"Thousand Miles" - Miley Cyrus

Amazing
I'm driving around town in a beat up old Mercedes
You think I'm crazy
You might be right
But when he smiles, I don't care about the past
Just like that

I told myself I closed that door, but I'm right back here again
I know half of what I'm saying don't make no sense,
So don't ask me where I been

I'm not always right

But still I ain't got time for what went wrong
Where I end up, I don't really care
I'm out of my mind
But still I'm holding on like a rolling stone

OEW
A thousand miles from anywhere

I look in the rear view

I was talking to you before I realize it's madness
Before the sadness
I pick up the phone and I call back home
But all I get is a dial tone
But instead of hangin up
I hang my head

Chorus

Instrumental

Chorus

Identify whether each quote is in the present or past tense. Then rewrite the past ones in the present, and
the present ones in the past:
1.“I would have told you if you looked me in the eyes.”
2.“You’re still in my heart.”
3.“Thought it’d be you until I die.”
4.“I’m fine, I’m good.”
5.“I don’t know if I’m ready.”

Choose one to write about:

[Link] song talks about memories, loss, and emotional distance. Do you think it’s ever possible to completely
move on from someone?
2.“I’m fine, I’m good” – Why do people say this even when they’re not?
[Link] you ever felt like you were emotionally “a thousand miles away” from someone even if you were
physically close?
 "Bitter Sweet Symphony" - The Verve
'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life
Tryna make ends meet, you're a slave to money then you
die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all
the veins meet, yeah
No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
(Have you ever been down?)

OEW
Well, I've never prayed but tonight I'm on my knees, yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in
me, yeah
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free
now
But the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singin' to
me now

Chorus

I can't change, oh, no

I can't change, oh

Chorus

It's just sex and violence, melody and silence x2

I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down x2
Been down
Ever been down x4
Have you ever been down? x3

Search for phrases in the song that match these meanings:

a) To be desperate or in need (estar desesperado o en necesidad)
b) To behave in a habitual way or pattern (comportarse en una manera habitual o en patron)
c) To adjust yourself or become someone different (ajustarse a uno mismo o convertirse en alguien diferente)
d) Being controlled by financial needs (ser controlado por necesidades financieras)
e) Earning just enough to survive (ganar solo lo suficiente para sobrevivir)

The song talks about the struggles of modern life. Do you agree with the idea that people are
“slaves to money”? Why or why not?
What do you think the title “Bitter Sweet Symphony” means? Can something be both bitter and
sweet? Give an example from your own life.
The speaker says, "I can't change, no, no, no..." – Do you think people can truly change?
 "The Grey" - Madison Bailey
If I could go back to when I was little
I'd say it's alright to be stuck in the middle
When all the best things about you don't ever gotta change
It's a cold world, so unforgiving
You know how you don't have to just take what you're given
You don't know it yet, but everybody else is feeling the same

Some people might only see in black and white

But you ain't gotta pick no sides
I know that it hurts sometimes to feel so lost

Lost out in space, floating away

I know, I know it's lonely in the grey
No need to explain or hide all your pain
There's nothing wrong with living in the grey

OEW
When you're out there in the unknown
And you can't help feeling alone
Just don't let go, everything is not what it seems
Every dark side has some beauty in it
You know it's alright, there's nothing to fix
Don't need all the answers right now, you got time to breathe

Chorus

Match the words/phrases from the song Answer the following questions using your own words.
Try to write full sentences and explain your reasoning.
[Link] do you think “the grey” represents in the song?
[Link] emotions are repeated or emphasized throughout the lyrics?
[Link] do you think the artist uses images like “drown in silence” or “all the colors fade”?
[Link] you think the speaker wants to leave “the grey” behind, or has accepted it?

Respond to this prompt:

The singer describes a space called "the grey." What do you think this means emotionally or
psychologically? Have you ever felt like you were “in the grey”? How do people usually deal with that
feeling?
 "Don’t Dream It’s Over" - Crowded House
… There is freedom within
There is freedom without
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead
Many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're travelling with me

Hey now, hey now

Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win

OEW
Now I'm towing my car
There's a hole in the roof
My possessions are causing me suspicion
But there's no proof
In the paper today
Tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the TV page

Chorus

… Now I'm walking again

To the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Only shadows ahead
Barely clearing the roof
Get to know the feeling of liberation and release

Chorus

Don't let them win (Hey now, hey now)

a) Read the lyrics and decide if the following statements are True (T) or False (F):
[Link] song is about fighting and violence.
[Link] speaker wants to protect their relationship from outside pressures.
3.“Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup” means handling emotions easily.
[Link] is a hopeful tone in the chorus.
[Link] song expresses a desire to give up.

