From Songs of Experience, published 1794, this was one of the series of poems which explore the harsh realities of late 18th and early 19th Century life during the time of King George III, known — ironically given the terrible social conditions of the time — as the Romantic Era. Most of the poems in the “Songs of Experience” category are matched by an idealistic portrayal in Songs of Innocence. The contrast is Blake’s method of social protest.

This poem follows In the folk tradition of answer songs, the proposition by the Clod in Verse 1 is replied to by the Pebble in Verse 3. Answer songs are generally from the opposite point of view. For example, from a woman to a man where the original was sung to the woman by the man.

Structure
The poem follows the structure of many of the collection, quatrains, that is four lined stanzas, The metrical rhythm is broadly iambic tetrameter, that is four metrical feet or iambs per lie, where a iamb is one unstressed followed by one stressed syllable. but varies considerably, for example in lines one and two of stanza two. There is an ABAB structured rhyme scheme in each stanza.

Language and Imagery
The ‘clod’ and the ‘pebble’ are personified representations of two views of love, one sincere and one cynical. It is for the reader to decide which is correct.

Littered with many references to Bob Dylan, Chuck D gives a recollection of Public Enemy’s then-twenty year history in hip-hop, rephrasing The Beatles “The Long And Winding Road” with his own perspective as an elder in the genre.

The accompanying music video, produced by HWIC Filmworks, is a montage of Public Enemy’s past, including live concerts, music videos, as well as the present day, where Chuck D raps along and briefly reveals how the writing process for the song underwent.