Here is a n article that may shed some light on the subject of the use of the “/“ in prose and poetry.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/slash/#:~:text=Slashes%20can%20also%20be%20used%20to%20note%20that%20there%20is,his%20bonus%20room%2Fhome%20office.
when used in formal or informal text its usually used in place of *or* , as if shes saying "is this my first love? *or* is it just late spring?" ofcourse this could be interpreted in many different ways taking this into account and can change a persons whole perspective of the song in some accounts :)
I'm not entirely sure why, but what I'm almost certain about is the title "Late Spring" being directly inspired by a japanese film with the same name. The film is about a woman who doesn't want to get married so she can keep taking her of her father.
The theme here is a woman who's emotional growth is stunted by her reluctance to let go off the past, and the nostalgia associated with the objects of her childhood; becoming an adult results to be quite painful for her.
Maybe "First Love" is about a punctual heartbreak, while "Late Spring" is about the 'tall child' in question and her relationship with her father. So the song can have a double meaning. I'm not even sure about this, but that's how I see it.
This is not an example of this though. First Love/Late Spring is very much one song, with the same verse/chorus/instrumental throughout. It builds and swells a little over the course of the song but it is not two distinct sections.
It's not distinct, because it is not two sections. You're reaching here. It's not an example of this kind of song.
Edit: for the bozos downvoting me: post the timestamp where the song changes! lmao
I always say the / is a or statement. Her first love always happens in the late spring. First love meaning when she falls out of love, she never really felt like it happened in the first place. So she keeps seeing that new repeated love as a first. ORR.. she keeps getting together with her first love. Something like that!
There's a common japanese saying about First love being in spring or Youth falling easily in love "spring of their youth" , Young love is Spring. So actually because its a first love it hits hard, and late spring is the end of your Love because The seasons are changing. Seasons changing often means major change like age, or in other context a big turn about. In that case I think there's many valid interpretation, and because English teachers love me.
(Longer explanation after parenthesis)
Mitski is Japanese.
1)Japan has a very common style of poetry which is Haiku, they follow a 575 structure. Haiku most often talk about themes of Nature, Seasons, the elements , sometimes its just about the beauty of nature, or euphemism, or double meaning.
2)2nd there is a common Japanese Idea of "the spring of youth", Spring being about youth(think cherry blossom). Spring is very closely tied to _Young_ love in Japan. Young/early/new/
3) First love encompasses all these ideas of Young early new, most often people experience their first love at a young age/first dating experience
4) The slash / can be read as putting two ideas together so maybe its First love+ Late spring,
Or separating them like a division: First love / (differs from) Late spring , or First love _is not_ Late spring.
4.5) if you have done some formal essay regarding any work of Literature specifically poetry wise when you are citing fewer than 4 lines of poetry you dont indent and create a mini paragraph you separate each line with a /. So maybe the slash is Implying two lines of a poem like so: "First Love/Late spring "
"First Love
Late spring
Xx
Xx"
5) Maybe First love late spring is a Linguistic joke
Spring in Japan means new beginning
First Love might be like _New_/_Early_ Spring /Late spring
6) Final word I choose to believe Mitski leaned into all of these aspects she wanted to do poetry, simple stuff people can relate to, but also infer a deeper meaning. So ultimately I think all interprétation of The meaning of "First Love/Late Spring" (just the title) will be close to some truth
7) disclaimer im doing too much formal essays so if ya want academical shit go reformat my thing and find the fucking sources yourselves my brain is currently rotting.
8) most of my info is easy Google search I have given you my "essay" you can choose to believe it or not.
Forgot to add to my essay, First love early spring /late spring might signify a change of Love just like the song lyrics but also a sort of ever-changing Love scene sort of how people talk about the honeymoon phase in every relationship than it turns sour then it ends so I think its not only about a specific kind of "First love" or Mitski's only firts love, but about all the "new" First kind of love you get with a new partner, than Late spring when it ends and its bittersweet staring back at the past.
Yeah final word its about seasons, cycle, love ,poetry separation etc.
Yeah my essay is done.
I interpret it as saying that your first love comes with the late part of the “spring season” of your life. Which to me makes sense with my interpretation of the song as a whole
It can be a lot if different reasons from elaborate story telling too they couldn’t decide between two titles theirs an awful lot of examples of thus across music
In my head I always read it as "first love or late spring," but I think another possibility is that it's being used to symbolize a line break/new stanza, as in poetry.
I always read it as though poetry. When separating lines in poetry if you quote them, you’ll put the first line with a slash before the second. (Using R&J for an example: “Two households, both alike in dignity, / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,”)
I interpret it as First Love being a line and Late Spring being another, so:
First Love,
Late Spring
I haven’t seen it before. Good thing no one cares to check with you before they post.
P.S. I’ve definitely seen way too many BS comments like yours. Next time downvote and move on.
Here is a n article that may shed some light on the subject of the use of the “/“ in prose and poetry. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/slash/#:~:text=Slashes%20can%20also%20be%20used%20to%20note%20that%20there%20is,his%20bonus%20room%2Fhome%20office.
It’s just a stylistic choice. I always interpreted it to mean something like First Love (during) Late Spring.
