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I played "Betterman" for my creative writing students

StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
edited July 2005 in Words and Music...Communication
well i teach summer school and i have a creative writing class......very open ended and i'm running out of ideas......i decided to play a song and have the kids write what they think it is about......it is special ed high school, only 4 kids in the class......i had the greatest hits in my car, and i decided betterman would be a good one since most people misinterpret it.......i played it for them:

one kid wrote "the guy can't wait for night time" (???)

a girl wrote "it is about a girl who always lies to a guy and the guy believes her"

and the other two kids wrote that they couldn't understand a word the guy said!!
"I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
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Comments

  • phungiphungi Posts: 641
    i play "given to fly" in an introductory psychology course at a University, and ask them to interpret the song and also consider the person writing the song and analyze the writer projecting his onw thoughts onto the main character. there are usually about 10 out of 50 students who know the words and rock out... the interpretations range from Christ references, suicide, drug addiction, and general escape themes...
    37 PJ Shows, 3 EV Shows, 1134 Total Songs, 24 Different Openers, 9 Different Closers, 252 Unique Songs (never enough)
  • StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
    thats cool, i can't get too deep with my guys........when i was student teaching general ed high school english i played PJ's Masters of War for the class, some kids used it for their presentation on vietnam
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • grooveamaticgrooveamatic Posts: 1,374
    StuffnJunk wrote:

    one kid wrote "the guy can't wait for night time" (???)

    I actually think this kid is on to something....
    .........................................................................
  • CantKeepFukinUpCantKeepFukinUp Posts: 168
    StuffnJunk wrote:
    and the other two kids wrote that they couldn't understand a word the guy said!!

    haha! yep, thats the Vedder mumble for ya.
  • Pearl Jam and toastPearl Jam and toast Posts: 4,475
    phungi wrote:
    i play "given to fly" in an introductory psychology course at a University, and ask them to interpret the song and also consider the person writing the song and analyze the writer projecting his onw thoughts onto the main character. there are usually about 10 out of 50 students who know the words and rock out... the interpretations range from Christ references, suicide, drug addiction, and general escape themes...
    Theory of the cave by Plato.

    that wasn't hard at all ;)

    i used to have very diverse opinions of that song's meanings but that one is spot on.
    Come on pilgrim you know he loves you..

    http://www.wishlistfoundation.org

    Oh my, they dropped the leash.



    Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!

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  • yotan18yotan18 Posts: 103
    CantKeepFukinUp wrote:
    haha! yep, thats the Vedder mumble for ya.

    believe it or not... there are some PJ songs that until now, i don't understand the words without written lyrics...

    vedder mumble... great name to call it! :)
    "The Day of Redemption is at hand! Repent, and thou shall be saved..." - A. Ventura

    "I always tell the truth. Even when I lie" - T. Montana
    ---
    "Yeah i know... sounds stupid." Aldrin said.

    #18 INC forever
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