Epiphora

Light fish, dark fish, faux fish, real fish,
rich fish, poor fish, field fish, house fish.
Still fish, still fish.

Easy rhymes are what I want.
Repetition is what I want.
Epiphoras are what I want.

The epiphora (also named epistrophe or antistrophe) is a stylistic device where a text has each sentence ending with the same string of words. With such a concept, you're likely to find this device in Poetry and Music (though the rhymes are not of the richest kind). Due to the rhythm and repetition it involves, epiphoras can also be efficient in speeches where you make a point and pin it down. That last string of words may have a different meaning as it gets repeated while the rest of the text changes after each sentence.

The opposite of an epiphora is an Anaphora. Combining the two gives us a symploce (example: "I'll buy this wine for my wife today. I'll buy this book for my wife today"). A case of Looped Lyrics or Madness Mantra doesn't count as an epiphora since the string of words needs to be the same while the rest of the text is different from sentence to sentence. The earliest epiphora was found in The Bible and makes this trope Older Than Feudalism.

Supertrope of For Your People, By Your People. Overlaps with Repeated for Emphasis. Compare with Every Episode Ending which is more of a visual fiction-specific trope. Epiphoras may be also be Rhyming with Itself, but not if they're like using different end words like "seasick" and "sick", instead of just "sick" by itself. Not to be confused with the Epigraph which is a quote appearing at the beginning or the end of a fiction. Sure, all movies or episodes from a same series end with a similar credits sequence, but that doesn't mean it's an epiphora (as credits sequences are pretty much common for any Film/TV series).

---

Examples:

Advertising

• When a media gets rebooted by fans of the original, you may see that reboot promoted with this tagline: "By the fans, for the fans."
• One Dunkin Donuts televised commercial has Fred the Baker (actor Michael Vale) repeatedly going to work with his cheery catchphrase "Time to make the donuts!" It got to the point where he opens the door to discover himself returning from Dunkin Donuts, muttering "I made the donuts."
• The jingle for Education Connection (basically an online directory of colleges) does this right from the beginning:
  Feels like my life's passing me by
  With the cash I'm making, I'll never get by
• The Chuck E. Cheese's jingle "Follow Me To Fun" contains these lines:
  Pick your partner, pick your game.
  Every token plays one game.

Comedy

• Brian Posehn in Metal By Numbers:
  We're coming to the end of the first verse
  Then comes the breakdown, a pretty chorus and then the second verse
  I know I just rhymed "verse" with "verse"
  That's because I'm so metal, bitch, where's your fucking purse?

Fan Works

• A Certain Droll Hivemind: When the blood construct explodes, it covers everyone in blood, except for Touma. When Mikoto asks what that's about, he just shrugs and says it was magic blood. Even the Sisters find that explanation odd. "at Kamijou Touma."
  I stare at Kamijou Touma. Misaka-10032 stares at Kamijou Touma. Misaka Mikoto stares at Kamijou Touma.
  "... hate you so much," Misaka Mikoto mutters.
• The Dragon King's Temple: Chapter 5:
  Speaking of skepticism – Toph threw her hands in the air, nearly clipping his nose in passing and forcing his attention back from its wandering path. “Sparky, you healed her! You healed her using firebending! Why didn’t anyone say anything? Uncle didn’t tell you, the Sages didn’t tell you, even your stupid dragons didn’t tell you!”
• The Palaververse:
  • From Treasures: In the fifth chapter, one of Old Chestnut's many objections about foal Daring's presence in the "ruin" where they meet for the second time:
    Old Chestnut: This is a feathering ruin! An Antlertean ruin!
  • From The First Stitch, when Rarity resolves to do something:
  Oh, stars take it,” I said aloud. “I can do something. I’ll do something.

Films — Animated

• Encanto's song "We Don't Talk About Bruno":
  It was my wedding day
  It was our wedding day
  We were getting ready, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky
  No clouds allowed in the sky
  (...)
  Um, Bruno...
  Yeah, about that Bruno...
  I really need to know about Bruno...
  Gimmie the truth and the whole truth, Bruno
• During Frozen we have this line in "Let it Go":
  Don't let them know.
  Well now they know!
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame, when the gargoyles are encouraging Quasimodo:
  She will discover, guy
  You're one heck of a guy
• In the theme song to the animated film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Bowling for Soup rhyme "time" with "time" (in the chorus lyrics "We've got to save the Earth and get to school on time/So many things to do and not much time!") three separate times.
• The cast of Shrek had a version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" that goes "My true love gave to me / a fire-breathing dragon just for me!"
• Used multiple times in the Moana score:
  • "Where You Are" rhymes "inside" with "inside" two separate times (the first time referring to "the water sweet inside" and "meat inside" coconuts).
  • "How Far I'll Go": The second verse twice uses 3 lines in a row ending with the word "island".
  • "Shiny" rhymes "anything that glitters" with "thing that glitters" (and also "beginners").

