metonyms and other ordinary words are dead metaphors.

The word 'mouth' in 'mouth of the river' is a dead metaphor. Another example is 'I

couldn't catch what you said', that sentence show a physical action of someone

tried to catch something but he failed. The meaning of the sentence has no

connection with a physical action of catching something (Newmark, 1988, p.

106).

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b. Standard or Stock Metaphor

Standard or stock metaphor is “an established metaphor, which in an

informal context is an efficient and concise method of covering a physical and/or

mental situation both referentially and pragmatically." In other words, standard

metaphor is usually used in the informal texts as a way of expressing a mental or

physical situation concisely. The difference between dead metaphor and standard

metaphor is that even if it seems like a daily or normal language, but people still

notice it as figurative language since standard metaphor is not through overuse.

As example, 'Keep the pot boiling!' (Newmark, 1988, p. 108), it is a standard

metaphor because this phrase only use in certain context and people still recognize

it as a metaphor.

c. Original Metaphor

Original metaphor is the one which is created by the writer in order to make

the texts more interesting. Original metaphor “contains the core of an important

writer's message, his personality, and his comment on life". Through original

metaphor, the attitudes of the writer, his personality and the way he see life is

shown. Since the writer use imagination and put some irrational things to his/her

texts, it makes the texts or metaphors more complex and have double meaning

(Newmark, 1988, p. 112). As example, „She is a diamond‟ is a original metaphor

since the writer use his creativity and his point of view towards a girl.

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C. Theoretical Framework

To answer the problems, the theories which are applied in this research

formulation is semantics as well as the subfields, lexical semantics and semantic

properties, then theory of metaphor and the last types of metaphor theory. For the

first problem formulation, the researcher uses two theories to answer it. They are

metaphor and types of metaphor. The first theory is the theory of metaphor. The

use of the theory of metaphor in this research is to find the metaphorical

expressions in the song lyrics. Then, after the metaphorical expressions are found,

the researcher uses the types of metaphor theory to identify the types of every

metaphorical expression in the lyrics.

To answer the second problem, the researcher uses the theories of lexical

semantics, semantic properties and metaphor. Lexical semantics is used in order

to analyze the literal meaning of the metaphorical expressions which are found in

the song lyrics. The metaphor theory is used to analyze the metaphorical meaning.

Then, the literal meanings are compared to the metaphorical meanings. They are

compared by using semantic properties. The purpose of the comparison is to

obtain the exact meaning of the metaphorical expressions also in accordance to

the context of the lyrics. The context of the lyrics here means what the lyrics talk

about. In addition, to distinguish the meaning of words, semantic properties are

also used to strengthen the characteristics of lexical and metaphorical meaning

that are found in the song lyrics.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses three main parts. First, who and what is discussed in

the research and also display the data. Second, the approaches that are used in this

research as well as the reason why the approaches are used. The last is how to

collect and analyze the data. It includes the sample that is used in this research and

some steps how the data is analyzed.

A. Object of the Study

The objects of this research are Maroon 5‟s song lyrics. Maroon 5, is an

American pop-rock band that frequently uses figurative language, especially

metaphor, in their song lyrics. The meaning of song lyric is the words in the song

that can express personal thoughts and feelings (Cambridge Dictionary, 2008).

Through song lyrics, the readers can relate their feeling to the writer‟s feeling. All

of the songs are from male perspective, as the writer or the singer is male.

The song titles of Maroon 5 that analyzed in this present study are selected

from almost all albums of Maroon 5 and also contain metaphors. The song titles

as the representatives of every album and as a proof that Maroon 5 often use

metaphor in their lyrics. There are nine song titles which consist of 21 lines

analyzed in this research. The titles are “This Love”, “She Will Be Loved”,

“Tangled”, “Nothing Lasts Forever”, “Payphone”, “Daylight”, “Maps”,

“Closure”, and “Whiskey”. The song titles are arranged by the album or the year

they are released. Those song lyrics are selected under the same theme, which is

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heartbreak. Heartbreak is chosen because most people have ever felt it. Heartbreak

is one of the expressions or feelings that have strong effects to human. As stated

in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), "heartbreak is a feeling of great

sadness or distress." The effect of the heartbreak may vary as well, and different

from one person to another person. It can show many feeling, such as sadness,

anger, relieve, depressed and many others. When someone feels heartbroken, they

tend to use words that show how angry, sad or disappointed they are. To make the

words have deeper meaning, they may change some normal words to the

figurative one.

B. Approach of the Study

Semantic approach is applied in this study since this study tries to find

meanings. According to Palmer (1981), the definition of semantics is the study of

the meanings of words and sentences. Since meaning is a part of language,

semantics is a part of linguistics; the scientific study of language (p. 5). The focus

of semantics then is on how the morphemes, words, phrases and sentences create

meaning. The use of semantics is to analyze the meanings of the song lyrics itself.

The subfield of semantics that is suitable to be used in this research is lexical

semantics since this research observes the meanings of words, not sentences.

Semantic properties are used to find the metaphorical meanings. Furthermore, the

literal meanings and the metaphorical meanings are compared in order to get the

final meanings of the metaphorical expressions. The theory of metaphor is applied

to find the metaphorical expressions in the lyrics and to analyze the type of the

metaphors.

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C. Method of the Study

1. Data Collection

There were 3 steps taken to do the observation. In the first step, the

researcher grouped the songs under the same theme, which was heartbreak.

Heartbreak that was selected in this research was related to romance, especially a

failed romance. The heartbreak was shown through the whole lyrics and the words

that were used in the lyrics. The lyrics used the words that showed how sad, miss

or disappointed someone because he or she loss something or someone that really

important for them.

Second step, the researcher selected the song lyrics, which contained

metaphors from that group. The songs selected had different titles and came from

different albums as well. Some metaphorical expressions were picked from the

same song titles, but the expressions were different from one another. After the

metaphorical expressions found, then the song titles, the lyrics and the

metaphorical expressions were made into a list. The metaphor theory was used to

find the metaphorical expressions. To find the definition or term of the words, this

research used some books and online sources related to the data as references.

Also, dictionaries were used to identify the literal meaning. All the literal

meanings were taken from Oxford English Dictionary (2010) and Cambridge

Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary (2008). While the metaphorical meanings were

taken from A Dictionary of Symbols (2001), A Dictionary of Literary Symbols

(1999), Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms (2003) and Dictionary of

American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2005). The use of the dictionaries was to

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find the exact or suitable meaning of both literal meaning and metaphorical

meaning. All of the song lyrics were taken from internet source. The last step is

the researcher applied semantic properties/features to analyze both literal and

transferred meanings after all of the metaphorical expressions in the lyrics were

found.

The data were collected through stratified sampling. According to

Thompson, stratified sampling is a method of sampling that divide the population

into smaller or separate groups, known as strata. He adds that "the principle of

stratification is to partition the population in such a way that the units within a

stratum are as similar as possible." In other words, a probability sample is drawn

from every group based on same characteristics (Thompson, 2012, p. 141).

Through the stratified random sampling, the researcher tried to divide the songs

into smaller groups or strata. The strata were divided based on the songs that

shared same characteristic, which was the theme of the songs and the

metaphorical expressions that are found in the lyrics.

