Zadanie 0. Wydrukuj plik PDF, który znajdziesz pod tym linkiem, lub kontynuuj on-line.

Pobierz plik z darmową lekcją w PDF: The Animals – We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (1965)

Zadanie 1. Wysłuchaj piosenki z youtube jednocześnie czytając tekst. O czym mówią słowa?

In this __________ old part of the city
Where the sun _____________to shine
_________tell me there ain’t no use in tryin’
Now my ________, you’re so young and pretty
And one thing I ____________ is true
You’ll be _______ before your time is due, I know
Watch my ___________ in bed a-dyin’
Watched his __________ been turnin’ grey
He’s been workin’ and ______ his life away, oh yes I know it
And I’ve been ____________too, baby (yeah!)
Every ___________and day (yeah!)
We _______________ get out of this place
If it’s the ______________thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
‘Cause girl, there’s a __________ life for me and you

Zadanie 2. Uzupełnij luki w piosence słowami poniżej.

better, dirty, girl, hair, daddy, refused, dead, slavin‘, workin’ , People, night, last, gotta, know

Zadanie 3. Przeczytaj komentarze. Czy zgadzasz się z nimi?

• “We Gotta Get Out of this Place” has become a symbol of the Vietnam War. In fact, the song, recorded by the Animals, was used as the intro for the television series Tour of Duty, a dramatic series set on an American base stationed in Vietnam that ran from 1997 through 1990 when there was a resurgence of Vietnam War-themed shows and movies. At first glance, the song appears to be just that, a Vietnam War anthem demanding the U.S. government to withdraw from the Vietnam conflict.  But, at closer look, the lyrics tell a different story.  The song was written by husband and wife team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, a productive Brill Building team that started with popular “fluffy” songs such as The Drifters’ “On Broadway” and The Crystals’ “Uptown.”  Examination of the lyrics of “We Gotta Get Out of this Place” reveals that this song really is not much different than “On Broadway” or “Uptown” in that “We Gotta Get Out of this Place” is about a young couple caught in a working-class city slum, trying to make a better life for themselves before the working-class lifestyle literally kills them, like the narrator’s father who worked himself to death at a young age.  “On Broadway” and “Uptown” also refer to finding a better life in a better place.  Although “We Gotta Get Out of this Place” resonated with soldiers deployed to Vietnam during that conflict when the song was released, the song generally is more about finding a way out to pursue a better life.  It is understandable that the song became an anthem, and arguably the most requested song on Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam conflict.  The song clearly relates to the soldiers’ need to “get out of that place.”  But, this song is a perfect example of the numerous offerings from this time period that were not specifically written as anti-war anthems, but were successfully re-purposed as such.
• I can easily understand why a soldier in Vietnam would sing “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” but the song wasn’t written about Vietnam. After all ,the Animals were Englishmen, from the town of Newcastle. They were in no danger of getting drafted to fight in Vietnam! The song is about a young man who yearns to get out of the dirty, dismal, smoggy industrial town he’s growing up in. His own father is getting prematurely old and gray from working at a factory, and the young man wants no part of that life. He wants to run away with his girlfriend to somewhere they can be free and happy.

Zadanie 4. Uzupełnij definicje słowami, które są wyróżnione (pogrubiona czcionka, lub/i są podkreślone). Słowa mogą być w tekście piosenki, lub w komentarzach.

1. __________________ an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence.

__________________ an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again; comeback

1. _____________ adapt for use in a different purpose.
2. _______________ a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
3. ___________________ follow or chase (sb or sth).
4. ________________ to be expected; natural, reasonable, or forgivable.
5. ___________________ it may be argued
6. ________________ make or show a connection between.
7. ____________________ a thing produced for entertainment or sale.
8. ____________ a person who is continually moving from place to place, without any fixed home or job.
9. _________________ of or characteristic of an affluent area or people.
10. _____________ a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility.
11. __________________ (of a leisure venue, event, etc.) given a particular theme or setting.
12. __________________ a large open or main road.
13. __________________ have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from.
14. ________________ select (a person or group of people) and bring them somewhere for a certain purpose; conscript (someone) for military service.
15. _____________ causing a mood of gloom or depression.
16. _________________ frivolous or silly; lacking depth or seriousness.
17. ________________ work excessively hard.
18. _________________ evoke images, memories, and emotions.
19. ________________ move (troops or equipment) into position for military action.
20. ___________________ before the due time; ahead of time.

Zadanie 5. Posłuchaj piosenki jeszcze raz zastanawiając się: o czym ona jest? Możesz teraz zauważyć, na ile twoje pierwsze wrażenie po odsłuchaniu piosenki były słuszne.