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Topic: feminism, abortion, sexual abuse (controversial poem)

Language focus: Personal story, good opportunity to talk about #metoo-movement

It’s 2009 and I’m 14 and I’m crying
Not really sure where I am but I’m holding the hand of my best friend Sam
In the waiting room of a Planned Parenthood
The air is sterile and clean, and the walls are that not grey, but green
And the lights are so bright they could burn a whole through the seam of my jeans
My phone is buzzing in the pocket
My mom is asking me if I remembered my keys ’cause she’s closing the door and she needs to lock it
But I can’t tell my mom where I’ve gone
I can’t tell anyone at all
You see, my best friend Sam was raped by a man that we knew ’cause he worked in the after-school program
And he held her down with her textbook beside her
And he covered her mouth and he came inside her
So now I’m with Sam, at the place with a plan, waiting for the results of a medical exam
And she’s praying she doesn’t need an abortion, she couldn’t afford it
And her parents would, like, totally kill her

It’s 2002 and my family just moved and the only people I know are my mom’s friends, too, and her son
He’s got a case of Matchbox cars and he says that he’ll teach me to play the guitar if I just keep quiet
And the stairwell beside apartment 1245 will haunt me in my sleep for as long as I am alive
And I’m too young to know why it aches in my thighs, but I must lie, I must lie

It’s 2012 and I’m dating a guy and I sleep in his bed and I just learned how to drive
And he’s older than me and he drinks whiskey neat and he’s paying for everything
This adult thing is not cheap
We’ve been fighting a lot, almost 10 times a week
And he wants to have sex, and I just want to sleep
He says I can’t say no to him
This much I owe to him
He buys my dinner, so I have to blow him
He’s taken to forcing me down on my knees
And I’m confused ’cause he’s hurting me while he says please
And he’s only a man, and these things he just needs
He’s my boyfriend, so why am I filled with unease?

It’s 2017 and I live like a queen
And I’ve followed damn near every one of my dreams
I’m invincible and I’m so fucking naive
I believe I’m protected ’cause I live on a screen
Nobody would dare act that way around me
I’ve earned my protection, eternally clean
Until a man that I trust gets his hands in my pants
But I don’t want none of that, I just wanted to dance
And I wake up the next morning like I’m in a trance and there’s blood
Is that my blood?
Hold on a minute

You see I’ve worked every day since I was 18
I’ve toured everywhere from Japan to Mar-a-Lago
I even went on stage that night in Chicago when I was having a miscarriage
I mean, I pied the piper, I put on a diaper
And sang out my spleen to a room full of teens
What do you mean this happened to me?
You can’t put your hands on me
You don’t know what my body has been through
I’m supposed to be safe now
I earned it

It’s 2018 and I’ve realized nobody is safe long as she is alive
And every friend that I know has a story like mine
And the world tells me we should take it as a compliment
But then heroes like Ashley and Simone and Gabby, McKayla and Gaga, Rosario, Aly
Remind me this is the beginning, it is not the finale
And that’s why we’re here
And that’s why we rally
It’s Olympians and a medical resident and not one fucking word from the man who is President
It’s about closed doors and secrets and legs and stilletos from the Hollywood hills to the projects in ghettos
When babies are ripped from the arms of teen mothers and child brides cry globally under the covers
Who don’t have a voice on the magazine covers
They tell us take cover

But we are not free until all of us are free
So love your neighbor, please treat her kindly
Ask her story and then shut up and listen
Black, Asian, poor, wealthy, trans, cis, Muslim, Christian
Listen, listen and then yell at the top of your lungs
Be a voice for all those who have prisoner tongues
For the people who had to grow up way too young
There is work to be done
There are songs to be sung
Lord knows there’s a war to be won

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"A Story Like Mine" // Halsey speaks at the 2018 Women's March in NYC // 20th January '18

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A wonderful bird is the pelican - Dixon Lanier Merritt

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A wonderful bird is the pelican - Dixon Lanier Merritt

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A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/a-wonderful-bird-is-the-pelican-by-dixon-lanier-merritt

Category: Grammatical poem
Topic: "Nonsensical" wordplay
Language focus: Rhymes and rhythm in the foreign language.
Classroom use: A light approach to reading and writing short poetry through limericks. The fixed metre and wide possibility of not necessarily serious topics can make this very appealing to students and make it very suitable for creative writing tasks.

