Blowin' in the Wind

And last class we had the opportunity to listen to a classic. A classic among classics. Ans we still learned what rhetorical questions are!

BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

Bob Dylan
(The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan – 1963)


How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

No class on April 7th BUT...

Due to the heavy rains, we won't have class tomorrow (as you guys did not have today...).
HOWEVER, our test will not be postponed. So, it will be on Thursday, April 8th. If the situation goes back to normal, of course, and school opens.

In the meantime, do not only spend your time in front of the computer.

Look around and see what you can do to help.

Read.

Listen to good music.

Talk to your friends, parents, relatives.

You give me what I lack

After the drug project, a change of pace: the beautiful "Wind at my back", by one of the greatest progressive bands of the 2000's, the American Spock's Beard.

Is it a love song? The overused sentence "I love you" is not mentioned here...

WIND AT MY BACK

Spock’s Beard
(Snow – 2002)

How can you be
Like a sky stretched out before me
And the world is turning your way
Even darkness is better this way

Can it be true
That it all comes rushing from you
When my resistance is gone
And there's nothing that I can lean on

You are the wind at my back
You give what I lack
You're the jewel in my hand
You're like rain on dry land

You're the focus the beam
You're realities dream
You're the blue in my black
You're the wind at my back

All of the above
I'II have the lot for my love
And as we're becoming somehow
As we're changing the future to now

I just want to live
In the place that you have to give
I'll let the heat beat me down
Until the water comes down

You are the wind at my back
You give what I lack
You're the jewel in my hand
You're like rain on dry land

You're the focus the beam
You're realities dream
You're the blue in my black
You're the wind at my back

You are the wind at my back
You give what I lack
You're the jewel in my hand
You're like rain on dry land

And my soul has been kissed
Just because you exist
You're the dream that's a fact
You're the wind at my back

You're the wish that I make
You're the prize I might take
You're the gold that is free
You're the groom on one knee

You're the focus the beam
You're realities dream
You're the blue in my black
You're the wind at my back

Drugs

I like having modules. So here comes our first one: drugs. No doubt rock and roll has many many songs on this theme.

We played Radiohead's "Bones" and Cranberries' "Salvation".

BONES

I don't wanna be crippled and cracked
Shoulders wrists knees and back
Ground to dust and ash
Crawling on all fours

When you've got to feel that in your bones
When you've got to feel that in your bones

Now I can't climb the stairs
Pieces missing everywhere
Prozac painkillers

When you've got to feel that in your bones
When you've got to feel that in your bones
And I used to fly like Peter Pan
All the children flew when I touched their hands

You've got to feel that in your bones
You've got the feel that in your bones

SALVATION

To all those people doing lines,
Don't do it, don't do it.
Inject your soul with liberty,
It's free, it's free.

To all the kids with heroin eyes,
Don't do it, don't do it.
Because it's not not what it seems,
No no it's not not what it seems.

Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.

Ah, ah, ah, ah

To all the parents with sleepless nights,
Sleepless nights.
Tie your kids home to their beds,
Clean their heads.

To all the kids with heroin eyes,
Don't do it, don't do it.
Because it's not not what it seems,
No no it's not not what it seems.

Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.

Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.

Ah, ah, ah, ah

**************************************

The cool thing is: even though they deal with the same difficult subject, their approach is very different (though both are critical)! Similarities and differences were discussed in class.

Radiohead's piece is far more elusive, so hardly ever students "get it".(But I'm glad no one said it is about arthritis). On the other hand, "Salvation" is very straightforward (maybe too straightforward?)

The Logical Song

One of the most used songs in the history of teaching English as a Foreign Language (is it actually in the Guinness???), Supertramp's "The Logical Song is a jewel: amazing lyrics, superb rhythm and wonderful vocabulary, full of false cognates. Last, but not least, it is perfect to review adjectives (interesting X interested) and adverbs. I wonder if the band members know how many students have benefited over the years....

THE LOGICAL SONG

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
oh joyfully, oh playfully watching me.

But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, oh responsible, practical.
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
oh clinical, oh intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am

I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical,
a liberal, oh fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're
acceptable, respectable, oh presentable, a vegetable!

But at night, when all the world's asleep,
the questions run so deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.

Not only songs, uh?

Our workshop has two main goals: analyse the songs as if they were (they are!) literary pieces and review grammar contents learned in Middle School (Ensino Fundamental).

So, at this first moment, using Nirvana's song and a word search, we made a review of Irregular Verbs. But as we also intend to, occasionally, introduce new grammar points, we went through the pronunciation of the final -ed of the regular verbs. So, if you guys thought there was nothing to worry about the regular verbs, here we are! Remember, there are three ways of pronouncing the final -ed:

1) the extremely wrong and ugly way;
2) the not so awful but still wrong (because a new syllable is made);
3) the good and perfect way you learned in class and will use the rest of your life.

Depending on the last phoneme, it is going to sound like /t/, /d/ or /Id/.