Films — Live-Action

• Arthur (1981): "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" rhymes "time" with itself in two consecutive lines: "Living his life one day at a time/He's showing himself a really good time". It's easy to miss this because there's no real pause between the lines and for that matter the next one, which isn't meant to rhyme.
• Chris Cornell:
  • Soundgarden's "Live to Rise" that plays during the end credits of The Avengers (2012) rhymes "again" and "again," and "face" and "face."
  • Casino Royale (2006) has an opening song that constantly rhymes "you" with "you."
• Ted: Ted's boss promoting him because of his outrageous actions, emphasizing the "guts":
  Boss: That took guts. We need guts. I'm promoting you.

Literature

• Older Than Print, as The Canterbury Tales has this pair of lines:
  The holy blisful martir for to seke
  That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke.
• Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
  Perhaps this is the most important thing for me to take back from beach-living: simply the memory that each cycle of the tide is valid, each cycle of the wave is valid, each cycle of a relationship is valid.
• The Book of Corinthians (precisely 1 Corinthians 13) contains what could be the earliest example of an epiphora on its eleventh verse.
  When I was a child,
  I spoke as a child,
  I understood as a child,
  I thought as a child.
• "Flood: A Romance of Our Time" by Robert Penn Warren: "was gone":
  The big sycamore by the creek was gone.
  The willow tangle was gone.
  The little enclave of untrodden bluegrass was gone.
  The clump of dogwood on the little rise across the creek — now that, too, was gone
• John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath:
  The big sycamore by the creek was gone. The willow tangle was gone. The little enclave of untrodden bluegrass was gone. The clump of dogwood on the little rise across the creek-now that, too, was gone.
• Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself":
  There was never any more inception than there is now,
  Nor any more youth or age than there is now,
  And will never be any more perfection than there is now,
  Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now.
• In The Princess Bride by William Goldman, after Westley leaves Buttercup's farm to seek his fortune, he sends her frequent letters, and to make up for all the times he didn't say the actual words, he ends every sentence with "I love you."
  It is raining today and I love you. My cold is better and I love you. Say hello to Horse and I love you.
• In the Poetic Edda, the poem "Baldrs draumar" or "Vegtamskviða" has the seeress who Odin revives to know the meaning of Baldr's bad dreams finish three stanzas saying she was summoned against her will. In Henry Adams Bellows's translation, she repeats "Unwilling I spake, | and now would be still."
• The "The Epic of Gilgamesh" makes this trope Older Than Dirt:
  The Mountain we climbed where we slew the Watchman Weeps for you.,
  The warriors of strong-walled Uruk, where the Bull of Heaven was killed, Weeps for you.,
  All the people of Eridu 'Weep for you Enkidu.,
  Those who brought grain for your eating Mourn for you now;,
  Who rubbed oil on your back Mourn for you now,
  Who poured beer for your drinking Mourn for you now.
• Princesses of the Pizza Parlor: In Grandmothers and Other Fearsome Encounters when talking about how "dangerous" the Magic Misfires from non-standard spell enhancement can be:
  Uncle: Piling up spells like that is dangerous. Adding heroic effort to spells is also dangerous.

Live-Action TV

• Conan O'Brien's "Thursday", a parody of Rebecca Black's "Friday", featured a rapper with the following lyrics:
  Why is there a rapper here?
  Why exactly am I here?
  Did I just rhyme "here" with "here"?
  I am getting out of here!
• In Drop the Dead Donkey Joy composes a Limerick about Sir Royston. The first, second and fifth lines all end in "bastard".
• Doctor Who:
  • Doctor Who S12 E1 "Robot": When the K1 Robot is warning people trying to invade to the bomb shelter he just exited:
    K1 Robot: You must go. The soldiers must go.
  • The poem that was used in "A Good Man Goes to War" and its promotional material:
    Demons run when a good man goes to war.
    Night will fall and drown the sun, when a good man goes to war.
    Friendship dies and true love lies, night will fall and the dark will rise... when a good man goes to war.
• Jez's poem "Fuck You Bush" on Peep Show:
  Fuck you, Bush
  It's time to get out of Iraq, Bush
  What were you even doing there in the first place, Bush?
  You didn't even get properly elected, Bush
  Are you happy now, Bush?
  Fuck you, Bush

