Analysis of Miranda Lamberts Country Song "The House That Built Me"

``The House That Built Me``

1.

This essay will show how the Songwriter, M.Lambert uses metaphors, narration,

diction, metre and an abundance of figurative language to portray her poetry. When the

song is analyzed, its meaning takes on a whole new understanding and a parable of

repentance, forgiveness and salvation unfolds.

In the opening stanza the songwriter uses a conventional metaphor to show she

has no knowledge of whom she is addressing; “You don’t know me from Adam” (3).

This reveals just how important the songwriter believes her message is and it shows how

great her conviction. The confession to a stranger is, in itself significant, because it

shows how lost and alone the is as she has no other person in her life to whom she can

confide in. I also believe that the narration to a stranger was done with purpose, so that

the listener would conclude that this song was performed just for them, or to any young

girl out in the world living with regrets. The importance was also emphasized by regular

use of punctuation, commas and periods as well as diction, slow words, which forces the

song to be slowed down and reflected upon.

Throughout the song we see an irregular rhythm that changes between iambic and

trochea pentametre and it is through this erratic metre the songwriter conveys the inner

conflicts that she has experienced, such as being lost in sin. In contrast, the regular meter

signifies the songwriters change of attitude and we now see peace of mind and an inner

calmness. The bridge is an example of the before and after we see in the life of the

songwriter. In the middle of the bridge there is an interruption in metre, which is evident

that the songwriter herself experienced a similar interruption in life. She continues

onward, but now she resummes life with a different beat, or in her case, a different

2.

attitude.

Throughout the lyrics we see repetition of the word “I” which signifies the

songwriters understanding that she alone was responsible for her sin and subsequant

downfall and she wants to admit her mistakes so that she can be spiritually at peace

again. I believe this is a symbolic way of stating through a conceit, that she can’t do life

alone anymore. The bridge also contains figurative language with the use of a hyperbole

and the songwriter exagerates just how miserably lost in sin she was. “I got lost in this

whole world” (29).

In the chorus, the songwriter uses figurative language extensively. At the

beginning the songwriter personifies her memories of being loved and cherished into

something real and therapeutic that has the potential to heal the brokeness within,

providing substance and has kept her going. Also in the chorus is one of my favorite

phrases, one of contradiction and its meaning should be read figuratively like an allegory,

``If I could just come in, I`ll swear I`ll leave” (13, 25,34). This imagery compares the

entering and leaving the of a house, to the real meaning which is of spiritual awakening

and leaving your past sins behind. In the latter part of the chorus, the songwriter also

personifies her childhood home and gives it the human characterstic that it built her, but it

is the experiences within the home who defined her today and I also believe the

songwriter uses the house as a creative metaphor which actually symbolizes Christ Jesus

and it is not a house at all.
.

I believe this song unfolds itself into a wonderful parable about a young girl who

was once lost, but is now found.