Song — Summary

In “Song,” Louise Bogan’s speaker asks for a love that most people would refuse. She does not want to be loved despite being lost or undone; she wants to be loved because of it. There is a challenge in her voice, almost a dare: no man has wished it, not one. She knows that loving her inner self is harder than loving her outward appearance. While others see only her face, she asks her lover to look directly at her heart and describes it as a ravaged, terrible place. The mood is intense, vulnerable, and defiant. She is not apologizing for her damage; she is demanding that someone be brave enough to witness it and still stay.