Euphemism and Pun

Pardon Me by Incubus



Euphemism


The song "Pardon Me" by Incubus is about a man longing for peace throughout the earth, and the understanding the people around him. He believes that everyone plays mindless games. This is a Euphemism becuase he says "pardon me" before he says "as I burst into flames." He says such a harsh thing nicely by adding pardon me in front of it because he is pardoning himself before he says those violent words.



Oil and Water by Incubus



The song "Oil and Water" by Incubus is an euphemism becuase the narrator is explaining that these two people just do not mix, and he puts it in a polite way. Instead of using more vulgar language or relating their relationship to something more harsh, he uses oil and water as a metaphor. He also says that there is "no parasol that could shelter this weather." He refers to their bad relationship as weather instead of saying that it is just bad in itself. I believe that this entire song is a euphemism becuase the narrator compares his relationship with someone else to oil and water and along the way uses other metaphors, but he does not bash this other person in any way.


Pun

11 am by Incubus



The song 11am is about a man that misses his partner and wants them back, and he is longing for forgiveness from this person. When he says "the garbage truck beeps as it backs up, and I start my day thinking about what i've thrown away" he uses a pun. The pun is that the garbage truck is picking up the weeks trash, and he is thinking about what he has thrown away. He is not thinking about what trash he has thrown away, but what he has given up in his life such as this girl. This is a pun becuase trash is thrown into the garbage, and the truck is there to pick it up.


Dig by Incubus


The song "Dig" by Incubus is about somebody longing for the love of somebody else. They want the reassurance that this person will remind them if they are not being themself, and also that they will be there for them when everything else is gone. The narrator uses a pun when he says "we all have something that digs at us, at least we dig eachother." The first dig is talking about something that is bothering those people, the second dig is about liking eachother. Another pun used in the song is "dig me up from underwhat is covering the better part of me" this can be seen as digging something out of the dirt, becuase the dirt is covering that certain something. What the narrator is really saying is to get him out of the way he has been acting if it is covering the better part of him.