Teacher Guide Lyric Sheet Don't Laugh at Me Allen Shamblin/Steve Seskin I’m a little boy with glasses The one they call the geek A little girl who never smiles ’Cause I’ve got braces on my teeth And I know how it feels To cry myself to sleep. I’m that kid on every playground Who’s always chosen last A single teenage mother Tryin’ to overcome my past You don’t have to be my friend Is it too much to ask? Don’t laugh at me, don’t call me names Don’t get your pleasure from my pain In God’s eyes we’re all the same Someday we’ll all have perfect wings Don’t laugh at me. I’m the cripple on the corner You pass me on the street I wouldn’t be out here beggin’ If I had enough to eat And don’t think that I don’t notice That our eyes never meet. I lost my wife and little boy Someone crossed that yellow line The day we laid ’em in the ground Is the day I lost my mind Right now I’m down to holdin’ This little cardboard sign. [Chorus] I’m fat, I’m thin, I’m short, I’m tall I’m deaf, I’m blind, hey aren’t we all? [Chorus]
Once upon a time, not so long ago … Tommy used to work on the docks Union’s been on strike, he’s down on his luck … it’s tough, so tough Gina works the diner all day Working for her man, she brings home her pay for love, for love She says we’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got ’Cause it doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not We’ve got each other and that’s a lot for love, we’ll give it a shot Whooah, we’re halfway there Whooah, livin’ on a prayer Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear Whooah, livin’ on a prayer Tommy’s got his six-string in hock Now he’s holding in what he used to make it talk so tough, it’s tough Gina dreams of running away When she cries in the night Tommy whispers baby, it’s okay, someday We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got ’Cause it doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not We’ve got each other and that’s a lot for love, we’ll give it a shot Whooah, we’re halfway there Whooah, livin’ on a prayer Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear Whooah, livin’ on a prayer We’ve got to hold on ready or not You live for the fight when it’s all that you’ve got Whooah, we’re halfway there Whooah, livin’ on a prayer Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear Whooah, livin’ on a prayer LESSON 4. Theme and Message Objectives Students will use textual evidence to determine the central theme of a song. Students will use textual evidence to determine the artist’s message about the central theme.
Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.3 Vocabulary Message, point of view, theme (review) Preparation Make copies of “Man in Black” “Jolene,” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough” Lyric Sheets. Locate audio or video versions of “Man in Black” performed by Johnny Cash, “Jolene” performed by Dolly Parton, and “You Ain’t Woman Enough” performed by Loretta Lynn. (Note: Johnny Cash’s first televised performance of “Man in Black” may be found via an Internet search. For a rock version of “Jolene,” locate The White Stripes’ cover version.) For advanced students, make copies of “Spotlight on Point of View” (Page 86). Free Write 5 minutes Discuss Homework 4 minutes Divide students into pairs to spend one minute sharing their favorite titles. Next ask students to pick one of their favorite titles and share it with the whole group. Students may wish to include where they heard the title. Brainstorm 1 minute Prompt: In your journal, write down the titles of as many popular songs as you can think of in one minute. A popular song is one heard by millions of people on the radio, stereo, Internet, and television. Titles should be appropriate for school use. Activity 35 minutes 1. Students will do a deep reading of song lyrics to explore the concept of message. A song’s message is the underlying meaning the songwriter is trying to communicate about the theme, which is the song’s main subject. Distribute lyric sheets for “Man in Black” by Johnny Cash, and then play a recording. Note that this song does not have a chorus, reminding students that not all songs follow a traditional structure. Students may wish to
And I can easily understand how you could easily take my man But you don’t know what he means to me, Jolene Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene I’m begging of you please don’t take my man Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please don’t take him just because you can You could have your choice of men, but I could never love again He’s the only one for me, Jolene I had to have this talk with you, my happiness depends on you And whatever you decide to do, Jolene Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene I’m begging of you please don’t take my man Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please don’t take him even though you can Jolene, Jolene Lyric Sheet You Ain’t Woman Enough (to Take My Man) Loretta Lynn You’ve come to tell me something you say I ought to know That he don’t love me anymore and I’ll have to let him go You say you’re gonna take him oh but I don’t think you can ’Cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man Women like you they’re a dime a dozen you can buy ’em anywhere For you to get to him I’d have to move over and I’m gonna stand right here It’ll be over my dead body so get out while you can Cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man Sometimes a man’s caught lookin’ at things that he don’t need He took a second look at you but he’s in love with me Well I don’t know where that leaves you oh but I know where I’ll stand And you ain’t woman enough to take my man Women like you they’re a dime a dozen you can buy ’em anywhere For you to get to him I’d have to move over and I’m gonna stand right here It’ll be over my dead body so get out while you can ’Cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man
approximate rhyme, exact rhyme, free verse, rhyme scheme, tag Preparation Make copies of “Me and Bobby McGee” and “I Hope You Dance” Lyric Sheets. Locate audio or video versions of “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin and “I Hope You Dance” performed by Lee Ann Womack. Note: “Me and Bobby McGee,” written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, is a song that has been recorded and/or performed by many artists. Roger Miller originally recorded it, but Kristofferson recorded it, as well. Janis Joplin’s version is the most famous, though she changed some of the lyrics from the original. Kenny Rogers, Gordon Lightfoot, Pink, and many others have also performed the song. If time allows, play at least two versions for students. For advanced students, make copies of “Spotlight on Rhyme” (Page 88). Free Write 5 minutes Discuss Homework 3 minutes Divide students into pairs to review what they wrote. Prompt: What syllable patterns did your partner use? What songs were used for models? Brainstorm 2 minutes Prompt: In your journal, write as many words that rhyme with “top” as you can in 30 seconds. Your rhyming words do not have to be only one syllable long. For example, “hip-hop” rhymes with “tip-top” or just “top.” Share a few of your favorites with a partner. Activity 35 minutes 1. Explain that rhymes occur when words at the end of two or more lines in a song share the same or a similar sound. Rhymes can be exact or approximate: An exact rhyme has the same ending sound. “Last,” “past,” and “fast” are examples of exact rhyme. An approximate rhyme sounds like a rhyme, depending on how the artist sings the words, though the words do not have exactly the same ending sounds. “Age,” “fade,” and “play”—which all share the same vowel sound— are examples of approximate rhyme.