2. Data Analysis

The data analysis was done by collecting all the metaphorical expressions

found in the song lyrics. There were several steps in data analysis. Firstly, the

researcher tried to find the metaphorical expressions in the lyrics and divide them

based on the album and title of the songs. Secondly, the researcher tried to analyze

the types of each metaphorical expression through the metaphor theory. Lastly,

the researcher tried to comprehend the meanings of the metaphorical expressions

in literal meaning. Then, the literal meanings were compared with metaphorical

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meanings through semantic properties. Other than using semantic properties, the

researcher also adjusted the context of metaphorical meanings and the song lyrics

itself in order to get the appropriate meaning.

The table below shows how the data are collected and those are the lyrics that will

be analyzed both the literal and metaphorical meaning.

Table 1. Song Lyrics

Albums Song Titles Lyrics Code

Songs About

Jane (2002)

This Love

The fire burning in her eyes M.1.a

I try my best to feed her

appetite M.1.b

Repair your broken wings M.1.c

She Will Be

Loved

Look for the girl with the

broken smile M.2.a

It's not always rainbows and

butterflies M.2.b

Tangled

A helpless victim of a spider's

web M.3.a

And I'm an insect M.3.b

It Won‟t Be

Soon Before

Long (2007)

Nothing Lasts

Forever

But misbehaving only makes

The ditch between us so damn

deep

M.4.a

Built a wall around my heart M.4.b

Overexposed

(2012)

Payphone

I'm at a payphone M.5.a

trying to call home M.5.b

All of our bridges burned

down M.5.c

But even the sun sets in

paradise M.5.d

Daylight And when the daylight comes

I'll have to go M.6.a

V (2014) Maps

We drew a map to a better

place M.7.a

But on that road I took a fall M.7.b

Red Pill

Blues (2017) Closure

Say you want to do this face to

face M.8.a

Cause we both know when we

wake up M.8.b

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That we'll go back to war

again

Whiskey

I never knew that love was

blind M.9.a

I would've sold my soul for a

little more time M.9.b

I'm runnin' out of time M.9.c

As the explanation of the table above, the words in bold in the lyrics column

were the metaphorical expressions. The codes in the column above also represent

something different. The code “M” represents Maroon 5 as the object of this

present study. The code “1 until 10 (number)” refers to the song titles. Some

metaphors have the same number as a code because, as mentioned, they are taken

from the same songs. The last code is the alphabet, which represents the number

of metaphorical expressions in one song, the thing the researcher tried to find and

analyzed from this research. The “a, b or c” show that the metaphorical

expressions were different even though they were taken from the same songs. For

example, "M.8.c" means it's taken from Maroon 5, the eighth song lyric the

researcher made and with different metaphorical expression from the same title.

Below is the example of how the researcher analyzed the data. The lyric is

taken from Maroon 5‟s song, Payphone:

Lyric Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic Property

Home A place where

someone feel

comfortable and

safe.

A person who can

give warmth and

make one‟s feel

comfortable

+ Affection

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In the line or lyric, home did not literally mean a place. It was a metaphor,

since the real meaning of the word was different with the meaning in dictionary.

The meaning of the metaphorical expression in that line was person who gives

warmth and make one‟s feel comfortable. The meaning of home was related to a

human because they shared the same characteristic, which were can give affection

or comfort. Home defined as a place where someone feels comfortable and safe. It

is a place where someone can go back to then they feel tired or happy. As same as

a person or in this context a lover, they can give love, make someone feels

comfortable, and whenever they feel down or happy, the one that they remember

is the lover.

As the explanation of the example above, it was divided into four for each

line. The researcher tried to find the literal meaning of the metaphorical

expression. After the literal meaning was understood, the researcher tried to find

the metaphorical meaning from dictionaries, and then relate it to the context of the

song lyric. After the literal and metaphorical meanings were found, the next step

was to compare them by semantic property. The comparison was used to find the

same characteristic of literal and metaphorical meanings. Thus, the exact meaning

of metaphor can be obtained. Through the following steps, the metaphorical

expressions as well as the meaning can be analyzed easily. Also the readers can

obtain the exact meaning of metaphor in the song lyrics.

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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

In this chapter, the researcher tries to answer the problem formulations

mentioned in the first chapter. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part

is the analysis of the types of metaphor and why the lyrics are categorized into

particular types as well as the meaning of expressions. In the second part, the data

is discussed through the applied theories.

A. The Types of Metaphor Used in Maroon 5’s Song Lyrics

The metaphorical expressions in the song lyrics are grouped according to

their types. The types are selected based on the characteristics of metaphorical

expressions that are found in this research. The types of metaphor in this research

are taken from Newmark (1988). Here are the explanations of the types of

metaphor as well as the placement of the metaphorical expressions based on the

types:

1. Dead Metaphor

Dead metaphor is the one that becomes a normal language. Since people are

not recognized or noticed it as a metaphor, they always used it in their daily life.

The continuous use causes metaphor to lose the metaphorical meaning. It makes

the dead metaphor becomes normal or daily language. Words such as body parts,

metonyms and other ordinary words are dead metaphors (Newmark, 1988, p.106).

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Table 2. Dead Metaphor

Code Lyrics

M.8.a Say you want to do this face to face

M.9.c I'm runnin' out of time

Those lyrics are included in the dead metaphor because they have the

characteristics of dead metaphor. The phrases above are often used in daily life

and become a daily language. Due to its usage from time to time, it causes the

readers or listeners not to notice the metaphor in the lyrics.

„Face to face‟ is classified in dead metaphor. It is a phrase that is often used

by people in daily lives, the phrase then loses its meaning. When someone says

face to face‟ to another person, they already know the meaning of it without

looking at the dictionary or searching on internet. Therefore, „face to face‟ is dead

metaphor.

The same thing goes to „Run out of time‟. It is a phrase which usually used

by people. Most people understand the meaning it. That is the reason why, the

phrase is included in dead metaphor.

2. Standard or Stock Metaphor

Standard or stock metaphor is the one that is usually used in the informal

texts as a way of expressing a mental or physical situation concisely (Newmark,

1988, p. 108). Standard metaphor is also a daily language, but it is used in some

occasions and in certain times. If dead metaphor is unrecognized by the readers or

listeners, it is not the case in standard metaphor. The user still notice it as a

figurative language since standard metaphor is not overuse.

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The lyrics below are standard metaphor since they are expressing mental or

physical situation. Even though they are close to daily life, but the readers and

listeners still recognize them as a metaphor. Readers and listeners notice that the

meanings of the expressions are beyond than the dictionary meaning. The readers

and listeners have to think about the meaning of those expressions. Imagination

and knowledge help them to understand the meaning of the metaphorical

expressions.

Table 3. Standard or Stock Metaphor

Code Lyrics

M.1.a The fire burning in her eyes

M.1.c Repair your broken wings

M.2.a Look for the girl with the broken smile

M.4.b Built a wall around my heart

M.7.b But on that road I took a fall

M.8.b Cause we both know when we wake up

That we'll go back to war again

M.9.a I never knew that love was blind

M.9.b I would've sold my soul for a little more time

Below is the reason why the metaphorical expressions above are classified

into standard metaphor.

