Hey There Delilah ~ Plain White T'sThis song is poetic, but I don't think it is one of the 100 most poetic songs ever. It scores a 137 on the song rating sheet, which is pretty decent, but mostly it uses the same devices over and over again. These devices are alliteration (assonance and consonance), hyperbole, and imagery. It also uses a few allusions (New York City and Times Square), a simile ("Times Square can't shine as bright as you"), and a metaphor ("Listen to my voice, it's my disguise"). The song also gets points for cohesive narrative, epic/universal relevance, original point of view (epistolary), and is emotionally evocative. The instrumentals are also mastery. It loses a few points for cliche phrases such as "Times are getting hard," and "The world will never ever be the same." The song is very straightforward: its basically a love letter to a girl far away telling her how great she is and soon they can be together. It doesn't really have any ambiguous qualities that leave you wondering what meaning was the one that the writer originally intended. The song uses poetic devices, but I think it goes a little overboard on the hyperbole (I found 8), which I've noticed tend to go hand in hand with cliches. So yes, it's a nice, poetic song, but one of the 100 best? Not really.

Hey there Delilah What's it like in new York city I'm a thousand miles away but girl tonight you look so pretty Yes you do Time square cant shine as bright as you (simile, hyperbole)I swear its trueHey there Delilah Don't you worry about the distance (alliteration)I'm right there if you get lonely Give this song another listen Close your eyes Listen to my voice its my disguise (metaphor)I'm by your sideOh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me What you do to meHey there Delilah I know times are getting hard But just believe me girl Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar (metaphor)We'll have it good We'll have the life we knew we would (alliteration)My word is goodHey there Delilah I've got so much left to say If every simple song I wrote to you Would take your breath away (hyperbole)I'd write it all Even more in love with me you'd fall We'd have it allOh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to meA thousand miles seems pretty far But they've got planes and trains and cars (assonance)I'd walk to you if I had no other way Our friends would all make fun of us and we'll just laugh along because we know That none of them have felt this way Delilah I can promise you That by the time that we get through The world will never ever be the same And you're to blameHey there Delilah You be good and don't you miss me Two more years and you'll be done with school And I'll be making history like I do You know it's all because of you We can do what ever we want to (alliteration)Hey there Delilah here's to you This ones for youOh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me What you do to me