The poem uses several different kinds of repetition to create emphasis and feeling.

The most obvious form of repetition is the refrain "Night funeral / In Harlem," which appears at the beginning of the poem and then repeats throughout. This particular repetition reminds the reader that this isn't just any funeral, but a funeral happening in Harlem. When this poem was written, Harlem was known for being the center of Black intellectual and cultural life. It was a predominantly Black area of New York City, and the poem is an homage to a particularly Black experience. The repetition of the refrain might even suggest that this funeral for a young, penniless, and beloved Black person is an all-too-familiar event.

The poem also uses diacope, such as in lines 11-16, with the repetition of "flowers":

Who was it sent
That wreath of flowers?

Them flowers came
from that poor boy's friends—
They'll want flowers, too,
When they meet their ends.

Here, repetition draws attention to a particular word, which in this case acts as a symbol for the love and respect the dead boy's friends feel for him.

Lines 19-22 use polyptoton to similar effect:

Who preached that
Black boy to his grave?

Old preacher man
Preached that boy away—

Here, repetitions create an effect almost like a folksong, evoking a sense of tradition and community.

The poem also uses epizeuxis in line 38 with the repetition of "so dear, so dear." The repetition here has an emotional impact; the emphasis on how much the boy was loved takes precedence over everything else going on in the poem for just a moment, alerting the reader that what all these funereal traditions really come down to is love for the deceased.