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  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

One of Cummings' most famous love poems, “Since feeling is first” extols the carefree feeling of being in love above the brain’s tendency to overanalyze.

This poem is tricky to interrogate, since the whole point is to feel rather than think. But as long as one goes with the heart first, we should be okay.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Who was this poem written for?
Genius Answer

As far as we know, Cummings could have been addressing an imaginary women. Some speculate that it was written for Anne Minnerly Barton, Cummings’s future second wife whom he was eyeing on at that time.

What are the form and meter? Is there a rhyme scheme?
Genius Answer

There is no rhyme scheme nor is there a consistent meter in this five-stanza poem. However, it has a few instances of alliteration, enjambment, and assonance.

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