# Internal rhyme in lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 10, 2021, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448 "2021-09-10T11:35:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/1 "2021-09-10T11:35:31Z")
Great lyricists have my endless admiration. They can express some part of the human condition and convey it to millions of people so effectively that it’s practically fixed in their DNA. Been thinking lately about [internal rhyme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_rhyme) – “rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse, or between internal phrases across multiple lines.” This takes a particularly adept lyricist: Now you’re gone, it’s hotels and whiskey and sad-luck dames And I don’t care if they miss me, I never remember their names Tom Waits, [“Blind Love”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3zkmKsgHPs) (1985) Don’t know that I will, but until I can find me The girl who’ll stay and won’t play games behind me Neil Diamond, [“Solitary Man”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQCAWMK74Fo) (1966) What are your favorite examples of this technique? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/2 "2021-09-10T12:46:37Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Been thinking lately about [internal rhyme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_rhyme) – “rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse, or between internal phrases across multiple lines.” Internal rhymes are called _Leonine_, supposedly after a Medieval poet who used the technique. As Ambrose Bierce so cynically put it in his _Devil’s Dictionary_: > [@](#): > > Leonine verses are so called in honor of a poet named Leo, whom prosodists appear to find a pleasure in believing to have been the first to discover that a rhyming couplet could be run into a single line. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/3 "2021-09-10T12:57:50Z")
The Bugs Bunny classic “What Do They Do on a Rainy Night in Riiiiiiii-oooooooo?” has a bunch. The last one, which Bugs doesn’t actually get to sing in the cartoon: “And whadda they do in ole Manhattan? Answer that’n you’ll be right. . . Well, that’s what they do in Rio on a rainy night.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/4 "2021-09-10T14:36:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Internal rhymes are called _Leonine_ , supposedly after a Medieval poet who used the technique. That’s interesting, but I’m not sure if that’s 100% accurate. I’m not finding a lot of definitions online specifically for Leonine rhyme, but I do find this: > A form of internal rhyme in which the word preceding the caesura rhymes with the final word in the line, as in: “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams” (Edgar Allan Poe). That’s from Freedictionary. Wikipedia essentially says the same thing, except with the words “often before a caesura.” At any case, not all internal rhymes are Leonine rhymes, as an internal rhyme can occur anywhere within a line, and it’s also used to refer to rhymes where a word in the middle of one line is rhymed with a word in the middle of the next line, rather than being end-rhymed (as mentioned in the OP). As for the OP, does rap count? Lots of internal rhymes all over the place there. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/5 "2021-09-10T14:37:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As for the OP, does rap count? Lots of internal rhymes all over the place there. Sure! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/6 "2021-09-10T15:01:06Z")
OK, a simple one that most know, from “Lose Yourself”: His palms are **sweaty** , knees weak, arms are **heavy** There’s vomit on his sweater **already** : mom’s **spaghetti** He’s **nervous** , but on the **surface he** looks calm and ready To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting What he wrote **down**. The whole **crowd** goes so **loud** He opens his **mouth** but the words won’t come **out** He’s **choking, how**? Everybody’s **joking now** The clock’s run out, time’s up, over – blaow!"\* Some of the stronger near-rhymes are bolded there, as well. I use that as an example of a particularly good lyric, but pretty much every rap is going to have internal rhyme up the wazoo. Plus in the example above, you also have “knees weak” (assonance) “arms are” (you might want to count that as near-rhyme), “vomit on his” (also near-rhyme). In the “what he wrote down” lines, you have repetition of the “o” sound in the lines following: “wrote/whole/goes/so/opens/won’t/choking/joking/over.” And similarly, the “ow” sounds in those lines, too “down/crowd/loud/mouth/out/how/now/out/blaow!” All that assonance and internal rhyme around the sounds “oh” and “ow.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/7 "2021-09-10T16:14:35Z")
