Analysis of Michael Rosen's Rap

THE MICHAEL ROSEN RAP

You may think I'm happy,
You may think I'm sad,
You may think I'm crazy,
You may think I'm mad,
But hang on to your seats and listen right here,
I'm gonna tell you something that'll burn your ear.

Hip, hop, the hip hop hap,
I'm giving you all the Michael Rosen Rap rap rap rap.

I was born on the 7th of May,
I remember very well that awful day,
I was in my mother, curled up tight,
Though I have to say it was dark as night.
Nothing to do, didn’t want to breathe,
I was so happy didn't want to leave!

Then I heard some people give a shout:
One push, Mrs. Rosen, and he'll be out!
I'm telling you, that was a puzzle to me!
I shouted out: "How'd you know I'm a he?"
The doctor shouted "Good Lord, he can talk!"
I popped out my head and said, "Now watch me walk."
I juked and jived around that room,
Balam bam boola, balam de ditty boom.

Hip, hop, the hip hop hap,
I'm giving you all the Michael Rosen Rap rap rap rap.

When I was one, I swam the English Channel.
When I was two, I ate a soapy flannel,
When I was three, I started getting thinner.
When I was four, I ate the dog's dinner!
When I was five, I was in a band playing drums,
When I was six, I ate a bag of plums!
When I was seven, I robbed a bank with my sister.
When I was eight, I became Prime Minister!
When I was nine, I closed all the school
When I was ten, they made me King of the Fools.

So that's what I am, that's what I be,
With an M, with an I, with a K, with an E.
That's what I am, that's what I be
Mr. Mike, Mr. Michael, Mr. Rosen, Mr. Me.

Hip, hop, the hip hop hap,
I'm giving you all the Michael Rosen Rap rap rap rap.

Lyrics taken from this site.

Hello again fellow Human beings!

I am back again with analysis of one of my favourite songs. I hope that you like it and please don’t forget to start reading the analysis without checking out the performance on the YouTube video.

The lyrics of Michael Rosen’s song “The Michael Rosen Rap” have a unique form. It is seen that the rhyme scheme for example, doesn’t follow any rules for poetry. It instead follows the style of a rap, often alternating the rhyme each stanza. It is noted that the first stanza has the following rhyme scheme a b a b c d; but the third stanza for example has a different rhyme scheme, a a f f c c. Refrains are also used in the song as separate stanzas instead of stanza enders. The refrains mentioned are stanzas two, five and eight. It is also noted that the stanzas mentioned have line ending words that end with the letter “p”, and these are exclusive to them. They hold the purpose of sending the message that “Michael” Rosen’s is “giving” us information about himself.

The speaker in the song is obvious, it is explicitly stated in the seventh stanza that speaker is “Mr. Rosen.” The addressee of the poem is the reader in this case, whom Rosen tells them about himself. The tone that is present in the song is playful. Onomatopoeia, a poetic device found in the song, is a major contributor to this tone. Supporting evidence can found in stanza two, where Rosen imitates the “hip” and “hop” sounds associated with jumping. Further evidence is found at end of stanza four, where Rosen imitates the sounds produced by various musical instruments; such as the “boom” and “bam” sounds produced when a drum is struck. The presence of these sounds suggests that Rosen is not treating the topic in a serious manner, thus supporting a playful tone. The song is also littered with many poetic devices, such as repetition, imagery, and parallel structure. For repetition, the song opens with the word “you”, and it is repeated in the stanza three more times. Another example is the repetition of the word “I” in the rest of the song. Thus emphasising that the song is about Rosen. Some strong examples of imagery are located in the third stanza. For instance Rosen describes his mother’s womb as “dark as night” and his position as “curled up tight,” thus establishing the image of the situation. Parallel structure is found in stanzas one and six. The example in stanza one where Rosen states that “you may think” serves as the main point of the song, which is that this is who Rosen is no matter what he appears to be. The other example is stanza six where he states “When I was” repeatedly. This stresses that these events are of great importance to Rosen.

The song is intended for an audience that is below the age of twelve. The content of the song is composed of things that are associated with the childhood of Rosen. Such things include the story of his birth and his first ten years on earth. Such topics often attract children because there is a great storytelling element that is found within the song. I personally prefer this song over any of the so called popular songs because I do find it very entertaining. Mostly due to the fact that the Rosen himself appears in the song and interacts with his lyrics, and looks civilised while doing so. He doesn’t scream like a raging parrot nor does he behave like a sloppy monkey; and most importantly in my opinion, is that he achieves musical qualities without the use of any musical instruments. And let us not forget, the song is not about relationships!

This marks the end of my analysis of the “Michael Rosen Rap.” I hope that I won your next visit this time too, fellow Human being.

Thank you for reading!