The poem is primarily written in iambic trimeter, but several variations occur throughout the poem. For example, in the first line, the initial stress appears on the word “Son” (Line 1). The words “said” (Line 1) and “my” (Line 1) are unstressed, but the line concludes with a stress on the word “mother” (Line 1). In the following line, the words “When” (Line 2), “was” (Line 2), and “knee” (Line 2) are unstressed. In the same line, “I” (Line 2) and “high” (Line 2) are stressed. These first two lines are written in iambic dimeter. The subsequent lines are written in iambic trimeter. For example, in the first line of the poem’s final stanza, the word “piled” (Line 123), the first syllable of “beside” (Line 123), and the word “her” (Line 123) are stressed. The word “And” (Line 123), the word “up,” and the second syllable of “beside” (Line 123) are unstressed. Only a few iambic dimeter variations occur as the poem concludes.

The poem also utilizes repetition. The line “There’s nothing in the house” (Line 5, Line 9) repeats twice at the beginning of the second and third stanzas. The repetition conveys the dire, inhumane conditions in which the mother and son live.