Figurative Language Lyric Scavenger Hunt! by Cody Swoboda

How to Play!

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

1. Search for songs that use different types of figurative language.
2. Choose one lyric that matches each at least one type: metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, alliteration, allusion, hyperbole, and idiom.
3. Share the lyric, the song title, and the artist.
4. Explain what type of figurative language it is and why!
5. Check out your classmates’ posts and comment if you find other examples!

Onomatopoeia Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "Bang bang into the room" – Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, “Bang Bang”
Type: Onomatopoeia ('Bang' imitates the sound of something loud)
Why: The lyric uses "bang" to mimic a loud noise you might hear when someone enters a room with energy.

Personification Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "Because the night belongs to lovers" – Patti Smith, “Because the Night”
Type: Personification (giving human qualities to 'the night')
Why: The lyric gives the night the human ability to 'belong' to someone, which is personification.

Simile Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "Like a rolling stone" – Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone”
Type: Simile (uses 'like' to compare)
Why: This lyric compares someone to a rolling stone using the word 'like.'

Alliteration Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "Whisper words of wisdom" – The Beatles, “Let It Be”
Type: Alliteration (repeats the 'w' sound)
Why: The repetition of the 'w' sound in the phrase demonstrates alliteration.

Allusion Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "She's got a smile that it seems to me reminds me of childhood memories" – Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
Type: Allusion (refers to a broad concept of memories from childhood)
Why: The lyric alludes to feelings and memories from the singer’s childhood, connecting the listener to a universal experience.

Hyperbole Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more" – The Proclaimers, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”
Type: Hyperbole (extreme exaggeration)
Why: It's an exaggeration to show dedication, and it's not literal!

Idiom Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:04:49 UTC

Lyric: "Hit the road, Jack" – Ray Charles, “Hit the Road Jack”
Type: Idiom (common phrase with a meaning different than the words themselves)
Why: 'Hit the road' means to leave, not actually hit a road!

Metaphor Example

cswoboda6 — 2025-09-08 12:11:04 UTC

Lyric: "Life is a highway" – Tom Cochrane, “Life is a Highway”Type: Metaphor (compares life to a highway without using 'like' or 'as')Why: This lyric suggests that life is similar to a highway journey, representing its ups and downs and continuous movement.

2ECOND 2IGHT 2EER - Will Wood

twallace0_0 — 2025-09-09 14:27:31 UTC

My grip on my secrets slipping while I’m speaking in tongues

This uses alliteration with the letter "S"

metaphor

2025-09-09 14:28:58 UTC

lryic: "I was a ghost, i was alone"

Golden by Huntirx (kpop demon hunters)

Type: metaphor

why: the singer compares herself to a ghost o express feeling invisible and isolated

"Cuba, how beautiful is Cuba!" Carlos Puebla

dlhenning01 — 2025-09-09 14:29:26 UTC

Lyric: "I invite you to search the whole world over, for a sky as blue as my sky, a moon as spectacular as that one-" Hyperbole: Obviously the Cuban sky is not any more blue that any other nations sky, and their moon is not greater than any other nations moon. But they use this exaggeration as an almost nationalist love for Cuba, hence the name "Cuba, how beautiful is Cuba!"

similie

nlcable01 — 2025-09-09 14:30:04 UTC

"Now she's got me twisting, like an old beach rollercoaster" - Justin Bieber, "baby"

simile (using like to compare)

This lyric uses "like" to compare his confused feelings to being on a rollercoaster

matyson01 — 2025-09-09 14:30:29 UTC

Song Coffee by jack stauber

Lyric- Just a sip (whip crack) and just a drip (Coffee drip sound)

Type: Onomatopoeia (whip sounds + coffee and other unmentioned sounds)

Why; This lyric uses sounds you would hear when making coffee or spilling it on the floor

Crush 40- Escape from the city(sound track for Sonic Adventure 2)

2025-09-09 14:33:38 UTC

"Trust your feelings, got live and learn."

This is a metaphor for freedom vs pursuit. Encouraging intuition and growth.

Metaphor. Boys will be bugs - Cavetown

Nexus_Angel_XD — 2025-09-09 14:34:50 UTC

Lyric: Don't mess with me, I'm a big boy now, and I'm very scary. I punch my walls, stay out at night, and I do karate. Don't message me 'cause I won't reply, I wanna make you cry. Ain't that how it's s'posed to be? Though it isn't me. Boys will be bugs, right?

Song: Boys will be bugs - Cavetown

The song using metaphor, suggesting that the expectation for boys to be emotionless or aggressive is a form of cultural manipulation. Comparing boys from Bugs

Monster by Skillet

2025-09-09 14:35:39 UTC

''I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster''

Simile because they use "Like" to tell what their feeling like