The fire burning in her eyes is a standard metaphor because the meaning of

the „fire‟ is beyond the literal meaning and it shows mental condition. The „fire‟

here is not physically hurt someone.

The word „broken wings‟ is a standard metaphor because „broken wings‟

represents mental situation. Maroon 5 used „broken wings‟ to describe someone

who has been emotionally hurt and scared.

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Look for the girl with the broken smile is an example of standard metaphor.

This phrase is noticeable as a metaphor. „Broken smile‟ is expressing mental

situation, which is also the characteristic of standard metaphor. Maroon 5 choose

„broken smile‟ in order to give an image of someone who is sad but tried to hide

it.

„Built a wall around my heart‟ does not literally mean to build a solid

structure around his heart, since it is something impossible. Therefore, that line is

metaphor. The metaphorical expression in this song is „a wall‟. It is the example

of standard metaphor. The writer chooses the word „wall‟, because it represents

strong and sturdy structure. The writer wants to say that no one can destroy his

strong defense.

The metaphorical expression in the line But on that road I took a fall is

„road‟ and this is the example of standard metaphor. „Road‟ is selected by the

writer to represent the life path. This word is only use in certain context.

That we'll go back to war again is standard metaphor since it is quite often

used by people but they understand that it is a metaphor. It is also expressing

mental situation. War in general is fighting between nation using military force

and many people die in the process. In this context, the war is not using military

force.

The types of the metaphorical expression in the line I never knew that love

was blind is standard metaphor. „Blind‟ is standard metaphor because people

comprehend that the meaning of „blind‟ does not literally mean unable to see.

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„Sold my soul‟ is the metaphorical expression in this line and it is included

in standard metaphor. It is standard metaphor since it is a common idiom.

3. Original Metaphor

Original metaphor is the one which is created by the writer and is related to

his/her life and their condition at that time. The writer uses their own phrases to

show their message, personalities or the way they see life. The writer uses

imagination and put some irrational things to their texts. They change the words

or phrases that were often used by people into different words or phrases, to make

the texts more complex or interesting (Newmark, 1988, p. 112).

Table 4. Original Metaphor

Code Lyrics

M.1.b I try my best to feed her appetite

M.2.b It's not always rainbows and butterflies

M.3.a A helpless victim of a spider's web

M.3.b And I'm an insect

M.4.a But misbehaving only makes

The ditch between us so damn deep

M.5.a I'm at a payphone

M.5.b trying to call home

M.5.c All of our bridges burned down

M.5.d But even the sun sets in paradise

M.6.a And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

M.7.a We drew a map to a better place

The lyrics above are original metaphor because they show the point of view

or how the writer sees life. The lyrics contain irrational words created by the

writer, which related to the writer‟s life or condition. The phrases are also

different from daily language. Similar with standard metaphor, in original

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metaphor, the readers and listeners should think and understand about the

meaning of the metaphorical expressions.

„Appetite‟ is the original metaphor, which created from the writer‟s

imagination. The writer used his own phrase to describe a strong desire of

someone related to body or mind.

„Rainbows and butterflies‟ in this song is another example of original

metaphor. It shows the writer point of view of life. He used his imagination and

creativity to describe something beautiful by using „rainbows and butterflies‟.

The metaphorical expression in the line A helpless victim of a spider's web

is „a spider's web‟. It is an original metaphor, which is created by the writer based

on his experience and creativity. He describes the girl he likes is in danger and she

cannot get out of it, so he compared „a spider web‟ to dangerous thing.

The word „an insect‟ in and I‟m an insect is metaphor. It is another example

of original metaphor. It was made by the writer based on his imagination. „An

insect‟ is his way to describe a dangerous and powerful person who persistently

approaches a woman.

The „ditch‟ in “Nothing Lasts Forever‟s song is original metaphor. It is as a

representation of the writer‟s imagination and his point of view of his relationship.

The writer compared the „ditch‟ to distance that divided a person to another

person.

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The „I‟m at the payphone‟ is actually a metaphorical expression and this is

an original metaphor. This line shows the writer‟s imagination and creativity, also

his way to restore his relationship.

This line is the continuation of „I‟m at a payphone‟. A word „home‟ in this

line is metaphorical expression. It is included in original metaphor, since the

writer creates this word to describe something else.

The „bridges‟ in this song is original metaphor. It was made by the writer

imagination and his point of view of his relationship with his lover. He chose

„bridge‟ as a thing that connecting him with his lover.

„The sun sets‟ in this lyric is the example of metaphorical expression. It is

original metaphor because it is created by the writer as the result of his

imagination and his point of view in life.

The word „daylight‟ in this song is metaphor and it is included in the

original metaphor. „Daylight‟ was made by the writer to represent the time limit.

„A map‟ in this song is metaphorical expression. It is an example of original

metaphor. It is made by the writer‟s imagination. The meaning of „a map‟ in this

song refers a plan. He compares „a map‟ with a plan since they have the similar

characteristic.

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B. The Meaning of Metaphorical Expressions in Maroon 5’s Song Lyrics

This sub-chapter discusses the meaning of the songs briefly, the meaning of

the lines as well as the meaning of the metaphorical expressions and how to

analyze the metaphorical expressions.

1. Maroon 5's "This Love" Song

This song talks about how a man tries to maintain his relationship. He loves

his lover but he feels that the girl is not as serious as him about their relationship.

He is so in love, he does not realize that the girl just plays with his heart. For the

man, she needs him just to satisfy her desire. The girl always says goodbye to

him. She wants to end the relationship, so he tries to do anything to make her stay

with him. He wants to fix the wrong things and what makes her sad, but the girl

has had enough. Everything that the man does, it does not stop her to leave him.

This love only hurt him and she never comes back. At the end, he let the girl go

because he does not want to say goodbye anymore.

a. "This Love" – The fire burning in her eyes.

The literal meaning of fire in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010)

is a process of burning that produced light and heat. Usually, it comes up with

smoke and flames. Fire in big scale could destroy buildings, vehicles, trees and

many more. In A Dictionary of Symbols (2001), „fire‟ means a strong emotion,

angry or exited feeling; enthusiasm. It is clear that the meaning of „fire‟ in this

line is a strong emotion of angry. The fire burning in her eyes is not that the fire

really burning the eyes, but the anger is seen through the eyes.

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36

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

The fire burning in

her eyes

The fire burning

the eyes

The anger seen

through the eyes

In the song, it shows that the girl really hates her lover, and wants to leave

him. To be precise, she wants to end the relationship. It is seen in the line,

whispered “goodbye”, she got on a plane// never to return again. The line she

said goodbye too many times before shows that the girl is tired with the

relationship and said goodbye means that she wants to end the relationship. The

line too many times before means a long period of time, the anger that she has is

bigger than before. Then, when he was so high, the girl feels more and more hate

the man. Her anger reaches the limit and it makes her burning. Therefore, burning

in her eyes means her eyes filled with hatred.

b. "This Love" – I try my best to feed her appetite.

In Cambridge Dictionary (2008), appetite literally means the feeling of

someone that wants to eat food. Appetite is usually related to food or drink.

However, in Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms (2003) the meaning of

appetite is the desire that cause someone to want more of something, either of the

body or of the mind. In other words, „appetite‟ means a strong sexual ambition.

