What are some songs and poems that share similarities or similar meanings?

Question:

What are some songs and poems that share similarities or similar meanings?

I need to relate a poem and a song in a paper, and I haven't the foggiest. I bet there are some obvious ones, it sucks because I have to choose one out of an anthology, so it probably only has a few poets from each era.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

There are many love songs out there, and there are many love poems. You could compare and contrast the writers' feelings about love (or the subject of their love), the type of imagery used to to describe it, etc. You can do this with any theme--find a poem and song that talk about similar things: a woman, a trip, god, getting old, the goverment, whatever. You could compare Yeats' "When You Are Old" to the Beetles' "When I'm Sixty-Four." You could do The Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" and compare it to Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" if you really wanted--they're both about being on a boat and wanting to go home, right? At least in part . . .

You'll probably do a better job if you're already familiar with at least one of the pieces. Looks at the lyrics of a bunch of songs you like, write out a quick summary of what they're about, then take those summaries to the poetry anthology and browse until you have a few that you think might be comparable, at least enough so that you can write something decent. If possible, take your selections to your teacher for some feedback before settling on one. Then, go at it!