Literary Devices

PERSONIFICATION.

"Clocks are running late. Paint by numbers morning sky, looks so phony. Dawn is breaking everywhere..."
These lines in Grateful Dead's song "Touch of Grey" show multiple uses of personification. Clocks are given the human ability 'running' and dawn is given the ability to 'break'.
(Grateful Dead - Touch of Grey)


HYPERBOLE.
"You turn the whole world upside down."

This is an example of a hyperbole because it is a real exaggeration, although the intentions are good. But, someone cannot really turn the world upside down.

(The Cure - Why Can't I Be You?)

SIMILE.

“Like the sound of silence calling, I hear your voice and suddenly I'm falling, lost in a dream.”

This is an example of a simile because he’s comparing the voice of his loved one to the
sound of silence calling. I don’t really understand
what that means but anything Josh Groban sings is beautiful.

(Josh Groban – When You Say You Love Me)



HYPERBOLE/PERSONIFICATION. 

"Lead in your eyelids bulldozed the life out of me."

This is an example of both a hyperbole and personification because it is an
exaggeration and it gave an inanimate object life. His straight eyes can't bulldoze
the life out of anyone.

(Imogen Heap - The Moment I Said It)

INTERNAL RHYME.

“I was detained, I was restrained.”

This is an example of internal rhyme because there is a repetition of
sounds within the same lines—“detained” and “restrained.”

(Mark Ronson – Stop Me)

PERSONIFICATION.

"Midnight melted to morning."

This phrase is an example of personification. Midnight cannot melt.
And it cannot melt into morning. It is trying to say that night time
flew by so fast that it was sunrise in no time.

(Joy Williams – Every Moment)

HYPERBOLE.

“If darkness blinds you, I, I will shine to guide you.”

This is a hyperbole because lighting yourself up won’t necessarily guide someone.
What it really means is that if the person get’s confused and lost in her life, the guy would help her
out of the situation and bring her back to the clear path.

(Josh Groban – You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up))

SIMILE.

“Life's like an hourglass glued to the table…”

This is an example of a simile because life is being compared to an immovable hourglass.
I believe what she is implying is that life will always go on. There is not way you can stop it.

(Anna Nalick – Breathe)

SIMILE.

“Sooner or later, you're gonna wake up and find what your looking for,
like a diamond washed up on the shore.”

Duncan James is comparing finding something looking for to finding a diamond washed up on a beach.

(Duncan James – Sooner Or Later)

ALLUSION.

“Like Harrison Ford I'm getting Frantic, Like Sting I'm Tantric,
Like Snickers, guaranteed to satisfy, Like Kurasawa I make mad films.”

This quote shows multiple examples of allusions. There are references to famous people and objects.

(Barenaked Ladies – One Week)