I Wish You Peace

I wish you peace when the cold winds blow
Warmed by the fire's glow
I wish you comfort in the, the lonely time
And arms to hold you when you ache inside
I wish you hope when things are going bad
Kind words when times are sad
I wish you shelter from the, the raging wind
Cooling waters at the fever's end

I wish you peace when times are hard
The light to guide you through the dark
And when storms are high and your, your dreams are low
I wish you the strength to let love grow on
I wish you the strength to let love flow

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS – I Wish You Peace

The object of the present work is to discuss and analyse the song “I Wish You Peace” by Eagles.

The song focuses the reader’s attention thanks to the first line of the song which recalls the title. The intelligent reader therefore understands that “Wish” and “Peace” are really the keywords and the themes of the whole text. This can also be understood from the fact that the poet decided to write them with the initial capital letter. However, there is a symmetrical layout which results from an anaphoric structure due to the initial line of most stanza that opens with the words “I wish you”.

The text is a song and, to tell the truth, the intelligent reader may be curious to find out the reason why the identity of the addressee and the poet decided to use the verb “Wish” and the noun “Peace”. Such curiosity is a sufficient reason to go on with a careful reading of the text. The word “Wish” suggests the idea of something someone says when they wish things were different from how they are; while the word “Peace” suggests the idea of a state of stillness and tranquility. The first thing we think about is that it is the opposite of war. So, the speaking voice wants to express a wish for a better future in a better world. In this case he speaks of peace. It follows that the analysis of the song is meant to discover the message the speaking voice wants to send and to whom the poet refers when he uses the word “You”.

In order to reach the goal the present work will develop a structural analysis first and on a second moment will consider how connotative choices add to the meaning.
Just considering the layout, the song is arranged into two different parts: verse and chorus, repeated twice. The first part reports the opinion of a single person, while the second part, being a chorus, is sung by a group of people. It is a kind of refrain, as it is repeated several times and it underlines the theme expressed by the speaking voice in the previous stanza.
Moreover, the reader realises the text is organised into two stanzas that do not exhibit the same structure. There is no definite rhyme scheme in the song. The first stanza is made up of eight lines, while the second stanza is arranged into five lines. Each stanza seems quite balanced since all the stanzas have more or less the same line-length. However, the investigation immediately makes clear that the third line of the second stanza is the longest of the whole song.

As for literary devices, there is a consecutive repetition. The words “the” in the third line and “yours” in the eleventh line are followed by the same word, separated by a comma. The poet used also the alliteration: the sound “w” is repeated several times, reinforcing the idea of wish and creating musicality between one line and another. What’s more the intelligent reader can't escape noticing that the last two lines of the second stanza are almost the same, only the last two words change. It follows that all the stylistic choices illustrated so far contribute to make meaning.
You can see if you compare the structure of the two stanzas that the poet decided to use the simple aspect of the verb. The use of the present simple is usually used to express habitual actions or statements.

In the first stanza, the song should be divided into four different parts, introduced by the same words “I wish you”. In each part the speaking voice makes a wish while in a certain situation: “I wish you peace when the cold winds blow”, “I wish you comfort in the, the lonely time”, “I wish you hope when things are going bad” and “I wish you shelter from the, the raging wind”. The poet alternates his desire for those who find themselves in difficult situations, expressions of help to get out of it: “Warmed by the fire's glow”, “And arms to hold you when you ache inside”, “Kind words when times are sad”, “Cooling waters at the fever's end” and “The light to guide you through the dark”.

In the second stanza, the poet in the last two lines just desires something without specifying the help he gives. Thus, the speaking voice wants its recipient to find ways to deal with difficulties at different times in life. The song reflects the message of a dream for everyone’s life in every situation, even in difficult occasions.