Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground

There seem to be not that many modern poets with great talent out there today. But they’re some around. You just have to know where to look. I see many of these talented modern poets in a few of today’s musicians. A fine example of a great poet is Jack White of the White Stripes and his song “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”.

“Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” is about a young man who misses his sweetheart when she is away. After reading and listening to the song, I have found that this is what I call an unconscious lyric poem. The song is written so cunningly and the beat is well executed that people don’t notice the poetry in it. If you took away the music, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” parades out its sadness. You can almost feel Jack’s pain for Meg White, ex-wife/drummer, when she is away.

This is one of my favorite songs by the White Stripes.