Poems and Songs

Field Below and Big Yellow Taxi

By Andrea Basile

Authors Note: This piece is about what I thought about how both the songs and poems, of the two pieces “The Big Yellow Taxi” and “Field Below,” reflected against one another.  Tell me if I make any sense.

The music, tone, and mood were different than I expected in the poem “Big Yellow Taxi.” When I read the poem I felt like the author was sad…but then I heard the song and the tone was upbeat and happy. When I read the poem, the pictures that circled my mind was a dark night, and cold, and everything was unhappy. But then when the music started playing this tune, I felt like it was summer and bright and rainbows and sunshine. The only part that was sadder was the part when the poem said “Last night I heard the screen door slam, and a big yellow taxi took away my old man.”  It made since that the music slowed down then, because the lyrics were sad and down. Overall the song and poem had 2 different approaches. The poem had a sad effect, and the song had a happier effect.

Besides “The Big Yellow Taxi”, “The Field Below” reflected perfectly with the poem. Both the poem and song were saddening and depressing and it made the listener feel pity and sadness. Both the pieces made you feel the loneliness of the author. Personally, I would never want to feel this way and I would feel horrible if anyone had to go through that hurt of being alone. When the poem said “the darkness spreads over the snow”, it makes me feel like all the good in the world has disappeared and its scary. That was what I thought of both the poems “Field Below” and “The Big Yellow Taxi.”