Name: ______________________________

Nina Simone- In Class Worksheet

Listening and Speaking 3

I. Gap-Fill: Listen to the audio and fill in the blanks with the missing words.

American cities were burning 40 years ago following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. He had preached ____________ and racial equality, but his murder provoked both pain and
anger on the streets. On April 7, 1968, three days after Dr. King was killed, singer and pianist
Nina Simone gave a concert at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island, New York. Active in the
civil rights movement, Simone was known for songs like Mississippi Goddamn, which pulled no
political punches. The ___________ was a cathartic event. Simone was at the height of her
powers and filled with anguish. “The king is dead,” she said into the microphone. “The king of
love is dead.” That night Simone and her band performed a new song:

SIMONE “We want to do a tune ___________ for today, for this hour. For Doctor Martin
Luther King.”

The name of the song was, “Why?” It went on for thirteen minutes. Nina Simone sang and
played and sermonized and asked the questions no one on that day could __________. The
song was written by her bass player, Jean Taylor. Simone's brother, organist Samuel Waymon,
was on stage with her that day:

WAYMON “We learned that song that day. We didn't have a chance to really like have
two or three days of rehearsal, but when you're feeling _____________ and outrage and
wanting to express what you know the world is feeling, we did it because that's what we
felt.

SIMONE “Ooo he’s seen the mountain top, and he knew could not stop. Always living
with the threat of death _________. Folks you’d better, stop and think, because we're
heading for the brink. What will happen now that he is dead? He was for equality, for all
people, you and me. Full of love and goodwill, hate was not his way.”

WAYMON “Yeah she didn't know what she wanted to do. She didn't know whether she
could do it. Through the ____________ the hurt confusion… What do you do at a
moment like that?”

SIMONE “Will the murders never cease? Are they men or are they beasts? What do they
ever hope, ever hope to gain? Will my country stand or fall? Is it too late for us all? And
did Martin Luther King just die in vain?”

INTERVIEWER “So many questions she had, so many questions that song has…”
 WAYMON “Yes, yes, yes. Hmmmmm. You just touched a nerve.”
INTERVIEWER “Do you remember what that felt like as you were listening to her?”
WAYMON “Yes, just like I'm feeling right this minute. Pretty ______________. The
questions in the song are the questions that are still being asked today about hatred,
and justice, discrimination, lack of peace around the world that's going on today. This
song is timeless.”

SIMONE: “He had seen the mountain top, and he knew he could not stop, always living
with a threat of death ahead. C’mon, Sam. Folks you’d better stop and think for we’re
almost to the brink. What will happen now that the king of love is dead?”

Nina Simone, in a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She was performing forty years ago, three
days after King's assassination in 1968. We heard ____________ of the concert from her
brother, organist Samuel Waymon. He was on stage with the Simone that day at the Westbury
Music Fair on Long Island.

II. Pronunciation Exercise: Look at the highlighted words. Use the information you
learned in “Well Said” unit 5 to decide where the stress is. Draw a large circle over or
highlight on your computer the syllable with primary stress.

III. Discussion Questions: Discuss the following questions with your group. You do not
need to write down any answers. It’s okay if you don’t have time to talk about all of
them.

1. What emotions did Simone express in her song?

2. Who wrote the song “Why?” What was the song about?
3. How did Simone’s brother feel about their performance?
4. Why does he say that the song is “timeless?” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
5. How did you feel listening to Simone sing “Why? (The King of Love is Dead)”
6. Simone uses music to express emotions in a powerful way. Can you think of examples of
other music that powerfully expresses an emotion?
7. What tools can musicians use to show emotions?
8. Do you listen to specific music to help you process your emotions? If so, can you share
an example?
9. How does music help us connect with others?
10. Many of the songs that Nina Simone wrote and performed were considered “protest
songs.” What do you think this means? Can you think of any other examples of songs
that could be considered “protest songs?”