Analyzing Effect And Cause, The White Stripes

I guess you have to have a problem
If you want to invent a contraption
Well you cause a trainwreck
And then you put me in traction
First came an action
And then a reaction
But you can't switch around
For your own satisfaction
Well you burnt my house down
And then got mad at my reaction


Well in every complicated situation
There's a human relation
Making sense of it all
Takes a whole lot of concentration
Well you can't blame a baby
For her pregnant ma

And if there's one of these unavoidable laws 

It's that you just can't take the effect

And make it the cause

Well you can't take the effect
And make it the cause
I didn't rob a bank
Cos you made up the law
Blame me for robbing Peter
Don't you blame Paul
Can't take the effect
And make it the cause


I ain't the reason that you gave me
No reason to return your call
You built a house of cards
And got shocked when you saw them fall
Well I ain't saying I'm innocent
In fact the reverse
But if you're heading to the grave
Don't blame the hearse
You're like a little girl yelling at her brother
Cos you lost his ball


You keep blaming me for what you did
And that ain't all
The way you clean up the wreck
Is enough to give one pause
You seem to forget just how this song started
I'm reacting to you
Cos you left me broken hearted


It's just that you can't just take the effect and make it the cause


Well you can't take the effect
And make it the cause
I didn't rob a bank
Cos you made up the law
Blame me for robbing peter
Don't you blame paul
Can't take the effect
And make it the cause

            Shifting slightly from generality to specificity in “Effect and Cause”, Jack White provides strategic ambiguity and metaphorical hyperbole in order to emphasize the importance of taking responsibility; “I ain’t saying I’m innocent/in fact the reverse”.

            White, in not being straight-forward or incredibly detailed, incorporates relatability into the song; because of the vagueness of lyrics, empathy and understanding from the audience are catered to. Generalizing the contents of the song and the events which inspired it as merely “complicated situation[s]”, other than leaving the speaker “broken hearted”, no cause is actually specified. Still, White manages to hilight how the subject “keep[s] blaming” the wrong party, rather than taking accountability. Integrating universally recognized events, such as pregnancy and offense, White encompasses “cause” as well as the paired “reaction”, as to outline the order in which they occur: “you can’t switch around/for your own satisfaction”. Through use of the broad circumstances, from “buil[ding] a house of cards” to “a little girl yelling at her brother”, it is implied that the subject of the song has been guilty on more than one occasion, and most likely, for many reasons. The line “the way you clean up the wreck/is enough to give one pause” hints at the unorthodox and inappropriate way in which the subject deals with pressure; in being at fault, the subject seems to “switch around” who is to blame rather than accepting it themselves.

Offering a variety of dramatic, meaningful examples, White draws attention to where blame lies, and outlines the indecency of not taking responsibility for one’s own actions. The song, in response to being “left…broken hearted”, refers to how the subject “burnt [the speaker’s] house down/and then got mad at [his] reaction” where the burnt house symbolizes disappointment in the subject. The aforementioned “house of cards”, which is ultimately destined to “fall”, signifies the relationship between the speaker and the subject: the subject plants the seeds of destruction in starting “a problem”, yet seems “shocked” when the relationship fails. Where credit should be taken for “the wreck”, the subject decided, alternately, to place blame on the “innocent”. Similar to the fact that “if you’re heading to the grave/[you] don’t blame the hearse”, one should not place fault on another solely to ignore “what [one] did”.

Though seemingly straightforward, “Effect and Cause” outlines a commonly seen and key dynamic in a toxic relationship. In pairing ambiguity with exaggeration, White intensifies the anger felt at the subject’s wrongdoing, as well as the distress caused in being wounded by such wrongdoing. White clearly depicts that “in every complicated situation/ there’s a human relation/ making sense of it all”, and lies can easily be seen through.

            Coming to terms with the past in “Little Green”, Joni Mitchell combines cyclical personification, inclusive point of view, and dueling characterization in order to realize that “winters cannot fade” the pain of sacrifice.

            Through the personification of winter and spring, the “sorrow” Joni feels is made eternal, as the cycle of seasons never truly ends. Hope, for redemption and for her daughter’s success, is identified “when the spring is born”. Though because winter arrives, that hope does not last; the season of death destroys it. The only thing that “winters cannot fade” is the enduring love of a mother, and the agony one feels at the loss of a child. The use of local color seen by personifying the “Northern lights” both establishes the setting in the cold confines of Canada and deems the child, Little Green, beautiful. Although winter, spring, and the “nights when the Northern lights perform” all end, each is recurring and through that, infinite.

            The point of view presented throughout the song is significant in expressing the ache felt at parting with a love one through establishing empathy. By removing herself from the song, Mitchell involved the listener in both the tale, and the emotion: “you’re sad and you’re sorry, but you’re not ashamed”. The song is made more relatable as “you” tag along for the bittersweet decision to put her child up for adoption. The heartbreak felt is not “lost to you” because the fault is placed on the listener rather than Joni herself. The song allows Joni Mitchell to retell the personal story of a “child with a child” without revealing too much, but still making note that “sometimes” grief is still felt.

            Conflict of characterization is clear both between the characters, and within the mother’s character alone. The song conveys the fate of “the children” who had, by chance, become young parents. The child’s mother takes responsibility through the act of “choosing her a name”. The girl is “not ashamed” of having a child so young, but is “sad” and “sorry” that she cannot care for her baby the way she needs to. Though initially confused and “weary of” lying to her parents, the young mother again shows responsibility and maturity by making the decision to “sign all the papers” in order to allow her child “a happy ending”. Ultimately, the mother is hopeful for her daughter’s life and the woman she may become. The characterization of the mother is further established, albeit indirectly, through the description of the father as a "non-conformer", actively working to depict the girl as more reliable and loyal than he is. Although the girl is young, and somewhat lost, it is evident she still feels the hurt of having to give up her child.

            Mitchell reveals her tale as a young mother but separates herself from the speaker so that the song becomes more easily adapted to the audience. Through the polarization of personification, point of view, and characterization, the pain of sacrifice becomes blatant and readily empathized with. Whether it is the sacrifice of a mother’s child, or something much simpler, the concept is one which is universally applicable. 

Theme-Genre Choice

     Fault, as it is defined, may either be flaw or blame. Both concepts are prominent, familiar themes in the music industry. Due to the large and diverse genre of "Alternative", there is no doubt that a surplus of music will be available for analysis and discussion. Alternative music not only transcends concrete genres, it also dates back to the 1980s, allowing for decades of songs to be considered. Fault as responsibility for a wrongful act or failure could vary from song to song based on event, point of view, victim, and guilty party. The theme pairing with the genre is open to find what is best suited.