Beat This Summer

"Beat This Summer", a song on Brad Paisley's album Wheelhouse, talks about the nostalgia that he got as summer approached to its end. Paisley uses a lot of analogies as well as creative wording in order to get his point across poetically. Throughout the song, many similes with summer-related objects are used. The line, "And the sand on the beach is like an hourglass" immediately paints the picture of a summer setting. Paisley is able to illustrate the idea that summer is ticking away by using one of the most summery places, a beach.

Another simile that Paisley uses is when he says, "Like the Ferris wheel goes around and around". Without even finishing this sentence, he is able to get the point across that time does not stop. He again brings summer into the picture by suggesting a carnival setting. It is easy to relate to the constant motion of a Ferris wheel, and since he keeps using analogies about the speed of summer, the listener is really able to understand how much the passage of time is affecting him.

The last summer-related simile that he uses is, "And just like the song in a seashell, you'll be stuck in my mind/ Bouncing around in my head". Knowing that seashells echo easily, Paisley explains that he will never be able to forget the girl that he is talking about. He will constantly think about her after the summer is over, as a song would echo throughout a seashell.

The lyrics of the song avoid simple language. When going into detail about the change of seasons, Paisley says, "Before you know it it's all gonna stop/ They'll be rolling up windows and puttin' up tops/ Be a cold wind blowin' the leaves through the air/ And you won't find a tan line anywhere (anywhere)". This stanza is able to illustrate the abrupt transition into Fall. He is able to mention the change in temperature, appearance outside, and the aesthetic differences that humans experience during the alteration. By specifying the lack of tan line during the Fall as well as the leaves falling from the trees, Paisley's fans are able to identify a few major characteristics that he associates with summer time.