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Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name (1992)

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Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name (1992)

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Category: Cultural/Controversial song
Topic: Abuse of power; rebellion against an unjust system
Language focus: Use of pronouns; (effects of) explicit language
Classroom use: Reappropriation of a protest song - the ambiguity of meaning.

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Rage Against The Machine - Killing In the Name (Official HD Video)

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Category: Cultural poem
Topic: The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Belfast, conflict/war

Poem:
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks,
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And the explosion
Itself—an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst of rapid fire…
I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept stuttering.
All the alleyways and side-streets blocked with stops and colons.

I know this labyrinth so well—Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman, Odessa Street—
Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street. Dead end again.
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-talkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A fusillade of question marks.

Classroom use ideas: Analyse poem, link to song Zombie, Irish history, slang terminology (Belfast Confetti = homemade bombs)

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Category: Cultural song
Topic: The Troubles in Northern Ireland, IRA, conflict/war

Lyrics:
Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it′s not me, it's not my family
In your head, in your head they are fighting
With their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head they are crying

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What′s in your head? In your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh

Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken

It's the same old theme, since nineteen-sixteen
In your head, in your head they′re still fighting
With their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head they are dying

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What′s in your head? In your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-eh-oh, ra-ra

Classroom use ideas: Use song as introduction to lesson about Irish and Northern Irish history. Watch music video and spot/analyse cultural references. Also interesting: linguistic features of Irish English

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The Cranberries - Zombie (Official Music Video)

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Topic: mental health, anxiety, addiction
Controversial Song
Lyrics:
I've been having a hard time adjusting
I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting
I didn't know if you'd care if I came back
I have a lot of regrets about that
Pulled the car off the road to the lookout
Could've followed my fears all the way down
And maybe I don't quite know what to say
But I'm here in your doorway

I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying

They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad
I have a lot of regrets about that
I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
Fell behind on my classmates, and I ended up here
Pouring out my heart to a stranger
But I didn't pour the whiskey

I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
At least I'm trying

And it's hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound
It's hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you
You're a flashback in a film reel on the one screen in my town

And I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
(And maybe I don't quite know what to say)
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
At least I'm trying

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Taylor Swift – this is me trying (Official Lyric Video)

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Category: Cultural Song

Topic: Brexit, Immigration, Cultural Diversity, Rebellion, Protest, British Culture, Punk, Politics

[In combination with Sea Sharp - "A Poem for Your Immigrants" (2019)]

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
(listen to more Jungle)
Blighty wants his country back
Fifty-inch screen in his cul-de-sac
Wombic charm of the Union Jack
As he cries at the price of a bacon bap

[Pre Chorus]
Islam didn't eat your hamster
Change isn't a crime
So won't you take my hand sir
And sing with me in time

[Chorus]
G R E A T
G R E A T

[Verse 2]
Blighty wants her blue passport
Not quite sure what the union's for
Burning bridges and closing doors
Not sure what she sees on the seashore

[Pre-Chorus]
Islam didn't eat your hamster
Change isn't a crime
So won't you take my hand sister
And sing with me in time

[Chorus]
G R E A T
G R E A T

[Outro]
You can have it all, I don't mind
Just get ready to work overtime

'Cause we're all in this together

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POEM: A Poem for Your Immigrants - Sea Sharp (2019)

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POEM: A Poem for Your Immigrants - Sea Sharp (2019)

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Category: Cultural Song

Topic: Brexit, Immigration, Cultural Diversity, Rebellion, Protest, British Culture, Punk, Politics

[In combination with IDLES - "Great" (2018)]

Poem:

just here to TAKE
YOUR jobs

just here to CLAIM
YOUR benefits

just here to RAPE
YOUR women

just here to NURSE
YOUR folks

just here to RAISE
YOUR children

just here to HARVEST
YOUR food

just here to REPLACE
YOUR neighbours

just here to TOLERATE
YOUR hatred

just here to RUIN
YOUR language

just here to BLEED
on YOUR street

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https://youtu.be/j60ClcNYWu4

Topic: mental health, depression, feeling like you’re not living up to expectations

Category: Everyday life songs

Classroom use: To start a series of lessons focused on mental health and how important it is for teenagers’ wellbeing, have students analyse the lyrics (what is the speaker trying to convey? How does the upbeat music correlate to the text?)