Thus, I try my best to feed her appetite means that the man tries everything

he can to satisfy or fulfill what's the girl want or need. In the context of the song,

„appetite‟ here is related to sex. It can be seen by the lines, keep her coming every

+ hatred

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37

night// so hard to keep her satisfied. Night closely related to sex because most of

people do sex in the night. The man tried his best to satisfy her sexual desire.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Appetite

Relish of food or

drink

A strong sexual

ambition

c. "This Love" – Repair your broken wings.

The meaning of wing in Cambridge Dictionary (2003) is the pair of similar

part that is used to fly. It‟s usually owned by the insects, birds, bats, etc. In this

song, „wings‟ are not for animal, but metaphorically for a person. As seen in A

Dictionary of Symbols (2001), wings symbolize spirituality, imagination and

thought. It is also a symbol of deities. Maroon 5 describes a human figure that has

wings. Wings are thus related to angel, a beautiful and purest spirit. An angel uses

wings to fly or move from one place to other places. It shows that wings represent

power and freedom. Moreover, in Greeks, wings symbolize love and victory.

In this song, Maroon 5 uses angel to describe the girl is as pure, beautiful

and adorable as an angel, but has broken wings. Therefore, the meaning of

„broken wings‟ is the girl is being hurt, she has neither power nor freedom. Thus,

repair your broken wings mean the man tries to fix her broken heart and give her

a freedom, so she can fly again.

+ desire

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Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Broken wings

A pair of limbs

that used to fly is

broken

Weak and not free

2. Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" Song

This song is about man who secretly has a feeling to his female friend. He

loves her so much, but he realized that he cannot have the girl because she

belongs to someone else. The man knows the girl really well, he would do

anything for her. And even though he is in pain because the girl he loves belong to

someone else, he still cares for her. On the other hand, the girl is always being

hurt by her lover and they eventually break up. All she wants is to be loved and

the man knows that. He will accept the girl and always be there for the girl every

time she needs him, because the man wants her to feel loved. At the end, even

though the girl was being hurt by her lover, she still goes back to the lover and the

man (writer) will always accept her back with open arms whenever she needs him.

There are two different lines and expressions in this song, which are look for

the girl with the broken smile and it's not always rainbows and butterflies.

a. "She Will Be Loved" – Look for the girl with the broken smile.

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the word smile

in look for the girl with the broken smile literally means an expression of face that

showing happiness or pleasure. People are usually showing their smile when they

- power

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are pleased. Based on A Dictionary of Symbols (2001), „broken smile‟ means a

forced smile, which makes people appear happier than they really are.

It shows the contradiction on the literal meaning. Since „smile‟ is an

expression of happiness, so „broken smile‟ means broken happiness, precisely

sadness or sorrow of being hurt. When someone is being hurt and feels so sad, the

smile is not showing happiness but sadness instead. It is a fake smile because it

does not come from the heart. Even though she is hurt but she tries to smile in

order to hide her pain.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

broken smile

An awkward smile

as a result of force

and it looks so

rigid

An expression of

unhappiness or

sorrow

b. "She Will Be Loved" – It's not always rainbows and butterflies.

The literal meaning of rainbow based on Cambridge Dictionary (2008) is an

arch of many colors. It is seen in the sky, it appears for a short time when it rains

but the sun is still shining. The meaning of butterfly is a type of insect with large,

often brightly colored wings. Both „rainbow‟ and „butterfly‟ have many colors.

The meaning of „butterfly‟ based on A Dictionary of Symbols (2001) is joy

and conjugal bliss. While in the meaning of „rainbow‟ based on A Dictionary of

Literary Symbols (1999) is a bond between earth and heaven, as it is a product of

+ pain

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40

the sun (heaven) and rain (falling from heaven to earth). „Rainbow‟ is a divine

token, though not so benign. The dictionary also states that „rainbow‟ is filled

with wonder and amazement.

„Rainbow‟ and „butterfly‟ are concrete things, which are seen through the

eyes. However, in this song, „rainbow‟ and „butterfly‟ are abstract. They share the

same characteristic, which symbolizes happiness or beautiful thing. It's not always

rainbows and butterflies means that it's not always happy or beautiful. It can be

said that it is not always beautiful or full of happiness to love someone, sometimes

it can be painful as well. As a conclusion, the man always keep his feelings

towards the girl to himself. Though, the girl already has a lover, but the man still

stay by her side. It's painful for him because he cannot have the person he loves.

The line, it‟s compromise that moves us along, show the unhappy or painful thing

that make him stay along with the girl.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

rainbows and

butterflies

Beautiful thing

that have many

colors

wonderful and

amazing thing that

bring happiness

3. Maroon 5's "Tangled" Song

This song is about a man who regrets everything that he has done to

someone he adores. He just wants to get the woman, so he does anything to get

her. He is going too far. He treated her badly and ends up hurting the woman. He

+ attractive

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41

does not realize that things become complicated. He wants to tangle the girl, but at

the end he is the one who is tangled up. He then hopes to disappear due to the

regrets and shame.

There are two different metaphorical expressions in this song.

a. "Tangled" – A helpless victim of a spider's web

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of spider's

web is a net of fine threads made by a spider or some other spinning creature to

catch prey. Based on A Dictionary of Symbols (2001) the meaning of „spider web'

is creation and development - of the wheel and its centre. Spider‟s web is a spiral

net converging towards a central point. A spider sitting in its web, it is a

symbolizing of the center of the world. In this case, death and destruction lurk at

the center.

Basically, „spider's web‟ is used to trap the prey, but in this line, it's used to

trap a person. The writer uses „spider's web‟ because it's containing sticky strands,

he wants to show that it's difficult for the prey, or in this context, for the girl, to

escape from it. Therefore, what is the writer meant by „spider‟s web‟ is something

dangerous. A helpless victim of a spider's web means a powerless girl is being

trapped into dangerous situation and has no power to escape from it.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

A spider's web

A sticky strands

that is used to

catch the prey

Dangerous thing

used to trap

someone

+ trap

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42

b. "Tangled" – And I‟m an insect

Based on Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of

insect is a type of small creature having six legs and a body divided into three

parts and usually also have wings. In common usage, insect also refers to any

small crawling creature, such as a spider.

This line relates to a helpless victim of a spider's web. Therefore, „an insect‟

in this line refers to a spider, the one that produces a web. The writer wants to say

that he is „an insect‟ or spider who sets or own the „spider's web‟. According to

Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms (2006), a spider can also mean a man

who persistently approaches a woman in a public social setting. Thus, and I‟m an

insect means the man who is interested with a girl, tries to approach her. He

arranged the tricks to tangle the girl up. He also wants to say that he is so

powerful by being „an insect‟. In other words, he is the one who gives troubles to

the girl and put her in danger.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

An insect

A type of small

creature, which

has many legs and

has its own way to

catch their pray

A man who likes

to seduce woman

with the aim to get

the her

+ dangerous

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4. Maroon 5’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” Song

This song tells about a couple that cannot be together again. The situation is

like the girl does not want to be together with the man. She always blames him

and refuses his affection. Everything that he does to maintain the relationship,

only make them suffer and get them further away. Even the man loves his

girlfriend, but he chooses to let her go. He realizes that this is the best way for

them, because nothing lasts forever.

