Contoh Soal The language of songs

You've got the best of both worlds
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
And lift him back up again
You are strong but you're needy,
Humble but you're greedy
And based on your body language,
And shoddy cursive I've been reading
Your style is quite selective,
though your mind is rather reckless
Well I guess it just suggests
that this is just what happiness is

Hey, what a beautiful mess this is
It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write
Kind of turn themselves into knives
And don't mind my nerve you could call it fiction
But I like being submerged in your contradictions, dear

Are you familiar with the lyrics above?
It’s a part of Jason Mraz’s song “A Beautiful Mess”.
You can check the song out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoEhopKPuS4 
And you can read the whole lyrics here: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jasonmraz/abeautifulmess.html

Social Functions
Lyric is an important part of a song. Song is one of the literary works that can help us to understand not only the people’s sentiments, but also their messages or stories which are conveyed through its lyrics. Song has various purposes. It can be aimed to entertain the listeners, express the writers’ feelings so that the listeners can feel sympathetic or empathic towards the stories in the songs, and convey the messages that the writers want to share.

Language Features
In order to understand a song, you also should know about language features of a poem. Here are the things that you need to pay attention to:

Vocabulary and Syntax (Diction)
Vocabulary that is selected in writing poem is generally related with syntax. The writers choose certain words to create certain moods or atmospheres and to express how deep their feelings are. When you think about vocabulary in writing a poem, you may think about the simple or a complex one.
For example:
(Simple) This is just what happiness is
(Complex) Through timeless words and priceless pictures

And when you want to measure someone’s ability to understand your words, you will use a syntax by using usual or unusual words.
For example:
And shoddy cursive I've been reading

An action of combining both vocabulary and syntax refers to the choice of words called diction.
Figurative language such as Simile and metaphor
1) Simile is a comparison used to attract the readers or listeners’ attention and describe something in descriptive terms. Simile works by comparing two different things using words [like] or [as]. Simile is used both in the poem and song lyrics. 
For example:
And what a beautiful mess, yes it is
It is like we are picking up trash in dresses
It means that the situation referred by “it” is compared to picking up trash

We will fly like birds not of this earth
The writer compares “we” to some supreme birds

1) Metaphor is similar to Simile but you do not use words [like] or [as] in the sentences like you do in Simile; it compares two different things directly by using linking verb [am, is, are, be]. Metaphor is also used both in the poem as well as song lyrics.
For example: 
The kind of words you write kind of turn themselves into knives.
It means that the words are really hurtful, similar to knives that can hurt.
In summary, to understand the language of song, you have to:
• identify the meaning of Simile and metaphor used in the songs
• identify the diction which develops certain moods or atmospheres in the songs