__1. Metaphor__:
"I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel"
In these lines, the singer compares his emotional pain to physical pain, using "hurt myself" as a metaphor to convey the depth of his emotional suffering.
__2. Personification:__
"The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting"
Cash uses personification to give human-like qualities to the needle and the sting. The needle is described as "tearing," while the sting is referred to as "familiar," bringing a sense of animation to inanimate objects.
__3. Paradox:__
"What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end"
The line presents a paradoxical situation where the singer questions his identity while simultaneously addressing his closest friend. The contrast between the sweetness of the friendship and the inevitability of loss creates a sense of tension and complexity.
__4. Parallelism:__
"I hear the train a-comin'
It's rollin' 'round the bend"
The use of parallelism, with the repetition of the "ing" sound in "comin'" and "rollin'" adds a sense of rhythm and emphasises the inevitability of the train's arrival.
__5. Simile:__
"I'm just like Johnny Cash
I hurt myself again today"
Cash compares his own pain to that of the legendary country singer Johnny Cash, suggesting a parallel between their experiences and the universal nature of emotional pain.
Overall, "Hurt" effectively uses various figures of speech and poetic elements to convey the emotional depth, introspective nature, and poignancy of the song.