This is an analysis of the poem Hellbound Train that begins with:

A Texas cowboy lay down on a barroom floor,
Having drunk so much he could drink no more;...

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: aabb ccdd aaee dXff ggee ffhh XXbb iXjj aaff bbkk eell aXiiXllbb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 010111110111 1011111111 1110100101 0111110111 0100100111 11100100101 111101101 1010100101 010110101 10100110101 0100001101 1101001111 110101001 1011011011 101111111 1101011101 1011111101 0100111111 101100101 1101100101 101100101 1101100101 101100101 10101011001 11001010101 1110101101 11101001101 110100101 11100011111 111111100 110111101 10101010111 110011101 0101011001 111110101 11101101101 110110101 110010101 111100101011 111101111 11111111011 1010111111 101001101010 11111001010 1110100111 11101110000 10110101101 01101101101 1111110111110 001001101010 1011010101 111010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 176
  • Average number of words per stanza: 32
  • Amount of lines: 52
  • Average number of symbols per line: 43 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; he, with, and, you've, you, his are repeated.

    The author used the same words the, 'you've at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of Hellbound Train;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Anonymous Americas