There are two different metaphorical expressions in this song.

a. “Nothing Lasts Forever” – But misbehaving only makes // The ditch between

us so damn deep

The meaning of ditch in Cambridge Dictionary (2008) is a long, narrow

open hole that is dug into the ground, usually at the side of a road or field, used

especially for supplying or removing water or for dividing land.

The „ditch‟ in this line metaphorically means distance. The ditch between us

so damn deep means there is a distance that separates them into two parts or sides.

Since „the ditch‟ means a distance, the word „deep‟ here means extending far

away from a point of reference. In other words, the distance between them is so

far away. It's so hard for them to be together. The whole two lines, but

misbehaving only makes and the ditch between us so damn deep, show cause and

effect. The more they misbehave, it makes the „ditch‟ become farther away. It's

like when someone does something wrong or misbehaving, it makes other people

feel uncomfortable and they tend to stay away from the one who misbehaves. It

causes the distance between them becomes so deep or far.

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44

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

The ditch

A long and

shallow trench,

which is used for

dividing land

A distance that

split couple into

two

b. “Nothing Lasts Forever” – Built a wall around my heart

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010) it literally

means a thing that forms a barrier or stops one making progress. It is also used to

divide or protect something. However, in Cambridge Dictionary of American

Idioms (2006), „wall‟ implies meaning of protection.

The metaphorical meaning of „a wall‟ in the line is defense, a strong

defense. Someone built a wall because there is something they want to protect. A

wall is a strong and sturdy structure that cannot fall apart easily and hence other

people cannot come or go through it and take or destroy something in the inside.

That is the reason why a wall is used. In this line, the thing protected is the heart.

The writer makes a strong defense for his heart because he does not want the heart

to be swayed or destroyed by the girl.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

A wall

A solid structure

used to protect

something.

A strong defense

used to protect the

heart

+ separation

+ protection

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5. Maroon 5’s “Payphone” Song

This song is about a man who is being dumped by his lover. She leaves him

behind. He loves the girl and remembers everything that they do together, all of

their plans and dreams. He spends his time, money and everything for the girl, but

the girl decides to leave him. He is still stuck in the time when they are still

together, and then he realized that the relationship has come to an end.

He is angry and blames the girl for what happens. He does not believe in fairytales

or love songs anymore because for him, those things called happily ever after are

just a lie.

a. "Payphone" – I'm at a payphone

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the meaning of

payphone is a telephone operated by coins, usually in a public place. In some

countries, payphone is usually a glass boxes with a door, so people can make a

call privately. Nowadays, people no longer use a payphone. They tend to use their

cellphone because it's more efficient, flexible and easy to use. It causes payphone

to vanish. People usually use a payphone, when they are in an urgent situation,

such as when the cellphone runs out of battery or credits, or when the receiver

blocks their cellphone number.

„I'm at a payphone‟ is not talking about place. It metaphorically means

desperation. The line, „that you're not here next to me‟, show that they are having

a problem and the girl leave him. With the sadness after the abandonment, he tries

to do all things to reach her. He even looks for a payphone, which is hard to find

nowadays. The feeling of looking for a payphone makes him feel desperate. He is

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also gets uneasy when he tries to call his lover, whether she will pick up the phone

or not. Loneliness also hits him when he is in a payphone.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

A payphone

A glass boxes

phone used to call

someone, which is

hard to find

nowadays

A desperation. In

despair tried to

restore the

relationship

b. “Payphone” – trying to call home

Based on Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the literal meaning

of home is the place where one lives, especially with one's family. It is the abiding

place of the affections. Someone usually spend most of their time in their home,

because they feel comfortable in there. Based on Dictionary of American Idioms

and Phrasal Verbs (2005), „home‟ is an idiom which means where the people you

love are and you feel most comfortable and content.

A word „home‟ in this context is not a place, but a person. It refers to a

person who lives in the house, together with the writer or „I'm‟. It can also be seen

that for the writer, his lover means like a home that gives him warmth and make

him feel comfortable, also as a place where he can go back to when he feels down

+ struggling

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47

or happy. In conclusion, I'm a payphone trying to call home means that he

desperately tries to contact his lover, or in this context, he tries to restore the

relationship.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Home

A place where

someone feel

comfortable and

safe.

A person who can

give warmth and

make one‟s feel

comfortable

c. “Payphone” – All of our bridges burned down

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010) the meaning of bridge is a

thing that provides a connection or contact between two or more different things.

In Maroon 5‟s “Payphone”, „bridge‟ means a relationship. A bridge related to

relationship because they have similar characteristic, which is something that

connects a person to another person or a thing to another thing. As stated in

Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2005), „burn your bridges‟

means someone do something that will be impossible to be fixed.

In this song, it relates to romantic things. Moreover, the word „burn down‟

itself means something completely burned, so that nothing remains. Thus, all of

our bridges burned down means something that connects them to stay together is

already burned down. In other words, their relationship is over. Since the thing

+ affection

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48

that connects or makes them to stay together is already ruined, it's impossible for

them to return to the previous situation (as a couple).

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Bridge

A construction

that connecting

two divided things

A romantic

relationship

between a man

and a girl, which

connects them to

be together

d. “Payphone” – But even the sun sets in paradise

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of sun is a

star that shines in the sky during the day and gives the earth heat and light. The

sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. It happens every single day. The

sun is set at the end of the day or before the moon begins to rise. So, this

metaphorical expression means an ending.

The lyric, „even the sun sets in paradise‟, the word even implies something

unexpected. The unexpected thing is „the sun sets in paradise,‟ which means

everything happens in paradise, including the sun set. Moreover, paradise itself

means heaven, a very beautiful and pleasant place. Thus, the meaning of this lyric

is everything has to come to an end, even the most beautiful and perfect things

have to come to an end.

+ connection

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49

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

The sun sets

The time of day

when the sun goes

down and then

disappear

Everything has to

come to an end

6. Maroon 5’s “Daylight” Song

"Daylight" talks about separation. It's about someone who has to leave their

lover because of one or two things. The day has been set and they both know

when the time comes, sooner or later. It's hard for him to leave the girl but he

knows he has to. Before the day comes, he wants to spend the time with his

beloved and make the most precious and meaningful memories. As the day

comes, they have to go on their own separate ways.

a. “Daylight” – And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of

the daylight is the light that there is during the day. The light is produced by the

sun. It can be said that „daylight‟ is the morning time. Morning is a sign of a new

day.

