Song Analysis of "The Whipping Post"

At one point or another in a person’s life, the person they love will hurt them or they may even feel trapped in a relationship. Many artists incorporate these experiences in their music, showing that this predicament is universal. "The Whipping Post" by the Allman Brothers Band is a prime example in describing how a person feels when trapped in a relationship.

In the first verse, the singer describes how a person may feel when their loved one is mistreating them by saying, "I been run down, I been lied to/I don't know why I let that mean woman make me a fool...Now she's with one of my goodtime buddies/They're drinkin' in some cross-town bar" (1-5). This man feels terrible because the woman he is in a relationship with has lied to him and is cheating with one of his friends, making him feel foolish for believing in her. Every time this man finds out his girlfriend has lied to him, he says he feels as if he's "been tied to the whipping post" (7). This, of course, is a simile; the singer is describing his pain as if every time she lies a whip is lashing him. However, no matter how painful it is to be in this relationship, he has "to stand by and take it...all for lovin' [her]" (12); he loves his girlfriend so much that he will not leave her and he continues to endure the pain she causes him. The singer further elaborates by saying, "[I] drown myself in sorrow, and I look at what you've done/But nothin' seems to change, the bad times stay the same/And I can't run" (13-15). These lines explain that as he reflects on his relationship with his girlfriend, he realizes that it has not gotten better but it continues to stay terrible; he feels trapped by this relationship and he cannot get out.

Life is never what you would imagine it to be, and we will not love all the situations we are put in. A relationship may not always be pleasant, and if you love the person, sometimes saying goodbye can be difficult or even impossible. Many of us are put in this position, no matter how much we try to avoid it. "The Whipping Post" shows us that no one is immune to a relationship in which he or she may feel trapped, and the Allman Brothers Band does a fantastic job in showing that this dilemma can happen to anyone.