Song Analysis

"Many the Miles"
by Sara Bareilles

There's too many things that I haven't done yet
Too many sunsets
I haven't seen
You can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down
You would've thought by now
I'd have learned something


I made up my mind when I was a young girl
I've been given this one world
I won't worry it away
But now and again I lose sight of the good life
I get stuck in a low light
But then Love comes in

How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
But send me the miles and I'll be happy to follow you Love
I do what I can wherever I end up
To keep giving my good love
And spreading it around
Cause I've had my fair share of take care and goodbyes
I've learned how to cry
And I'm better for that
Sing how far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Send me the miles and I'll be happy to
Follow you Love
Red letter day and I'm in a blue mood
Wishing that blue would just carry me away
I've been talking to God don't know
If it's helping or not
But surely something has got to got to got to give
Cause I can't keep waiting to live

How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
But send me the miles and I'll be happy to yeah
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
Been talking to God don't know if it's helping or not
Many the miles
Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
Oh send me the miles and I'll be happy to
Follow you Love
There's too many things I haven't done yet
Too many sunsets I haven't seen

Sara Bareilles Website

     Sara Bareilles is a soulful pop singer who, through writing, bares her heart on her sleeve. Her first major label album, 'Little Voice', was released in 2007. 'Little Voice' sold about 16,000 copies its first week. In her website's autobiography section, Sara states, "It's a collection of songs that pretty much mean the world to me. They chronicle my life, my relationships, my basket-case-ness, and my utter devotion to trying to write honest stuff down and share it. That's where the title comes from. This record was really about me learning to trust my own instincts, and more importantly, recognize how desperately I needed to learn to listen to myself, however inexperienced and naïve I may be. It sounds cliché, but that little voice is sometimes the only voice that's speaking the truth. I think that's pretty fucking cool." One of Sara's most heart felt and emotion spilling songs is "Many the Miles". "Many the Miles" is the tenth track on 'Little Voice' and is not only surging with emotion, but also full of creative and poetic devices that merely enhance it's lyricism.

      Bareilles opens "Many the Miles" with clear alliteration, found even in the title of the song. "There's too many things that I haven't done yet/Too many sunsets I haven't seen/You can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down"; sunsets and seen, waste and wishing. This injection of alliteration greatly enhances the poeticism of the lyrics. The title words, "Many the Miles," are repeated many times within the chorus for a heavy interjection of alliteration. Along with Alliteration, Sara's song contains a first person point of view along with multiple examples of consonance and assonance; "How far do I have to go to get to you," "Cause I've had my fair share of take care and goodbyes." Although, perhaps the most prominent poetic device is alliteration. "I made up my mind when I was a young girl," "I won't worry it away," "I get stuck in a low light," "To keep giving my good love." These obvious interjections of alliteration make the music, along with the lyrics of the song, flow beautifully. The alliteration within the lyrics wonderfully accompanies the instrumental music of the song to create a master piece of emotion. Well done, Sara.