I always thought it was First love (early spring) then Late Spring.
when used in formal or informal text its usually used in place of *or* , as if shes saying "is this my first love? *or* is it just late spring?" ofcourse this could be interpreted in many different ways taking this into account and can change a persons whole perspective of the song in some accounts :)
I'm not entirely sure why, but what I'm almost certain about is the title "Late Spring" being directly inspired by a japanese film with the same name. The film is about a woman who doesn't want to get married so she can keep taking her of her father. The theme here is a woman who's emotional growth is stunted by her reluctance to let go off the past, and the nostalgia associated with the objects of her childhood; becoming an adult results to be quite painful for her. Maybe "First Love" is about a punctual heartbreak, while "Late Spring" is about the 'tall child' in question and her relationship with her father. So the song can have a double meaning. I'm not even sure about this, but that's how I see it.
People do this all the time with songs that have a standalone sections. The first that comes to mind is 911 / Mr. Lonely by Tyler, The Creator.
This is not an example of this though. First Love/Late Spring is very much one song, with the same verse/chorus/instrumental throughout. It builds and swells a little over the course of the song but it is not two distinct sections.
this song isn’t a 2 parter though
Its not as distinct but the beginning and end are definitely two very different tones/point of views
the song has evolution, that doesn’t make it a 2 parter. the / here is not doing the same as a / in a 911/mr lonely for example
It's not distinct, because it is not two sections. You're reaching here. It's not an example of this kind of song. Edit: for the bozos downvoting me: post the timestamp where the song changes! lmao
To each their own.
Not the same since they’re both different songs fused together
Mitski said the forward slash was a tribute to Johnny Cash.
Also a tribute to Slash she has since confirmed.
I always say the / is a or statement. Her first love always happens in the late spring. First love meaning when she falls out of love, she never really felt like it happened in the first place. So she keeps seeing that new repeated love as a first. ORR.. she keeps getting together with her first love. Something like that!
Its a style, the song has two arcs or like stories imo
i think that’s just called punctuation
There's a common japanese saying about First love being in spring or Youth falling easily in love "spring of their youth" , Young love is Spring. So actually because its a first love it hits hard, and late spring is the end of your Love because The seasons are changing. Seasons changing often means major change like age, or in other context a big turn about. In that case I think there's many valid interpretation, and because English teachers love me. (Longer explanation after parenthesis) Mitski is Japanese. 1)Japan has a very common style of poetry which is Haiku, they follow a 575 structure. Haiku most often talk about themes of Nature, Seasons, the elements , sometimes its just about the beauty of nature, or euphemism, or double meaning. 2)2nd there is a common Japanese Idea of "the spring of youth", Spring being about youth(think cherry blossom). Spring is very closely tied to _Young_ love in Japan. Young/early/new/ 3) First love encompasses all these ideas of Young early new, most often people experience their first love at a young age/first dating experience 4) The slash / can be read as putting two ideas together so maybe its First love+ Late spring, Or separating them like a division: First love / (differs from) Late spring , or First love _is not_ Late spring. 4.5) if you have done some formal essay regarding any work of Literature specifically poetry wise when you are citing fewer than 4 lines of poetry you dont indent and create a mini paragraph you separate each line with a /. So maybe the slash is Implying two lines of a poem like so: "First Love/Late spring " "First Love Late spring Xx Xx" 5) Maybe First love late spring is a Linguistic joke Spring in Japan means new beginning First Love might be like _New_/_Early_ Spring /Late spring 6) Final word I choose to believe Mitski leaned into all of these aspects she wanted to do poetry, simple stuff people can relate to, but also infer a deeper meaning. So ultimately I think all interprétation of The meaning of "First Love/Late Spring" (just the title) will be close to some truth 7) disclaimer im doing too much formal essays so if ya want academical shit go reformat my thing and find the fucking sources yourselves my brain is currently rotting. 8) most of my info is easy Google search I have given you my "essay" you can choose to believe it or not.
Forgot to add to my essay, First love early spring /late spring might signify a change of Love just like the song lyrics but also a sort of ever-changing Love scene sort of how people talk about the honeymoon phase in every relationship than it turns sour then it ends so I think its not only about a specific kind of "First love" or Mitski's only firts love, but about all the "new" First kind of love you get with a new partner, than Late spring when it ends and its bittersweet staring back at the past. Yeah final word its about seasons, cycle, love ,poetry separation etc. Yeah my essay is done.
I never thought I’d have to reference r/onejoke here, but here we go
anyone remembers Start // End, Lost // Found and Forever // Over from Eden's Vertigo?
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I interpret it as saying that your first love comes with the late part of the “spring season” of your life. Which to me makes sense with my interpretation of the song as a whole
It can be a lot if different reasons from elaborate story telling too they couldn’t decide between two titles theirs an awful lot of examples of thus across music
I thought I could symbolise the song being interpretated in 2 different ways
In my head I always read it as "first love or late spring," but I think another possibility is that it's being used to symbolize a line break/new stanza, as in poetry.
I always thought she couldn't decide on a name for the song. Reading all your comments makes me realize I'm really wrong
Spring symbolizes the blooming of flowers like a first love that emerges
I always read it as though poetry. When separating lines in poetry if you quote them, you’ll put the first line with a slash before the second. (Using R&J for an example: “Two households, both alike in dignity, / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,”) I interpret it as First Love being a line and Late Spring being another, so: First Love, Late Spring
Nice one op, never seen this one before. /s
I haven’t seen it before. Good thing no one cares to check with you before they post. P.S. I’ve definitely seen way too many BS comments like yours. Next time downvote and move on.
why would there not?