Lyrics:

I find it hard to say the things I wanna say the most
Find a little bit of steady as I get close
Find a balance in the middle of the chaos
Send me low, send me high, send me never demigod
I remember walking in the cold of November
Hoping that I make it to the end of December
27 years and the end on my mind
But holding to the thought of another time

But looking to the ways of the ones before me
Looking for the path of the young and lonely
I don′t wanna hear about what to do
I don't wanna do it just to do it for you

Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it′s like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it's like to always feel, feel
Like I'm empty and there′s nothing really real, real
I′m looking for a way out

Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it's like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it′s like to never feel, feel
Like I'm good enough for anything that′s real, real
I'm looking for a way out

I find it hard to tell you how I wanna run away
I understand it always makes you feel a certain way
I find a balance in the middle of the chaos
Send me up, send me down, send me never demigod

I remember walking in the heat of the summer
Wide-eyed one with a mind full of wonder
27 years and I′ve nothing to show
Falling from the dove to the dark of the crow

Looking to the ways of the ones before me
Looking for a path of the young and lonely
I don't wanna hear about what to do, no
I don't wanna do it just to do it for you

Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it′s like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it′s like to always feel, feel
Like I'm empty and there′s nothing really real, real
I'm looking for a way out

Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it′s like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it's like to never feel, feel
Like I′m good enough for anything that's real, real
I'm looking for a way out

Let me tell you ′bout it
Well, let me tell you ′bout it
Maybe you're the same as me

Let me tell you ′bout it
Well, let me tell you 'bout it
They say the truth will set you free

Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it′s like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it's like to always feel, feel
Like I′m empty and there's nothing really real, real
I'm looking for a way out

Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it′s like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it′s like to never feel, feel
Like I'm good enough for anything that′s real, real
I'm looking for a way out

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Imagine Dragons - Zero (From the Original Motion Picture "Ralph Breaks The Internet")

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Topic: socks, a funny (list) poem full of repetitions, rhymes, and alliteration (everyday life poem)

Classroom use:  starting point for writing own poems, generating (funny) ideas (e.g. starting with When the teacher isn't there + write down ten things that happen) (Cookson 2014: 527 f.)
Taken from: Cookson 2014: The works: every kind of poem you will ever need at school. London: Macmillan.

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Topic: mental health, anxiety, mental well-being (controversial song)

Language focus:  lexis related to mental health and mental well-being

Lyrics: Help me, it's like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can't
It isn't in my blood

Laying on the bathroom floor, feeling nothing
I'm overwhelmed and insecure, give me something
I could take to ease my mind slowly
Just have a drink and you'll feel better
Just take her home and you'll feel better
Keep telling me that it gets better
Does it ever?

Help me, it's like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
No medicine is strong enough
Someone help me
I'm crawling in my skin
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can't

It isn't in my blood
It isn't in my blood

I'm looking through my phone again, feeling anxious
Afraid to be alone again, I hate this
I'm trying to find a way to chill, can't breathe, oh
Is there somebody who could help me?

It's like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
No medicine is strong enough
Someone help me
I'm crawling in my skin
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can't

It isn't in my blood
It isn't in my blood

I need somebody now
I need somebody now
Someone to help me out
I need somebody now

Help me, it's like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can't

It isn't in my blood
It isn't in my blood, oh, oh
It isn't in my blood
I need somebody now
It isn't in my blood
I need somebody now
It isn't in my blood

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Topic: message about standing up for yourself and overcoming obstacles

Language focus: good mix of past tense verbs (grammatical song)

Lyrics:
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Now I'm floatin' like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee, I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (you'll hear me roar)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (yeah)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (you'll hear me roar)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Quelle: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-song-activities/