However, in A Dictionary of Symbols (2001) the meaning of „daylight‟ is

emotional or psychological distance between people. It is also means

disagreement. Maroon 5' song, „the daylight‟ is more about time limit. The line,

and when the daylight comes I'll have to go, point out that when the morning has

+ time

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50

come, the guy in this song will be leaving. It is show both psychical and

emotional distance between the guy and his lover. In the next line, but tonight I'm

gonna hold you so close, also show disagreement. The guy actually does not want

to leave the girl, so he holds the girl so close. Thus, the meaning of „daylight‟ is a

time limit for him to leave the girl, and the limit is when the morning comes.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

The daylight

The light of the

sun that still shine

during the day

The time limit

7. Maroon 5’s “Maps” Song

"Maps" is talking about a man who loses his lover. He tries to recall the

memories when they are still together. He is always there for the girl every time

she needs him, even when the girl is at her worst. However, when he is at his

worst, the girl is not there to comfort him. He is hurt, mentally or physically, and

losing everything. He loves her so much and tries to do anything to stay along

with her. But the girl decides to leave him. Desperate, there is nothing he can do,

but to accept it painfully.

a. “Maps” – We drew a map to a better place

The meaning of a map in Cambridge Dictionary (2008) is a very simple

drawing that shows a direction of travel between one place and another. The

drawing helps people to find a specific place easily. Another definition from the

+ limitation

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51

Dictionary of Symbols (2001) is to show how something is put together or

organized. „A map‟ in Maroon 5's "Maps" song means a plan. A map and a plan

share similar characteristic, which is something that is well arranged and lead

people to their destination or goal. „A place‟ here means future, so „a better place‟

means a better future. By drawing a map to a better place shows that they try to

make plans or arrange something for the future as a couple. They tried to make a

plan for the better future. It implies that they also try to take a next step in their

relationship, be it a wedding or a family.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

A map

A simple drawing

that help people to

find or reach a

place

A plan that is

made for the

future

b. “Maps” – But on that road I took a fall

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the definition

of road is a way between places, especially one with a prepared surface which

vehicles can use. Meanwhile, the road in this song figuratively means a path of

life. It is compared with a life path because they shared similar characteristics,

which are long, winding and has many obstacles. That is the reason why the road

is suitable to represent a life path.

+ direction

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52

Thus, the meaning of the line but on that road I took a fall is on his path of

life, the writer took a fall. The meaning of „fall‟ here is the fact that the writer

makes some mistakes in his life and it draws him into troubles. He is so tired and

wants to give up. The problems make him unable to stand up again. At that point

of his life, he surrenders.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Road

A wide way used

for travelling

between places,

which allow foot

passangers and

vehicles to use it.

A path chosen in

life, which is not

easy and

challenging

8. Maroon 5’s “Closure” Song

This song is about someone who wants to end the relationship with the

lover. Actually they love each other, but every time they fix the relationship and

start it over again, it ends up in a fight. It breaks her heart, so she decides to end

the relationship.

+ obstacles

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a. “Closure” – Say you want to do this face to face

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of face to

face is close to and to look at something or somebody. Based on A Dictionary of

Symbols (2001), the meaning of „face to face‟ is a close encounter with a thing or

situation. Since „face to face‟ is dead metaphor, so the metaphorical meaning is

similar to dictionary meaning, which is met in person, in the physical presence.

From the previous line, You come over to tell that it's over, the whole line implies

someone wants to end the relationship with the lover, and they want to do it

directly while looking at his/her lover.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Face to face

Looking at

somebody or

something

Met in person,

with both of the

participants in the

same place

b. “Closure” – Cause we both know when we wake up // That we'll go back to

war again

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the literal

meaning of war is a state of competition, conflict or hostility. Yet, in the song, it

states we'll go back to war again. Based on the Dictionary of American Idioms

and Phrasal Verbs (2005), „go to war‟ is an idiom. It means to start fighting a war

against somebody. In other words, they will start fighting against each other as if

in the war.

+ direct

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54

Then, the lines of the lines Cause we both know when we wake up // That

we'll go back to war again, it implies that the couple or is not in a good term, they

start to fight against each other as if in the war as soon as the open their eyes.

Though, they are fighting not using military force, but by words. Thus, the

meaning of „war‟ in this line is quarrel.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

War

A conflict

between countries

or other groups,

usualy using

military forces

A fight between

man and woman

in the relationship.

Hurting each other

by using words

9. Maroon 5’s “Whiskey” Song

This song tells about the love story of the writer in the past. He is so young

and when he falls in love with a girl. It seems that he loves her so much. He would

do anything for her and he waits for her. He thinks that the girl belongs to him,

then he realized that she can never be his. He tries so hard to forget her, but now

that he remembers her in flashes, he smiles.

a. “Whiskey” – I never knew that love was blind

Based on Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of

blind is unable to see. In other words, a blind man is someone who is losing their

ability to see, due to some factors. Another definition from the same dictionary is

not willing or able to understand or notice something. However, the meaning of

+ hurt

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55

„love is blind‟ in A Dictionary of Symbols (2001) is a person who is in love can

see no faults or imperfections in the person who is loved. They tend to accept and

do anything the lover said or did.

„Blind‟ in this song is not literally mean losing the ability to see. It

metaphorically means failing to see or acknowledge something. People, who are

in love, are not able to differentiate between right or wrong. Someone in that

situation does anything for the one they loved, and listen to whatever the lover

says. I never knew that love was blind, from this line, the writer wants to say that

before, he is not believe that love is „blind‟. However, when he falls in love with

the girl, he might do anything for the girl and want to be with her. Then now he

realizes that love is „blind‟.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Blind

Losing the ability

to see any thing

Unable to

differentiate

between right and

wrong

b. "Whiskey" – I would've sold my soul for a little more time

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), the meaning of

„sold or sell‟ is an activity to give something, such as goods to somebody in

exchange for money. Nevertheless, the thing that is being sold in this line is a

+ disability

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56

soul, „my soul‟. „Sold my soul‟ actually is an idiom. Based on the Dictionary of

American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2005), this idiom means someone has the

will do anything, even something dishonest, in return for money, fame, etc. Thus,

the meaning of I would've sold my soul for a little more time is the writer has the

will power do anything, in any way as long as he gets more time to be with the

girl he loves.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Sold my soul

Giving something

in order to get

some money

Doing anything to

get what they want

c. “Whiskey” – I'm runnin' out of time

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010), run out (of something)

means to be used up or finished. Completely used up until nothing is left. Another

definition is from Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2005). Run

out of time means to have used up most of the allotted time or to have no time

left. From the dictionaries, it is clear enough that the line means the writer uses all

of his time up and has no time left.

Metaphorical

Expression

Literal Meaning

Metaphorical

Meaning

Semantic

Property

Runnin' out of

time

Don‟t have time or

already used the

time that they

Used up most of

the allotted time

+ effort

+ limited

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57

have

This is all of the data that found by the researcher. The dictionaries of

Oxford and Cambridge help the researcher to analyze the literal meaning, while

the dictionaries of Symbols and Urban Dictionary help the researcher to analyze

the metaphorical meaning. The use of semantic property is to compare the literal

and metaphorical meaning and to get the exact meaning of metaphor.

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

This chapter is the conclusion of this research. It concludes the answers of

the problem formulations, which mentioned in the Chapter I. This research tries to

answer the types of metaphorical expressions that are found in Maroon 5‟s

selected song lyrics as well as the meaning of those metaphorical expressions.

The first problem that the researcher tries to analyze is the types of

metaphors. There are 21 expressions of metaphorical expressions found in this

research. Those metaphorical expressions are then classified into three types,

which are dead metaphor, standard metaphor and original metaphor. Based on the

data analysis, there are two dead metaphors in total, there are eight standard

metaphors, and there are eleven original metaphors. This makes the latter the most

used metaphorical expressions by the writer.

The first type is dead metaphor. The meaning of dead metaphor is similar to

literal meaning. Since it is used in daily life, people do not notice it as a metaphor.

