What makes mad rhymes mad? in Off Topic

ID:1019
 
Jun 16 2005, 7:51 am
Many of you know this already, but I'll mention it briefly for those of you who don't, because I think it's interesting, and I like poetry that rhymes.

Rhyming is much harder in English than in many other languages, because so many other languages add standard endings to words to represent gender, number, and so forth. In English you can find plenty of frequently-used words that are very hard to find a good rhyme for.

Moreover, many rhymes have been used so frequently -- first in formal poetry and later in popular song lyrics -- that by the time you reach your 30's you almost wince when you hear them trotted out yet again ("danger" and "stranger" is the classic example). The difficulty in making English rhyme often leads you to suspect that the rhymes are forcing the poet's hand, rather than the other way around.

So, the ideal of rhyming poetry is to make it seem as though the rhyme is just a happy coincidence: that you chose those rhyming words, not because they would rhyme, but because they were simply the best words for the situation. If you have to tie yourself (or your phrases) in knots to accommodate a rhyme, it's probably a rhyme you don't want in your work.
#1 Jun 16 2005, 10:18 am
So I take it you don't approve of rhymes scratched on outhouse walls that start with:

Here I sit...
#2 Jun 16 2005, 10:50 am
Well, of course I encourage having an appreciation for the classics.
#3 Jun 16 2005, 11:52 am
I like really fast, complex rhymes, like the Bloodhound Gang does from time to time. The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope is a good example.

I thank the thinkers that think they thought the thoughts they therorized.
Idolized or despised, bet I'm gettin' recognized.
Mt. Rushmore, no ignore it, can't rock with no big head.
Half the people want me, half the people want me dead.
I am the Angel of Def with my rhymes against humanity.
Teeter-tottering between brilliance and insanity.
The one part the Fuhrer, the one part the Pope.
It's the inevitable return, baby, of The Great White Dope.

~X
#4 Jun 17 2005, 11:24 am
Wow, X - you really know your rhymes! That one's cool =)
#5 Jun 17 2005, 5:47 pm
The Bloodhound Gang? Boy, sounds like they've changed since I used to watch them on PBS...
#6 Jun 18 2005, 8:46 am
Funny you should mention that. Check out their website:

The Bloodhound Gang

You can listen to The Inevitable Return of The Great White Dope and other songs there. The songs are listed under Easy Listening on their sidebar. TIRotGWD is listed under the Screen Your Head Off sub-category. Enjoy!

~X