If Not For You, I Shall Wear the Bottoms of My Trousers Rolled: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot

T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is nothing close to a love song. It never talks about love or anything related to this feeling, and instead focuses on Alfred Prufrock, the narrator, and his aging and death beside a woman who is merely mentioned. When compared to Bob Dylan’s song “If Not For You”, one would clearly see that these two texts, apart from having a specific rhyme and meter, do not share almost any similarities.

Bob Dylan
“If Not For You”
a If not for you
b Babe, I couldn't even find the door
b I couldn’t even see the floor
a Id be sad and blue, if not for you

a If not for you
c Babe, the night would see me wide awake
c The day would surely have to break
a It would not be new, if not for you

d If not for you, my sky would fall
a Rain would gather, too
d Without your love Id be nowhere at all
a Id be lost, if not for you

a If not for you
e The winter would hold no spring
e Couldn’t hear a robin sing
a I just wouldn’t have a clue, if not for you

d If not for you, my sky would fall
a Rain would gather, too
d Without your love Id be nowhere at all
a Id be lost, if not for you

a If not for you
e The winter would hold no spring
e Couldn’t hear a robin sing
a I just wouldn’t have a clue, if not for you

a If not for you

Bob Dylan’s song, written in iambic form, has a clear-cut rhyme scheme, as every verse rhymes with another verse in the same stanza in an orderly way. Although there is not a constant meter throughout the entire song, one can see that the first and second stanzas have verses with four, nine, eight, and nine syllables, respectively, while the other two stanzas, repeated at the end of the song, have verses with a different amount of syllables. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, on the other hand, has no established meter. Every line has a different number of syllables, which are not organized in an orderly fashion; however, the poem is also written in iambic style. Although there is no constant rhyme scheme, there is rhyme present throughout the stanzas:
“The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.” (lines 15-22).

In both works, there are specific stanzas that are repeated, somewhat like a chorus. These, I believe, very important sections of the text which, like a song, are repeated over and over again in order to make the most impact on the reader. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, however, these stanzas are very random:
“In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.” (lines 13-14 or 35-36).
These do not follow the general flow of the poem, but are rather a sort of parenthesis to the entire work. Unlike If Not For You, where the chorus and the rest of the lyrics unite to form one sole unit, the “chorus” in Eliot’s piece breaks apart from the rest of the verses in order to convey a different idea.

Even though both of these texts share some similarities in structure, they are completely different in describing the significance of love and women. In Bob Dylan’s song, the woman he loves is a basic need in his life. Without her, “Id be nowhere at all / Id be lost, if not for you.” (lines 11-12). In this song, the woman is necessary in order to continue living. She is the essence of Bob Dylan’s existence, somewhat like the pillar on which his thoughts, emotions, and actions rest. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, love for a woman is never preached. Its title, unlike If Not For You, has nothing to do with love or the significance of a special woman in Prufrock’s life. It actually talks more about Prufrock and his life than the woman he supposedly loves:
“I grow old… I grow old…
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” (lines 120-121)
Since this poem never actually talks about a woman, it is not clear whether Prufrock really loves her or not; however, one can notice that Alfred Prufrock is not completely dependent on the woman, like Bob Dylan. Instead, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock seems to talk more about the passage of time and death, moments which are always spent beside a woman that is seldom mentioned.
“And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker
And in short, I was afraid…
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” (lines 85-86, 131).
Whether Prufrock does not love the woman or simply decides to express his affection for her in a different way is not clear; however, one can see that Eliot decided to break away from the normal guidelines and patterns that are constantly seen in love songs.