pg. 5 Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John

I used to be a rolling stone
You know if the cause was right
I'd leave to find the answer on the road
I used to be a heart beating for someone
But the times have changed
The less I say the more my work gets done              

`Cause I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom
From the day that I was born I've waved the flag
Philadelphia freedom took me knee-high to a man
Yeah gave me peace of mind my daddy never had

Oh Philadelphia freedom shine on me, I love you
Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light shine a light
Shine a light won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom I love you, yes I do

If you choose to you can live your life alone
Some people choose the city
Some others choose the good old family home
I like living easy without family ties
Till the whippoorwill of freedom zapped me
Right between the eyes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: AZLyrics.com

Analysis

“Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John is a song filled with emotion and reverence about the right of an individual to pursue happiness in whichever way they so choose. This song is noted as having been very important to Elton John when he wrote it, presumably because John has been one of the celebrity leaders of the LGBT movement in America. Because of the emotion John wrote and performed the song with, it is easy for the listener to feel the same emotion and power. John accomplishes this by using a number of literary elements within the song, including repetition, allusion, rhetorical devices, and powerful imagery. The author repeats the phrase “Shine a light, shine a light/ Shine a light, won't you shine a light? /Philadelphia Freedom, I love you, yes I do” using Philadelphia as an allusion to freedom in general and uses the rhetorical questions as a plead for freedom within the LGBT community all over. John incorporates the imagery of a flag with the lines, “From the day that I was born, I've waved the flag/ Philadelphia Freedom, took me knee-high to a man/Yeah, gave me peace of mind, my daddy never had” which flag he is talking about is left for the reader to decipher. The lines could be perceived as John waving the flag of freedom for all people of all kinds or it could be interpreted as John waving the flag for his belief in freedom of different sexualities among all people. The author makes a strong emotional point of wanting freedom throughout the LGBT community by alluding to Philadelphia and its connection to freedom as a whole.