WRITING PROMPT Lyric Analysis Lady Gaga has recently written a song entitled “Till it Happens to You”. Analyze the lyrics of the song and the meaning behind it. You may use other songs in relation to this song, be sure to be cohesive with your work. Write your response to the meaning in 300 words or less.
You will find the lyrics to “Till it Happens to You” as well as lyrics from supplemental songs on the following pages.
To hear the songs, the following links may be used. “Till It Happens To You” http://www.gossipcop.com/lady-gaga-til-it-happens-to-you-oscars-video-academy-awardsperformance-vice-president-joe-biden-watch/
“Why” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjZKeyAXEZM “Strange Fruit” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs “Keep Ya Head Up” “I am Woman” “I Will Survive” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nFOOoOUKLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amaWa-oKp0A
"Till It Happens To You" By Lady Gaga (Written by Lady Gaga and Diane Warren) You tell me it gets better, it gets better in time You say I'll pull myself together, pull it together, you'll be fine Tell me, what the hell do you know? What do you know? Tell me how the hell could you know? How could you know? Till it happens to you, you don't know how it feels, how it feels Till it happens to you, you won't know, it won't be real No, it won't be real, won't know how it feels You tell me hold your head up, hold your head up and be strong Cause when you fall you gotta get up, you gotta get up and move on Tell me how the hell could you talk, how could you talk? Cause until you walk where I walk, this is no joke Till it happens to you, you don't know how it feels, how it feels Till it happens to you, you won't know, it won't be real (How could you know?) No it won't be real
(How could you know?) Won't know how I feel
Till your world burns and crashes Till you're at the end, the end of your rope Till you're standing in my shoes I don't wanna hear a thing from you, from you, from you Cause you don't know Till it happens to you, you don't know how I feel, how I feel How I feel
Till it happens to you, you won't know, it won't be real
(How could you know?)
No it won't be real
(How could you know?)
Won't know how it feels Till it happens to you
Happens to you
Happens to you
“Why� by Annie Lennox How many times do I have to try to tell you That I'm sorry for the things I've done But when I start to try to tell you That's when you have to tell me Hey... this kind of trouble's only just begun I tell myself too many times Why don't you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut That's why it hurts so bad to hear the words That keep on falling from your mouth Falling from your mouth Falling from your mouth Tell me... Why Why I may be mad I may be blind I may be viciously unkind But I can still read what you're thinking And I've heard it said too many times That you'd be better off Besides... Why can't you see this boat is sinking (this boat is sinking this boat is sinking) Let's go down to the water's edge And we can cast away those doubts Some things are better left unsaid But they still turn me inside out Turning inside out turning inside out Tell me... Why Tell me... Why This is the book I never read These are the words I never said This is the path I'll never tread These are the dreams I'll dream instead This is the joy that's seldom spread These are the tears... The tears we shed This is the fear This is the dread These are the contents of my head And these are the years that we have spent And this is what they represent And this is how I feel Do you know how I feel ? 'cause i don't think you know how I feel I don't think you know what I feel I don't think you know what I feel You don't know what I feel
“Strange
Fruit� by Billie Holiday
Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The big bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is For the For the Here is
a fruit for the crows to pluck, rain to gather, for the wind to suck, sun to rot, for the leafs to drop, a strange and bitter crop.
Excerpt from 2Pac “Keep Ya Head Up� And since we all came from a woman Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman I wonder why we take from our women Why we rape our women, do we hate our women? I think it's time to kill for our women Time to heal our women, be real to our women And if we don't we'll have a race of babies That will hate the ladies, that make the babies And since a man can't make one He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one So will the real men get up I know you're fed up ladies, but you gotta keep your head up
“I Am Woman� by Helen Reddy I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back and pretend 'Cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever going to keep me down again Whoa, yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman You can bend but never break me 'Cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I'll come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul Whoa, yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman I am woman, watch me grow See me standing toe-to-toe As I spread my loving arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long, long way to go Until I make my brother understand Whoa, yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am strong
I am woman
I am woman
I am invincible
Oh, I am woman
I am strong
I am invincible
I am woman
I Will Survive by Diana Ross (This is dedicated to my girls) At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinkin' I could never live without you by my side Then I spent so many nights Just thinking how you did me wrong And I grew strong And I learned how to get along And so you're back from outer space I just walked in to find you here, with that sad look upon your face I should have changed that stupid lock I should have made you leave your key If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me Go on now go, walk out the door Just turn around now 'Coz you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbyes? you think I'd crumble? you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no not I, I will survive For as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive I've got all my life to live And I've got all my love to give I'll survive I will survive Hey hey (I, I will survive) Hey hey (I, I will survive) Every day (I, I will survive) Oh yeah It took all the strength I had not to fall apart Just trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart And I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself I used to cry, but now I hold my head up high And you see me, somebody new I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free But now I'm savin' all my lovin' for someone who's lovin' me Go on now, go walk out the door Just turn around now You're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbyes? you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no not I, I will survive Oh as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive I've got all my life to live And I've got all my love to give I'll survive I will survive Hey hey Go now, go walk out the door Just turn around now 'Coz you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye?
Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no not I, I will survive Oh as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive I've got all my life to live And I've got all my love to give I'll survive I will survive I will survive