Music

• "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos:
  So you've found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts
  Tell me what's so amazing about really deep thoughts?
• Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable":
  I could have another you in a minute.
  And in fact, he'll be here in a minute!
• Chris Brown provides a rather extreme example in his single "Look At Me Now."
  Better cuff your chick if you with her, I can get her and she accidentally slip and fall on my dick
  Oops I said, "on my dick"
  I ain't really mean to say "on my dick"
  But since we talkin' about my dick
  All of you haters say hi to it
• Childish Gambino's "Yes":
  I like pink, it always looks good on me.
  And I like pink, it always looks good on me.
  That second part, I was talking about vagina, homie.
• Technologic by Daft Punk is a List Song giving a long list of verbs, all followed by the word "it".
  Buy it, use it, break it, fix it
• Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop":
  And everyone in line in the bathroom
  Trying to get a line in the bathroom
• Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love":
  Don't you want somebody to love?
  Don't you need somebody to love?
  Wouldn't you love somebody to love?
  You better find somebody to love!
• The chorus and one verse of Jake Paul's "Saturday Night" prominently features lyrics ending with "...this Saturday Night".
  What you doing this Saturday Night?
  Me and you, this Saturday Night
  We'll be to the cribs this Saturday Night
  Netflix and Chill this Saturday Night
  Swipe a ride on you this Saturday Night
  Pizza and ranch this Saturday Night
  Chillin' in my Calvin's this Saturday Night
  Let's get a tattoo this Saturday Night
  (...)
  Crumps and tea, this Saturday night
  Chillin' with the queen this Saturday night
  England is my city this Saturday night
• Pink Floyd: The verses of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" follow up each line with the title phrase.
• Queen: Near the end of "Under Pressure", Freddie Mercury sings "Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance?"
• R.E.M.: In "Man on the Moon", every line in the verses ends with an interjection of "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."
• The Jazz standard "Teach Me Tonight" (with lyrics penned by Sammy Cahn) has most of its verses being epiphoras:
  Did you say I've got a lot to learn
  Well don't think I'm trying not to learn
  Since this is the perfect spot to learn
  (...)
  Starting with the ABC of it
  Getting right down to the XYZ of it
  Help me solve the mystery of it
  (...)
  One thing isn't very clear my love
  Should the teacher stand so near my love
  Graduation's almost here my love
• Train's "Meet Virginia" involves this:
  Well she wants to live her life
  Then she thinks about her life
• Ween does this twice in a row on "Puffy Cloud" from their first album, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness:
  Drift away on a puffy cloud
  Go away on a puffy cloud
  My brain is dead from too much pot,
  Cause Dean and I smoke too much pot.
• Yello: "Oh Yeah" features a minor epiphora with the lines "such a good time, a really good time."

Puppet Shows

• Fraggle Rock: In "A Tune for Two", everyone is preparing for the Duet-a-thon, a Talent Contest in which pairs of Fraggles sing duets they've written. Gobo and Wembley plan on performing together, but when Uncle Matt arrives unexpectedly and says he'll be Gobo's partner, Wembley sadly steps down. He tries to find a new partner but is unable to, and Cotterpin finds him in tears. Wembley, when explaining to her why he's crying, uses the phrase "to do" at the end of four consecutive phrases.
  Wembley: I'm crying because... because I did what I was supposed to do, which was what I didn't want to do, but I knew I had to do, and now I don't know what to do!
• In the Reptilicus episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, during the song "Every Country Has a Monster", Tom Servo and Crow rhyme "Luxembourg" with itself for four lines.
  Tom: Kropermann is a monster from Luxembourg
  Crow: Who's actually the size of Luxembourg
  Tom: He crushed the whole country of Luxembourg
  All: Because he is the size of Luxembourg!

