Task 1: Listen to the song Hey, what about yesterday (What about it)

and underline the correct (What about us) What about the days
answers for the words in
italics. What about the geese/seas (What about us)
(What about us) What about all their joy
"Earth Song" The heavens are falling down (What about us)
(Michael Jackson)
(What about us) What about the woman/man
What about sunrise/sunset I can't even breathe (What about us)
What about snow/rain (What about us) What about the
What about all the things What about sympathy/apathy running/crying man
That you said we were to (What about us) (What about us)
pain/gain... I need you What about Abraham
What about killing/singing (What about us) (What about us)
fields What about nature's What about death again
Is there a time worth/wrath (ooo, ooo)
What about all the things (ooo, ooo) Do we give a damn/dam
That you said was yours and It's our planet's womb/worm
mine... (What about us)
Did you ever stop to What about animals/mammals
note/notice (What about it)
All the blood we've shed Turned kingdoms to dust
before (What about us)
Did you ever stop to notice What about elephants
This crying/failing Earth, this (What about us)
weeping shore? Have we lost their trust
(What about us)
What have we’ve done to the What about dying/crying
world whales
Look what we've done (What about us)
What about all the Ravaging the seas
piece/peace (What about us)
That you pledge your only What about forest snails/trails
son... Burnt despite our plays/pleas
What about flowering fields (What about us)
Is there a time What about the holy man/land
What about all the dreams (What about it)
That you said was yours and Torn apart by creed/crowd
mine... (What about us)
Did you ever stop to notice What about the common/con
All the children dead from man
sickness/war (What about us)
Did you ever stop to notice Can't we set him free
This crying Earth, this (What about us)
weeping shore? What about children
dying/crying
I used to scream/dream (What about us)
I used to glance beyond the Can't you hear them cry
sky/stars (What about us)
Now I don't know where we Where did we go wrong
are Someone tell me lie/why
Although I know we've drifted (What about us)
far What about baby boy
Task 2: In your own
opinion, explain three
issues highlighted in this
song.

1) There are no ideals at all, or at least no ideals that allow a close connection to nature. By saying
that we’ve drifted far, the song makes clear that there has to be a right way, a solution. This right
way is our idealistic vision of a world without war, injustice, and harm, a world in which we treat
everything and everyone respectfully, other humans as well as nature. A world of peace. The
singer’s longing for such a world is further expressed in the line “Is there a time.” He asks if there
has ever been a time without destruction, war, and exploitation of nature, and/or if there will ever
be such a world in the future. By encompassing past, present, and future, he shows that this idea,
this time of a world in peace perhaps never existed. Maybe we were told so, but upon
examination, we human beings have to find out that it does not. The question “is there a time” is
thus the harmful recognition of something inexistent.

2) Secondly, there are also some religious references. The singer speaks about the “holy land/ Torn
apart by creed.” Although this does not have anything to do with the environmental issues he
talks about before, it sketches our moral behavior. Without any respect for the mother nature, we
destroyed it because of personal interests and opinions. We did not pay attention to other
people’s feelings and attitude. Our relation to nature could be seen in the same way. Narrow-
minded and only interested in our opinion, we destroy and exploit nature, and do not listen to its
demands.

3) This song also is addressing us, humanity and society in general. Concerning the fact of what we
have done to the earth, all the forests are being destroyed and the bond we had with the animals
is not the same as it used to be. In the other hand, as a cause of humas mismanagement of earth
nature is trying to compensate. However, because of the ecological imbalance and environmental
problems earth is facing incredibly serious natural resource and environmental challenges. The
main goal of this song is wanted to give the message to people, for “people to hear the voice of
the planet” and encourage the people to do something regarding this issue.