“One by One”

2. Songwriter: Woodie Guthrie3. Lines 1-4

One by one the teardrops fall as I write to you One by one my words come falling on the page

One by one my dreams are fading in the twilightOne by one my schemes are failing fast away

4. Rhyme Scheme: ABCB5. Internal Rhyme: “dreams” and “schemes”6. Parallel Structure: “One by one” + plural noun + verb(s) + imagery of impermanence or loss of things that happen one at a time

1. Song Title: “One by One”

One by one the flowers fade here in my gardenOne by one the leaves are falling from the treesOne by one my hopes are vanished in the clouds dearOne by one like snowflakes melting in the breeze

7. Symbolic Setting: ABCs of interpreting literature A) The weather is never just the weather;B) The season is never just the season;C) The time of day is never just the time of day!

A)Weather: cloudy, breezy, snowingB)Season: Late fall ~ October? ~ b/c leaves are fallingC) Time of day: twilight the end of a day . . .

One by one my hair is turning grayOne by one my dreams are fading fast awayOne by one I read your letters overOne by one I lay them all away

8. Imagery of impermanence or loss: teardrops fall, gray hair, flowers fade, leaves fall, snowflakes melt

9. Repetition: “One by one”10. Metered verse

One by one the days are slipping up behind youOne by one the sweetest days of life go byOne by one the moments stealing up behind youOne by one she’ll come and find not you or I

11. Diction creates resigned tone: teardrops fall, dreams fade, schemes fail, flowers fade, leaves fall, hopes vanish, snowflakes melt, days slip by, etc . .

Song Title: “One by One”

One by one I hear the soft words that you whispered One by one I feel your kisses soft and sweetOne by one I hope you’ll say the words to marryOne by one to one by one forever be

12. Tone: changes to more hopeful in final verse13-14. Assonance & Alliteration: soft words that you whispered kisses soft and sweet15. Inference: The words = Will you marry me?16. Juxtaposition: “One by one to one by one . . .”17. Topic: Relationship between two people18. Theme: Descriptive writing sometimes just offers a dominant impression without a specific theme