Whitman’s Autobiographical Song

Whitman’s “Song of Myself” is a masterful work of art that contains musical elements. Whitman’s poem, like its title suggests, reads almost like a song. Upon examination, there seems to be two major similarities between Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and music. Whitman’s poem is like music because it can be organized into time signatures and is composed of melodic phrases. These similarities give “Song of Myself” a musical feel that supplements the free-flowing tone of the piece.

The presence of time signatures (predictable overarching rhythmic organization) is a musical characteristic that Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” has. However, although it might be obvious that music can be organized with time signatures, it is less obvious that “Song of Myself” can be organized this way as well. However, this quality becomes apparent when the poem is carefully broken down into meter. For example, the first three lines of Whitman’s “Song of Myself” go like this:

            I celebrate myself, and sing myself

            And what I assume you shall assume,

            For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. (Whitman 26)

These lines can be analyzed musically and written in meter as follows:

This pattern not only applies to the first three lines of Whitman’s poem, but also to the rest of it. As long as one carefully breaks down "Song of Myself," the poem, like music, can be organized into time signatures.

Another important characteristic of music is phrasing, or distinct musical ideas. All music, with the exception of songs that are a single phrase, is composed by linking multiple phrases. Vocal music is a good example of the prevalence of phrases in music because every verse, chorus, and bridge is a separate phrase. Vocal music without verses, a chorus, or a bridge is no song at all. On a larger scale, music without phrases (distinct musical ideas) is no music at all because music is the expression of musical ideas. Phrasing is one fundamental characteristic of music and one that Whitman’s “Song of Myself” shares.

If one takes the definition of a musical phrase and generalizes it to a distinct idea, it becomes apparent that Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” is full of phrases. The transition between the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth canto clearly shows the existence of phrases in Whitman’s poem:

At eleven o’clock began the burning of the bodies;

That is the tale of the murder of the four hundred and twelve young men.

Would you hear of an old-time sea-fight?

Would you learn who won by the light of the moon and starts?

List to the yarn, as my grandmother’s father the sailor told it to me. (Whitman 34)

Clearly these two stanzas are distinct from each other and belong to two different phrases. It can be argued that every canto in “Song of Myself” is its own phrase, making Whitman’s poem the compilation of fifty-two literary phrases. However, every stanza in this poem could be a distinct phrase as well, and on an even smaller level, each sentence. Regardless of how one views a phrase, it is clear that “Song of Myself” is not devoid of phrasing. Conversely, “Song of Myself,” like music, is full of phrases.

              Whitman’s esteemed poem “Song of Myself” is similar to music in two important ways. Like with music, one can extract overarching rhythmic themes from “Song of Myself” and organize this poem with time signatures. Additionally, Whitman’s poem can be split up into phrases, a trait all music shares. These two similarities make “Song of Myself” seem like a real song and contribute to the depth of the poem.