Theatre

• In William Shakespeare:
  • The Tempest, Juno sings one during the first scene of Act 4:
    Hourly joys be still upon you!
    Juno sings her blessings on you.
    Scarcity and want shall shun you,
    Ceres' blessing so is on you.
  • King Henry VI:
    Be round impaled with a glorious crown.
    And yet I know not how to get the crown,

Video Games

• Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory: In Re;Birth3, when Neptune is yelling at her friends to think of her safety, "Are you" Anaphora, transitioning to "me" Epiphora:
  Are you gabbing gals even listening?!
  Are you lippy ladies ignoring me?!
  Can't you flippant females hear me?!
• Potionomics: Sylvia being emphatic in the face of adversity in the opening cutscene:
  Sylvia: But this could still work! I can make this work.
• River City Girls: The end credits song ends with talking about "River City Girls":
  I can't quit these River City Girls
  Will I survive these River City Girls?
  I might just die from River City Girls
• Ruphand: An Apothecary's Adventure: The Flavor Text of Ashes, for a comparison of "most people":
  Ashes: Completely useless to most people. Brill isn't most people.
• Sunset Overdrive: The last bit of fine print on the http://www.overchargedrink.com website used to promote the game, is this list of OverCharge Delirium XT symptoms, and at the end, it notes that "your own risk" is in your hands:
  Fizzco is also not responsible for any illnesses or problems that may occur from drinking OverCharge Delirium XT, including, but not limited to: urinary tract infections, tummy aches, gross burping, water intoxication, acid reflux, heart attack, depression, tripping embarrassingly, urinating, urinating a lot, urinating way too much, gastrointestinal reaction, brain aneurisms, disturbing fantasies, assault and battery, poor judgment, pregnancy, itching, aggression, uncoordinated dancing, and death. Drink at your own risk. Love at your own risk.

Visual Novels

• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: In a non-poetic example, there's this series of lines from Makoto's thoughts when Monokuma interrupts a moment between him and Sayaka in Chapter 1.
  I aimed at Monokuma, and punched with all my strength.
  And then missed with all my strength.
  And then fell down with all my strength. And hit my back with all my strength.

Webcomics

• El Goonish Shive: From balance-116: Talking about magic training
  Ashley: It was surprisingly tiring for how mundane it was.
  Edward Verres: This early on, tired is good. Mundane is good. You'll be doing stuff that makes me glad it's not my job to cover this stuff up anymore in no time.
  Ashley: Thanks?

Web Videos

• Epic Rap Battles of History: "Steven Spielberg vs Alfred Hitchcock": Michael Bay appears and raps a lot about money.
  Michael Bay:
  If there's one thing I've learned, bitch, this game is about mother fucking money!
  I make that dollar, y'all, mother fucking money!
  Even make Mark Wahlberg make some mother fucking money!
  I set up shop and got a few drops of that Got Milk money!
  Rose to The Rock, now I got that socks made of silk money!

Western Animation

• Arthur: In "I'm a Poet", the main cast enters a poetry contest. Binky's submission, "Binky's Poem", ends every line but the last with the word "poem." This being a cast of kids, who exclusively expect rhyming poems, Muffy calls out the fact that he tried to rhyme "poem" with itself four times.
  People think I can't write a poem,
  But they are so wrong, I CAN write a poem.
  I wrote this one, I wrote this poem,
  And I gave it the title "Binky's Poem".
  So SHUT UP! The end!
• SpongeBob SquarePants did this a few times, all of them coming from the eponymous character:
  • "Hall Monitor":
    SpongeBob: Hall monitor SpongeBob reporting for duty! I am ready to take my position... IN THE HALL! I will protect all those who are weak... IN THE HALL! All laws will be enforced... IN THE HALL!
  • "Graveyard Shift":
    SpongeBob: Psst! Squidward, I'm working in the kitchen... at night! Hey, Squidward, guess what? I'm chopping lettuce... at night! Look at me, I'm swabbing the bathroom... at night! Ow, I burned my hand!... at night!
  • Double Subverted in "New Student Starfish".
    SpongeBob: Behold, Patrick, the hallway of learning. And here's the fountain of learning. And these are the lockers of learning.
    Patrick: And these are the stairs of learning, right?
    SpongeBob: No, they're just the stairs. These are the stairs of learning.

Real Life

• If you're testifying, whether you're a witness or a suspect, during an investigation you may have to say the words: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" while swearing.
• American president Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of 1863:
  ''This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
• American president Lyndon Johnson delivered one during a speech before Congress in 1965:
  There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.

---