Explication of "Don't Dream It's Over"
"Don't Dream It's Over" is a poem written by singer/musician Neil Finn. Finn is part of the group Crowded House. The poem describes the obstacles confronting Finn and his girlfriend. The function of the poem is to express an emotional experience which Finn went through and wrote about. Finn expresses a certain degree of pain and fear in the poem. Finn fears that there are too many problems being bottled up between him and his girlfriend. He fears that they are eventually going to bubble to the surface and cause them to go their separate ways. The reader feels the love Finn feels for his girlfriend but at the same time experiences the sorrow, as well as the pain. Finn feels these emotions because he is unable to communicate with his love. The function of the poem is to recapitulate the emotions Finn feels when his relationship is in jeopardy.
The traits of this poem are emotional, real, and uncertainty. The poem depicts a real situation during the life of Finn. It was an emotional poem which Finn wrote while in distress. Their is also an air of uncertainty because Finn is unsure of the stability of the relationship he is currently in. The poems traits are clear and easily to relatable to similar experiences.
Throughout poetry many literary as well as Poetic terms are used. "Don't Dream It's Over" is not an exception. These devices can be found in abundance throughout the poem. The examples of these terms can be easily pulled from the text of the poem:
Literary/Poetic Term Line
Couplet: Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
Hyperbole: Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
Imagery: And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Irony: In the paper today tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the TV page
Litotes: Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
Metonomy :When the world comes in-for when their problems surface
Onomatopoeia: beat of a drum
Paradox: There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Personification: Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief
Refrain: Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
Symbol: To build a wall between us-means to break Finn and his girlfriend up
These terms are used to invoke the reader to look into Finn's emotional state. They allow the reader to bring himmself one step closer to the intricate meaning of the poem. By using these terms many feelings, otherwise unobtainable, are easily surfaced and put into operation.
The basic meter and foot are most clearly seen in the refrain of "Don't Dream It's Over"(Lines 6-12 have been marked for meter and foot). Lines 6, 8, and 10 contain an iambic dimeter while lines 7, 9, and 12 contains a iambic monometer followed by a dactylic monometer. Line 11 is made of a dactylic dimeter. The meter and foot of the poem is originally hard to observe but with persistence is able to be found. Once this is found an entire new dimension to the poem can be opened.
At first glance, the stanza form for "Don't Dream It's Over" seems chaotic, but in reality there is a method to Finn's madness. The Stanza form is marked on the poem and reads: (A)(B)(C)(D)(E), (A)(B)(A)(C)(D)(E)(C), (A)(A)(B)(C), (A)(B)(A)(C)(D)(E)(C), (A)(B)(C)(D), (A)(B)(A)(C)(D)(E)(C). A complex rhyme scheme is present in the refrain. There is also a single couplet in the poem, located in lines 13-14.
The motif of the poem is fighting. There are numerous mentions of fighting situations such as battles and wars. In Line 3 as well as in line 15 these exact words are visible. In line 24 Finn writes "Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum". This occurred during 19th century battles. The simple line "Don't let them win" is a way of describing a combat or fighting situation. One motif of this poem is fighting, this also is a symbol for the fighting Finn and his girlfriend are going through.
"Don't Dream It's Over" is a poem pertaining to a person, Finn, and his girlfriend. Finn begins the poem saying that although many obstacles may stand in this couple's way, Finn will not allow them to disturb them. During the refrains of the poem Finn uses the word "they" often. This word is a symbol for obstacles and conflicts Finn and his opposite are bottling up and not discussing. The first refrain describes a situation were Finn and his counterpart are close to breaking up but he comments that these problems won't break them apart. Lines 15 and 16 are a metaphor for when Finn tries to confront his parallel with these problems but she still ignores the problems and bottles them up. Again, in this second refrain, Finn doesn't believe that any obstacles will come between them. Finn now allows the reader to infer about his love for this girl. Finn then verbally convinces himself that everything will be all right, only to second guess himself in the third refrain. In the last line of the poem, rather than saying "We won't let them win" Finn says "Don't let them win". This displays to the listener/ reader an air of uncertainty that is interpreted as Finn being unsure if they will make it over their obstacles or not. Finn is unsure of the way his counterpart feels and phrases this question in the form of a command leading the listener to feel Finn's fear of the unknown.