“My Papa’s Waltz” was written by the American poet Theodore Roethke. It was first published in 1942, then collected in his book The Lost Son and Other Poems in 1948. At first glance, the poem describes a charming family scene: a father and son dance together in the kitchen, roughhousing and romping around. But the speaker supplies a number of hints that things aren’t quite as happy as they seem. The poem subtly reflects on the tension between fathers and sons—tension that in turn may suggest undercurrents of violence.

• Read the full text of “My Papa’s Waltz”

• “My Papa’s Waltz” Summary

• “My Papa’s Waltz” Themes

  • 

    Fathers, Sons, and Masculinity

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-16

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “My Papa’s Waltz”

  • Lines 1-4

    The whiskey on ...
    ... was not easy.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    We romped until ...
    ... not unfrown itself.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-12

    The hand that ...
    ... scraped a buckle.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-16

    You beat time ...
    ... to your shirt.

    

    

    

    

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• “My Papa’s Waltz” Symbols

  • 

    Pans

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “pans”
  • 

    Waltz

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “waltzing”
    • Line 15: “waltzed”

• “My Papa’s Waltz” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “dizzy;”
    • Line 3: “death:”
    • Line 4: “easy.”
    • Line 6: “shelf;”
    • Line 8: “itself.”
    • Line 10: “knuckle;”
    • Line 12: “buckle.”
    • Line 14: “dirt,”
    • Line 16: “shirt.”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “breath / Could”
    • Lines 5-6: “pans / Slid”
    • Lines 7-8: “countenance / Could”
    • Lines 9-10: “wrist / Was”
    • Lines 11-12: “missed / My”
    • Lines 13-14: “head / With”
    • Lines 15-16: “bed  / Still”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “b”
    • Line 2: “b,” “d”
    • Line 3: “d”
    • Line 4: “w,” “w”
    • Line 5: “W”
    • Line 6: “k”
    • Line 7: “M,” “m,” “c”
    • Line 8: “C”
    • Line 9: “h,” “h”
    • Line 10: “b”
    • Line 11: “m”
    • Line 12: “M,” “b”
    • Line 13: “b,” “h”
    • Line 14: “c,” “h”
    • Line 15: “b”
    • Line 16: “c”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “o,” “ea”
    • Line 2: “a”
    • Line 3: “I,” “o,” “i,” “ea”
    • Line 4: “a,” “o”
    • Line 5: “i”
    • Line 6: “i,” “i,” “e,” “e”
    • Line 7: “ou,” “e”
    • Line 8: “ow,” “e”
    • Line 9: “i”
    • Line 10: “o,” “u”
    • Line 11: “e,” “e,” “i”
    • Line 12: “u”
    • Line 13: “i,” “y,” “ea”
    • Line 14: “y,” “i”
    • Line 15: “a,” “o,” “e”
    • Line 16: “i,” “i,” “i,” “i”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “w,” “r,” “b,” “r”
    • Line 2: “d,” “m,” “m,” “b,” “d,” “zz”
    • Line 3: “l,” “d”
    • Line 4: “S,” “w,” “z,” “w,” “s,” “s”
    • Line 5: “m,” “p,” “l,” “p”
    • Line 6: “l,” “m,” “k,” “n,” “l,” “f”
    • Line 7: “M,” “m,” “c,” “n,” “n,” “n”
    • Line 8: “C,” “n,” “n,” “f,” “n,” “l,” “f”
    • Line 9: “Th,” “h,” “d,” “th,” “t,” “h,” “d,” “s,” “t”
    • Line 10: “b,” “tt,” “n,” “n,” “n,” “ckl”
    • Line 11: “t,” “r,” “st,” “p,” “m,” “ss”
    • Line 12: “M,” “r,” “r,” “s,” “cr,” “p,” “b,” “ckl”
    • Line 13: “b,” “t,” “t,” “m,” “m,” “h,” “d”
    • Line 14: “m,” “h,” “d,” “d,” “rt”
    • Line 15: “l,” “t,” “t,” “b,” “d”
    • Line 16: “ll,” “l,” “t,” “r,” “rt”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “But I hung on like death”

  • Extended Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-16

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    Where appears in the poem:

• “My Papa’s Waltz” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Waltz
  • Romped
  • Unfrown
  • Unfrown
  • Buckle
  • Beat Time
  • Caked Hard
  • (Location in poem: Line 4: “waltzing”; Line 15: “waltzed”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “My Papa’s Waltz”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “My Papa’s Waltz” Speaker

• “My Papa’s Waltz” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “My Papa’s Waltz”

• More “My Papa’s Waltz” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Theodore Roethke Museum — The website of the Theodore Roethke Museum, with photos, recollections from friends, and recommendations for further study.

    • Introduction to Roethke's Collected Poems — The full text of Edward Hirsch's introduction to Roethke's Collected Poems.

    • A Tribute to Roethke — Former U.S. Poet Laureate, Stanley Kunitz, reflects on the importance of Roethke's poetry.

    • Roethke's Life — A detailed biography of Theodore Roethke from the Poetry Foundation.

    • Roethke Recites "My Papa's Waltz" — Listen to the poet read his poem aloud.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Theodore Roethke

    • The Waking

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