People are already familiar with it, which is also the reason dead metaphor

becomes a normal language. However, different from dead metaphor which has a

fixed meaning, standard metaphor is a bit more complex than dead metaphor.

Though, standard metaphor is close to daily life, but people still notice that it has

another meaning beyond the dictionary meaning. The last type is original

metaphor. It gives big influence to metaphorical meaning, different from the two

types explained previously. In this type, the writer tends to use the expression that

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is different from daily language. The writers create their own expressions to

describe their feelings. Therefore, one expression might be different to another. It

depends on the situation and the writer‟s feeling.

The metaphorical expressions as well as the types of metaphorical

expression are required for the researcher to answer the second problem. After

metaphorical expressions are found, the researcher tries to analyze the literal

meaning of those metaphorical expressions by dictionaries. Some of metaphorical

expressions are overused and become daily language, so the meaning of those

expressions can also be found in the dictionary. The use of semantics property is

to compare literal meaning and metaphorical meaning. That way, the exact

meaning of metaphor can be obtained.

The conclusion of this research is figurative language, especially metaphor

has become daily language. It can be seen from the fact that some expressions

already become daily language, most people do not notice them as a metaphor

anymore. Though, sometimes metaphor can be seen to be complicated. Original

metaphor as the example, it is a bit complicated since the writer creates the

expression by their own imagination or creativity. The readers or listeners might

find it difficult to understand the metaphorical meaning of the expression. The

simple step like checking up on the dictionaries can be taken as well in order to

understand the metaphorical meaning. Nevertheless, in order to obtain the

appropriate metaphorical meaning besides checking up on the dictionaries, there

are some aspects that the readers and listeners should comprehend.

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Firstly, the readers or listeners should understand the context or meaning of

the song as well as the meaning of the lines which contain the metaphorical

expressions. Second, the readers or listeners should find some reliable sources

related to metaphor and song lyric.

However, through this present study, the researcher hopes that the readers of

this research and the song lyrics can get clearer meaning of Maroon 5‟s songs and

get a better understanding about metaphorical meaning and metaphorical

expression in song lyrics, so the messages from the writers can be taken in a better

light. The researcher also hopes the readers and listeners to be able to analyze

lyrics or others literary texts which contain metaphor, even in the simplest way by

showing the process in this research.

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Maroon 5 Awards. (2017). Retrieved from www.imdb.com

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http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/maroon5/loststars.html


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Maroon 5. (2002). Songs About Jane: Tangled. Retrieved from

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http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/maroon5/whiskey.html

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1. The metaphorical expressions of Maroon 5’s songs

Albums Song Titles Lyrics Code

Songs About

Jane (2002)

This Love

The fire burning in her eyes M.1.a

I try my best to feed her

appetite

M.1.b

Repair your broken wings M.1.c

She Will Be

Loved

Look for the girl with the

broken smile

M.2.a

It's not always rainbows and

butterflies

M.2.b

Tangled

A helpless victim of a spider's

web

M.3.a

And I'm an insect M.3.b

It Won‟t Be

Soon Before

Long (2007)

Nothing Lasts

Forever


The ditch between us so damn

deep

M.4.a

Built a wall around my heart M.4.b

Overexposed

(2012)

Payphone

I'm at a payphone M.5.a

trying to call home M.5.b

All of our bridges burned

down

M.5.c

But even the sun sets in

paradise

M.5.d

Daylight And when the daylight comes

I'll have to go

M.6.a

V (2014) Maps

We drew a map to a better

place

M.7.a

But on that road I took a fall M.7.b

Red Pill

Blues (2017)

Closure

Say you want to do this face to

face

M.8.a

That we'll go back to war

again

M.8.b

Whiskey

I never knew that love was

blind

M.9.a

I would've sold my soul for a

little more time

M.9.b

I'm runnin' out of time M.9.c

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As the explanation of the table above, the words in bold in the lyrics column

were the metaphorical expressions. The codes in the column above also represent

something different. The code “M” represents Maroon 5 as the object of this

present study. The code “1 until 10 (number)” refers to the song titles. Some

metaphors have the same number as a code because, as mentioned, they are taken

from the same songs. The last code is the alphabet, which represents the number

of metaphorical expressions in one song, the thing the researcher tried to find and

analyzed from this research. The “a, b or c” show that the metaphorical

expressions were different even though they were taken from the same songs. For

example, "M.8.c" means it's taken from Maroon 5, the eighth song lyric the

researcher made and with different metaphorical expression from the same title.

Appendix 2. Maroon 5’s song lyrics

1. Maroon 5 – This Love

I was so high I did not recognize

The fire burning in her eyes

The chaos that controlled my mind

Whispered "Goodbye", she got on a plane

Never to return again

But always in my heart

This love has taken its toll on me

She said "Goodbye" too many times before

And her heart is breaking in front of me

And I have no choice 'cause I won't say goodbye anymore

I tried my best to feed her appetite

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Keep her coming every night

So hard to keep her satisfied

Kept playing love like it was just a game

Pretending to feel the same

Then turn around and leave again,

But I know...





I'll fix these broken things

Repair your broken wings

And make sure everything's alright

My pressure on your hips

Sinking my fingertips

Into every inch of you

'Cause I know that's what you want me to do







And my heart is breaking in front of me



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2. Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved

Beauty queen of only eighteen

She had some trouble with herself

He was always there to help her

She always belonged to someone else

I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door

I've had you so many times but somehow I want more

I don't mind spending every day

Out on your corner in the pouring rain

Look for the girl with the broken smile

Ask her if she wants to stay awhile

And she will be loved


Tap on my window, knock on my door

I want to make you feel beautiful

I know I tend to get so insecure

It doesn't matter anymore

It's not always rainbows and butterflies

It's compromise that moves us along, yeah

My heart is full and my door's always open

You come anytime you want, yeah.


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I know where you hide alone in your car

Know all of the things that make you who you are

I know that goodbye means nothing at all

Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls

Yeah

Tap on my window knock on my door

I want to make you feel beautiful


Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh.







[in the background:]

Please don't try so hard to say goodbye


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Yeah, yeah.

[softly:]




3. Maroon 5 – Tangled

I'm full of regret

For all things that I've done and said

And I don't know if it'll ever be ok to show

My face 'round here

Sometimes I wonder if I disappear

Would you ever turn your head and look

See if I'm gone

Cause I fear

There is nothing left to say to you

That you wanna hear

That you wanna know

I think I should go

The things I've done are way too shameful

Your just innocent

A helpless victim of a spider's web

And I'm an insect

Goin after anything that I can get

So you better turn your head and run

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And don't look back

Cause I fear

There is nothing left to say

To you

That you wanna hear

That you wanna know

I think I should go

The things I've done are way too shameful

[x2]

And I've done you so wrong

Treated you bad

Strung you along

Oh shame on myself

I don't know how I got so tangled up

4. Maroon 5 – Nothing Lasts Forever

It is so easy to see

Dysfunction between you and me

We must free up these tired souls

Before the sadness kills us both

I tried and tried to let you know

I love you but I'm letting go

It may not last but I don't know

Just don't know

If you don't know

Then you can't care

And you show up

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But you're not there

But I'm waiting

And you want to

Still afraid that I will desert you

Everyday

With every worthless word we get more far away

The distance between us makes it so hard to stay

But nothing lasts forever, but be honest babe

It hurts but it may be the only way

A bed that's warm with memories

Can heal us temporarily


The ditch between us so damn deep

Built a wall around my heart

I‟ll never let it fall apart

Strangely I wish secretly

It would fall down while I'm asleep

If you don't know

Then you can't care

And you show up

But you're not there

But I'm waiting

And you want to

Still afraid that I will desert you, babe

Everyday


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Though we have not hit the ground

It doesn't mean we're not still falling,

Oh I want so bad to pick you up

But you're still too reluctant to accept my help

What a shame, I hope you find somewhere to place the blame

But until then the fact remains

Everyday



Nothing lasts forever, but be honest babe


Everyday





5. Maroon 5 – Payphone

I'm at a payphone trying to call home

All of my change I spent on you

Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong

Where are the plans we made for two?

Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember

The people we used to be...

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It's even harder to picture,

That you're not here next to me.

You say it's too late to make it,

But is it too late to try?

And in our time that you wasted

All of our bridges burned down

I've wasted my nights,

You turned out the lights

Now I'm paralyzed.

Still stuck in that time

When we called it love

But even the sun sets in paradise





If "Happy Ever After" did exist,

I would still be holding you like this

[Explicit:] All those fairy tales are full of shit

[Clean:] All those fairy tales are full of it.

[Explicit:] One more fucking love song, I'll be sick.

[Clean:] One more stupid love song, I'll be sick

Oh, you turned your back on tomorrow

'Cause you forgot yesterday.

I gave you my love to borrow,

But you just gave it away.

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You can't expect me to be fine,

I don't expect you to care

I know I've said it before

But all of our bridges burned down.

I've wasted my nights,

You turned out the lights

Now I'm paralyzed.

Still stuck in that time

When we called it love

But even the sun sets in paradise.











Now I'm at a payphone

[Clean radio version verse:]

Yeah, yeah, now baby don't hang up,

So I can tell you what you need to know,

Baby I'm begging you just please don't go,

So I can tell you what you need to know

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[Explicit version verse (Wiz Khalifa):]

Man, fuck that shit

I'll be out spending all this money

While you're sitting round wondering

Why it wasn't you who came up from nothing,

Made it from the bottom

Now when you see me I'm stunning,

And all of my cars start with a push of a button

Telling me the chances I blew up

Or whatever you call it,

Switch the number to my phone

So you never could call it,

Don't need my name on my shirt,

You can tell it I'm ballin.

Swish, what a shame could have got picked

Had a really good game but you missed your last shot

So you talk about who you see at the top

Or what you could have saw but sad to say it's over for.

Phantom pulled up valet open doors

Wiz like go away, got what you was looking for

Now it's me who they want, so you can go and take

That little piece of shit with you.







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Now I'm at a payphone...

6. Maroon 5 – Daylight

Here I am waiting, I'll have to leave soon

Why am I holding on?

We knew this day would come, we knew it all along

How did it come so fast?

This is our last night but it's late

And I'm trying not to sleep

'Cause I know, when I wake

I will have to slip away

And when the daylight comes I'll have to go

But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close

'Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own

But tonight I need to hold you so close

Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa


Here I am staring at your perfection

In my arms, so beautiful

The sky is getting bright, the stars are burning out

Somebody slow it down

This is way too hard

'Cause I know, when the sun comes up

I will leave, this is my last glance

That will soon be memory

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77







I never wanted to stop

Because I don't wanna start all over, start all over

I was afraid of the dark

But now it's all that I want, all that I want, all that I want











Ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa (yeah)

Ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa (yeah), ooh whoa

7. Maroon 5 – Maps

I miss the taste of a sweeter life

I miss the conversation

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I‟m searching for a song tonight

I‟m changing all of the stations

I like to think that we had it all

We drew a map to a better place

But on that road I took a fall

Oh baby why did you run away?

I was there for you

In your darkest times

I was there for you

In your darkest nights

But I wonder where were you?

When I was at my worst

Down on my knees

And you said you had my back

So I wonder where were you?

When all the roads you took came back to me

So I‟m following the map that leads to you

The map that leads to you

Ain't nothing I can do


Following, following, following to you




Following, following, following

I hear your voice in my sleep at night

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79

Hard to resist temptation

'Cause something strange has come over me

And now I can‟t get over you

No, I just can‟t get over you

I was there for you

In your darkest times

I was there for you

In your darkest nights



Down on my knees












Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

Yeah yeah yeah

Oh oh oh

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80

Oh, I was there for you

Oh, in your darkest time


Oh, in your darkest nights


Oh, in your darkest time


Oh, in your darkest nights



Down on my knees












Following, following, following

8. Maroon 5 – Closure

You come over to tell that it's over

Say you want to do this face to face

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Bottle opens we pour out our emotions

Knew that if you came here you would stay

If you want closure

Come on and close that door

I know, know, know

What ya' really came for

If you want closure


I know, know, know


I know what ya' want, baby


Closure


Know what ya' came here for

Closure

How did we end up in this situation

Guess it went exactly as you planned

I always give in to your manipulation

I tried to resist bu i just can't

If you want closure


I know, know, know


If you want closure


I know, know, know


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Closure



Closure

Oh as soon as we make love

It's gonna break your heart again

Cause we both know when we wake up

That we'll go back to war again

If you want closure


I know, know, know


If you want closure


I know, know, know




Closure



Closure

9. Maroon 5 – Whiskey

Leaves are fallin'

It's September

The night came in and made her shiver

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I told her she could have my jacket

Wrapped it tight around her shoulders

And I was so young

'Till she kissed me

Like a whiskey

Like a whiskey

I never knew that love was blind

'Till I was hers

But she was never mine

Yeah, I was reckless

But I let it burn

I let it burn, yeah

The feeling, it was bittersweet

Realizing I was in too deep

She was a lesson

I had to learn

I had to learn, yeah

I used to try to forget her

But now I smile

When I remember

Leaves are fallin'

It's September




And I was so young

'Till she kissed me

Like a whiskey

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Like a whiskey

Would've left this world behind

Just to wake up by your side

Every mornin' I

Would've sold my soul

For a little more time

Would've waited a thousand nights

If she never said goodbye

I admit that I

Would've sold my soul for a little more time

I used to try to forget her

But now I smile

When I remember

Leaves are fallin'

It's September




And I was so young

'Till she kissed me

Like a whiskey

Like a whiskey

[A$AP Rocky:]

I ain't like the other Cognacs

Or type of cat that'd never call back

Or lose contact when you runnin' out of rum and you make a run

(Feelin' light and dizzy, might be tipsy)

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All of that tequila's a killer, little vodka

Break her off somethin' proper

Pop a cork and play spin the bottle

(Every time you kiss me, like some whiskey)

Punch drunk love, it's a fine line

Dom Pérignon, she the fine wine

Someone call 911, I'm runnin' out of time

She done got off my heart

[Adam Levine (A$AP Rocky):]

Leaves are fallin'

It's September (Woah)




And I was so young (So Young)

'Till she kissed me (Yeah)

Like a whiskey (Yeah)

And I was so young (So Young)

'Till she kissed me

Like a whiskey

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