"Simon" -Lifehouse Catch your breath, Hit the wall, Scream out loud, As you start to crawl Back

in your cage The only place Where they will Leave you alone. 'Cause the weak will Seek the weaker til they've broken them. Could you get it back again? Would it be the same? Fulfillment to their lack of strength at your expense, Left you with no defense; They tore it down. [Chorus:] And I have felt the same as you, I've felt the same as you, I've felt the same. Locked inside The only place Where you feel sheltered, Where you feel safe. You lost yourself In your search to find Something else to hide behind. The fearful always preyed upon your confidence. Did they see the consequence, when they pushed you around? The arrogant build kingdoms made of the different ones, Breaking them 'til they've become just another crown. [Chorus] Refuse to feel anything at all, Refuse to slip, Refuse to fall. Can't be weak, Can't stand still, You watch your back 'cause no one will.

You don't know why they had to go this far, Traded your worth for these scars, For your only company. And don't believe the lies That they have told to you. Not one word was true you're alright, you're alright, you're alright. [Chorus]

Simon - Lifehouse 1. Why did the band Lifehouse change their former band name? Is the reasoning behind the name change reflected in this song? If so, how? 2. Who is considered the weak and the fearful? 3. What is the speaker revealing about himself? What impact may this have on his audience? 4. What is the message being conveyed in the lyrics? Choose specific lines in the song that provide textual evidence for your reasoning. 5. Does the title relate to the song? If so, how? 6. Where is the speakers voice the strongest in the song? What do you think the speaker chose this moment to strengthen his voice?

"Wing$" -Macklemore I was seven years old, when I got my first pair And I stepped outside And I was like, "Momma, this air bubble right here, it's gonna make me fly" I hit back-court and when I jumped, I jumped, I swear I got so high I touched the net, "Mom, I touched the net," this is the best day of my life Air Max's were next, That air bubble, that mesh The box, the smell, the stuffin', the tread, At school I was so cool I knew that I couldn't crease 'em My friends couldn't afford 'em Four stripes on their Adidas On the court I wasn't the best, but my kicks were like the pros Yo, I stick out my tongue so everyone could see that logo Nike Air Flight, but that was so dope And then my friend Carlos' brother got murdered for his Fours*, whoa See he just wanted a jump shot, but they wanted his Starter coat, though Didn't wanna get caught, from Genesee Park to Othello You could clown for those Pro Wings, with the Velcro Those were not tight I was trying to fly without leaving the ground, Cause I wanted to be like Mike, right Wanted to be him, I wanted to be that guy, I wanted to touch the rim I wanted to be cool, and I wanted to fit in, I wanted what he had, America, it begins I want to fly Can you take me far away? Give me a star to reach for Tell me what it takes And I'll go so high I'll go so high My feet won't touch the ground I stitch my wings And pull the strings I bought these dreams That all fall down

We want what we can't have, commodity makes us want it So expensive, damn, I just got to flaunt it Got to show 'em, so exclusive, this that new shit A hundred dollars for a pair of shoes I would never hoop in Look at me, look at me, I'm a cool kid I'm an individual, yeah, but I'm part of a movement My movement told me be a consumer and I consumed it They told me to just do it, I listened to what that swoosh said Look at what that swoosh did See it consumed my thoughts Are you stupid, don't crease 'em, just leave 'em in that box Strangled by these laces, laces I can barely talk That's my air bubble and I'm lost if it pops We are what we wear, we wear what we are But see I look inside the mirror and think Phil Knight tricked us all Will I stand for change or stay in my box These Nikes help me define me, but I'm trying to take mine off I want to fly Can you take me far away? Give me a star to reach for Tell me what it takes And I'll go so high I'll go so high My feet won't touch the ground I stitch my wings And pull the strings I bought these dreams That all fall down It started out with what I wear to school That first day, like these are what make you cool And this pair, this would be my parachute So much more than just a pair of shoes Nah, this is what I am What I wore, this is the source of my youth This dream that they sold to you For a hundred dollars and some change Consumption is in the veins And now I see it's just another pair of shoes [* Air Jordan IV]

Wing$ -Macklemore 1. What is the song about? (surface meaning of the song?) 2. Does the title relate to the song? If so how? 3. What is the significance of the speaker not wanting to crease his shoes? Are there any other moments in the song that help develop this significance? 4. Who is Phil Knight? Why did the speaker mention him? 5. Throughout the song, who is the they that Macklemore is referring to? 6. Are there any allusions in this song? If so what are they? 7. What happens to the speaker at the end of the song? What does he realize?

"Swing Life Away" -Rise Against Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up? Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck? Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost? I'll show you mine if you show me yours first Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words We live on front porches and swing life away, We get by just fine here on minimum wage If love is a labor I'll slave till the end, I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand I've been here so long, I think that it's time to move The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow I've got some friends, some that I hardly know But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go We live on front porches and swing life away, We get by just fine here on minimum wage If love is a labor I'll slave till the end, I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand....until you hold my hand I'll show you mine if you show me yours first Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words We live on front porches and swing life away, We get by just fine here on minimum wage If love is a labor I'll slave till the end, I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand Swing life away [x4]

Swing Life Away -Rise Against 1. What is this song about? (surface meaning of the song). 2. How does the title relate to the song? 3. Are there any metaphors in the song? If so what are they? What do they mean? 4. What is being implied in the line: We get by just fine here on minimum wage.33 5. The repeated line: I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand has more than one meaning. What are the two messages associated with this song?

"Tears And Rain" How I wish I could surrender my soul; Shed the clothes that become my skin; See the liar that burns within my needing. How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold. How I wish I had screamed out loud, Instead I've found no meaning. I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain, All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble. Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray. I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble. It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain. How I wish I could walk through the doors of my mind; Hold memory close at hand, Help me understand the years. How I wish I could choose between Heaven and Hell. How I wish I would save my soul. I'm so cold from fear. I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain, All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble. Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray. I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble. Far, far away; find comfort in pain. All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble. It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain. Tears and Rain. Tears and Rain. Far, far away; find comfort in pain, All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble. It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.

Tears and Rain -James Blunt 1. What do you know about the artists background? Has his background influenced his music? Is it evident in this song? 2. Are there any allusion(s) in the song? If so what are they? How does this help develop a deeper meaning to the song? 3. What does the artist mean when he says, find comfort in pain? What is this considered? 4. What does the title contribute to the song/ what does the artist mean by this? 5. What trouble the artist avoiding? 6. Can this song be related to any other material you have read so far? In what ways?