Alan Walker – Different World feat. Sofia Carson, K-391 & Corsak

LYRICS

a          All we know
b          Left untold
c          Beaten by a broken dream
d          Nothing like what it used to be (used to be)

a          We’ve been chasing our demons down an empty road
b          Been watching our castle turning into dust
c          Escaping our shadows just to end up here
d          Once more
e          And we both know

a          This is not the world we had in mind
b          But we got time
a          We are stuck on answers we can’t find
b          But we got time
c          And even though we might have lost tonight
b          The skyline reminds us of a different time
a          This is not the world we had in mind
b          But we got time

a          Broken smile, tired eyes
b          I can feel your longing heart
c          Call my name, howling from afar

a          We’ve been fighting our demons just to stay afloat
b          Been building a castle just to watch it fall
c          Been running forever just to end up here
d          Once more
e          And now we know

a          This is not the world we had in mind
b          But we got time
a          We are stuck on answers we can’t find
b          But we got time
c          And even though we might have lost tonight
b          The skyline reminds us of a different time
a          This is not the world we had in mind
b          But we got time

a          Take me back
b          Back to the mountainside
c          Under the Northern Lights
d          Chasing the stars
a          Take me back
b          Back to the mountainside
e          When we were full of life
f           Back to the start
g          And we both know that

a          This is not the world we had in mind
b          But we got time
a          We are stuck on answers we can’t find
b          But we got time
c          And even though we might have lost tonight
b          The skyline reminds us of a different time
a          This is not the world we had in mind
b          But we got time

Analysis

1. DETERMINE THE SUBJECT OF THE POEM

• Paraphrase/summarize the poem: what is it about?

The song is about how we are destroying our planet with pollution on air, land and water. It also talks about how we can’t find a solution for pollution and how we still have time to find one before it’s too late.

• Does the poem address a social, psychological, historical, or mythical phenomenon?

It addresses climate change.

2. IDENTIFY THE POEM’S NARRATOR

• Who is speaking?

The song writer

• To whom?

We, us, humans

• Under what circumstances? Identify the setting.

We are in a situation where we’re destroying our planet and the song writer wants us to realize it and stop destroying our planet.

3. NOTE THE DICTION (WORD CHOICE) OF THE POET

• Be sure to look up all unfamiliar words in a dictionary.

The song writer used words that are familiar to me, there isn’t a word in the song that is unfamiliar.

• What are the word’s denotations and connotations?

An example of connotation is “mountainside” because in the song, it represents the good, happy and beautiful world. An example of denotation is “time” because in the song, it really means time.

• Are the words concrete or abstract?

The song writer uses concrete and abstract words.

• Is the poem free of clichés?

Yes

• How does the diction contribute to or detract from the poem?

The simple word choices that most people can understand really helps the listeners understand what they’re trying to say.

4. DETERMINE THE TONE OF THE POEM

• Is the poem serious? Ironic? Satiric? Contemplative? Ambiguous?

The topic of the song is serious and the song is also serious.

• Point out words that set the tone.

World, Time, Fall

• Determine whether the tone changes within the poem.

The tone doesn’t change.

5. DETERMINE THE RHYTHMICAL DEVICES USED BY THE POET

• What is the basic metrical pattern? Line length?

Line length is 8 words max

• What is the length of the stanza?

9 lines max for stanzas

• What is the rhyme scheme? End rhyme? Internal rhyme?

End rhyme

• Does the poet employ any other metrical devices?

No

• What form does the poem take? Open or closed?

Closed

6. NOTE THE USE OF OTHER LITERARY DEVICES

• What allusions does the poem contain?

The song refers to climate change caused by humans.

• Listen to the sounds in the poem. Make note of assonance, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.

Alliteration, “Beaten by a broken dream”

• Does the poet use figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, symbolism, imagery, irony, personification, antithesis, hyperbole, metonymy, synecdoche, allegory, paradox, understatement, or overstatement?

Metaphor, “Been watching our castle turning into dust” is a metaphor for humans watching our planet break down, like a castle turning into dust.

• Are there any examples of synecdoche or metonymy?

No

• Note the use, or absence, of punctuation.

The song doesn’t use a lot of punctuation, it only uses commas to separate ideas in a line.

• Titles are important. Is the title the best the writer could have chosen? What would be a better title for the work? Why?

I think the title for the song is perfect. The song’s message is the world now is different than they expected and they think that we still have time to change it or make it different, so the title “Different World” is perfect for the song.

7. DETERMINE THE VALUES OF THE POEM

• Does the poet succeed in recreating his experiences within the reader? How?

Yes, the song uses a lot of metaphor which makes it easy to imagine of what they were trying to say.

• Is the experience intensely felt by the reader?

Yes

• Does the poem succeed in sharpening the reader’s awareness of something signifiant?

Yes