Meaning Behind Seven Devils

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The Struggles against Seven Devils At first glance, the song, “Seven Devils” written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, seems gothic and about creatures from the underworld, the reader must then take a few more looks to understand the meaning the author wants to portray, and the meaning the song has to the reader. “Seven Devils” is a song where the speaker is seeking revenge against someone who caused her or his emotional pain. The song states “Seven devils all around me” and then “Seven devils all around you” finally stating “I’ll be dead before the day is done” (Welch and Epworth 10, 14, 17). Florence + the Machine perform this song with eerie vocals and chords, which match the dark tone of the lyrics. In the song, “Seven Devils,” Florence…show more content…
The simple phrase, “Seven devils,” which is also the title of the song, is displayed often and used in the chorus, this reflects the importance of the “seven devils” to the poem. By emphasizing the “seven devils” so much the reader is curious to find out who or what the “seven devils” are. The use of anaphora is clearly present in this song, usually in couplets, for example, “I don’t want your money I don’t want your crown,” the similar phrases emphasize that the speaker does not want to confront over petty objects, such as money or a crown, but only defeat the enemy (Welch and Epworth 3-4). The fact that this is a song, makes repetition a valuable element not only for its rhythm, but also for the emphasis it makes on the speaker’s feelings of frustration. The speaker repeats words and phrases to emphasize his or her feelings of retribution and grief in this narrative…show more content…
In the song, the speaker describes his or her feelings, the events occurring, and their plans. For example, “see I’ve come to burn your kingdom now,” this statement implies that the speaker is seeking revenge on the person who created this frustration (Welch and Epworth 5). Aggressive feelings surface since the beginning of the song, which are used to relate to the reader. The writer of the poem wants to be heard and understood and he or she wants to learn from their grievance. This grievance can not only help the writer but also the reader, in Hardcore, Punk, and Other Junk: Aggressive Sounds in Contemporary Music, Eric James Abby states that “Music channels […] frustration in positive ways and allows for growth [to] the listener and performer” (xiii). When someone speaks of their feelings and frustrations, they are heard and can be helped and are able to help

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