b) Complete the following sentences with your own ideas. Use complex structures and rich
vocabulary:
1.“There is freedom within, there is freedom without” reminds me of...
[Link] someone told me “don’t dream it’s over,” I would feel...
[Link] metaphor of a “deluge in a paper cup” makes me think of...
 "Confident" - Justin Bieber
Don't do it to me x5

Focused, I'm focused

She got a body like that, I ain't never seen nothin' like that, uh-uh
Like a fantasy in front of me, yeah
I think that something special's going down
That's right, I think she foreign (foreign)
I think she foreign (foreign), got passports
Mi amor ('mor), started slow (slow), got faster
She gon' work some more (more), work some more (more)
No stoppin' her now (now, now)
No stoppin' her now (now, now, now, now)
Then she started dancing, sexual romancin'
Nasty but she fancy, lipstick on my satin sheets
What's your nationality? I wonder if there's more of you
She's got my attention, she's confident

Oh no, no, oh, no, no, she's confident

Oh, no, no, oh, no, no, and I'm down with it
Oh, no, no, oh, no, no, she's confident
You could tell by the way she walks in the room
She said it's her first time (oh, yeah, yeah)
I think she might have lied
Feels so good, damn (oh, yeah, yeah), and I don't know why

OEW
I'm addicted (oh, yeah, yeah), something like an addict
Got me twisted (oh, yeah, yeah)
But still I gotta have it
Explosive, explosive (yeah, yeah)
I could still smell her perfume
It's not hard to notice, that I'm open (yeah, yeah)
Hypnotized by the way she moves
Then she started dancing, sexual romancin'
Nasty but she fancy, Mona Lisa masterpiece
What's your nationality? I wonder if there's more of you

Chorus

Tattoos, piercings, and she just learned to twerk

She ain't got a heart or an ass, just her brains
Gotta ask 'cause her ass on a learning curve
And she love to hurn the berb, I mean burn the word
That's only legal with a doctor's note
Real deep pockets like a doctor's coat
Stay faded like Diddy, hair back tryna rock the boat
She the first mate when I rock the boat
She never forget to ride like a bicycle
She like planes, trains, chains with icicles
It goes her, blank, blank, and rock and roll
She say, "I know, honey bunny, that's the funny thing"
Thots twerk for the Goodfellas
She money dance with the money team (she's confident)

Chorus

a) Find and complete the sentences from the song using modal verbs from the box:
(may, might, must, can’t, should)
1.“That girl is a __________ (very confident person – express certainty)”
2.“She __________ be dangerous – I just met her!”
3.“I __________ be dreaming – is this real?”
4.“I know I __________ act cool, but I’m nervous.”
5.“You __________ play it cool with someone like her.”
Now explain one sentence in your own words.

b) Use the following questions to guide a short discussion or paragraph writing:

[Link] you think confidence is something you're born with, or something you develop?
[Link] does the song suggest about how we see confident people?
[Link] being confident always a good thing? Why or why not?
 "LoveGame" - Lady Gaga
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
x2
I wanna kiss you
But if I do, then I might miss you, babe
It's complicated and stupid
Got my ass squeezed by sexy Cupid
Guess he wants to play, wants to play
A Love Game, a Love Game

Hold me and love me

Just wanna touch you for a minute
Maybe three seconds is enough for my heart to quit it
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don't think too much, just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick

OEW
Let's play a Love Game, play a Love Game
Do you want love, or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Down the Love Game
x2

I'm on a mission
And it involves some heavy touching, yeah
You've indicated your interest
I'm educated in sex, yes
And now I want it bad, want it bad

Chorus

I can see you staring there from across the block

With a smile on your mouth, and your hand on your huh!
The story of us, it always starts the same
With a boy, and a girl, and a huh, and a game
And a game, and a game, and a game

Chorus

a) Match the underlined phrases from the song with what they suggest:
1.“I wanna take a ride on your disco stick” a) Suggests determination or purpose
2.“Let’s play a love game” b) Refers to casual flirting or seduction
3.“Do you want love or you want fame?” c) Questions someone’s real intentions
4.“I'm educated in sex, yes” d) Implies someone is confident and self-aware
5.“I'm on a mission” e) Refers to exploring romantic attraction in a
playful way

Answer one of the following questions in 80 words:

[Link] song uses playful and provocative language. Do you think music should always be taken
literally? Why or why not?
[Link] does the metaphor of “the love game” suggest about relationships in modern society?
[Link] there a line between confidence and provocation in pop culture? How does Lady Gaga explore
this?