The Texas Tornadoes: > Who were you thinking of, when we were making love, last night? > Was it a good-looking stranger, or some old friend of mine? > You got more out of it, than I put into it, last night. > Who were you thinking of, when we were loving last night? Tom Lehrer: > All the world seems in tune, on a sunny afternoon > As we’re poisoning pigeons in the park. > I ache for the touch of your lips, dear, > But more for the touch of your whips, dear. > You can raise welts, like nobody else, > As we dance to the Masochism Tango. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/8 "2021-09-10T16:20:03Z")
Tolkien’s Song of Earendil (supposedly written by Bilbo in Rivendell) is written in a complex meter and is chock full of internal rhymes, which occur in nearly every pair of lines: the last word of one line rhymes with a word in the middle of the following line. Beneath the Moon and under star he wandered far from northern strands, bewildered on enchanted ways beyond the days of mortal lands. From gnashing of the Narrow Ice where shadow lies on frozen hills, from nether heats and burning waste he turned in haste, and roving still on starless waters far astray at last he came to Night of Naught, and passed, and never sight he saw of shining shore nor light he sought. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/9 "2021-09-10T16:23:58Z")
Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense and Peppermints” > Good sense, innocence, cripplin’ mankind > Dead kings, many things I can’t define > Occasions, persuasions clutter your mind > Incense and peppermints, the color of time and, in a later verse, > To divide the cockeyed world in two > Throw your pride to one side, it’s the least you can do > Beatniks and politics, nothin’ is new > A yardstick for lunatics, one point of view ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/10 "2021-09-10T16:56:41Z")
The Charlie Daniels Band: > The Devil went down to Georgia. He was lookin’ for a soul to steal. > He was in a bind ‘cause he was way behind and he was willing to make a deal > When he came across this young man sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot. > And the Devil jumped upon a hickory stump and said, “Boy, let me tell you what.” > > “I guess you didn’t know it, but I’m a fiddle player, too. > And if you’d care to take a dare I’ll make a bet with you. > Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the Devil his due. > I’ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul 'cause I think I’m better than you.” > > The boy said, “My name’s Johnny, and it might be a sin, > But I’ll take your bet; you’re gonna regret 'cause I’m the best there’s ever been.” ---
**Author:** ![Eric\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Eric\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_C)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/11 "2021-09-10T17:44:11Z")
“Santa Baby” is full of internal rhymes, many of them only two syllables apart. Santa baby, just slip a Sable under the **tree** for **me** Been an awful good girl Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight Santa baby, a '54 convertible **too** , light **blue** I’ll wait up for **you** , dear Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight Think of all the fun I’ve missed Think of all the fellas that I haven’t kissed Next year, I could be just as good If you check off my Christmas list Santa baby, I want **a yacht** , and really, that’s **not** a **lot** Been an angel all year Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight Santa honey, one little thing I really **need** The **deed** to a platinum mine Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with a **duplex** and **checks** Sign your **“X”** on the line Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight Come and trim my Christmas tree With some decorations bought at Tiffany’s I really do believe in you Let’s see if you believe in me Santa baby, forgot to mention one little **thing** A **ring** , I don’t mean on the phone Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internal-rhyme-in-lyrics/950448/12 "2021-09-11T00:48:06Z")
Some of Chino XL’s “Wordsmith”: Since born in my mama vaginal sauna As a sonogram, I been fond of phonics It’s ironic. Even as an embryonic Fed through an umbilical—don’t that sound biblical? I’ve been a terror since I teareth out of that uterus Evil plans were made to defeat us as a fetus Though now I walk in infamy, as a child, they had it in for me Was raised with guns and infantry in diapers at an infancy The childhood of a hood that was raised in the hood: cops said “Put your hands in the hot sky,” threw my hands down on the hot hood Can’t whine or drink wine—nine planets planned it ‘Til it became apparent my parents shouldn’t have been a parent State to state, we ran some. I wasn’t worth no ransom Money, won’t you hand some? A nigga wasn’t handsome Raised the mind like Charles Manson’s. Knew I was some man’s son