Edited by Zsuzsa Lévay
This series of exercises uses a song popular with students to work on listening comprehension skills and vocabulary building, as well as sensitizing teens to social issues their favorite idols might have faced, along with many kids and teens in our modern society. The additional exercises also develop reading and speaking skills.
The age group it is recommended for is 12-18, while the level of English required is B2-C1.
1. Take a look at the expressions below. They are missing from the song lyrics, and you will have to put them in the right gaps while listening to the song.
slangin’, stayed real, beef, welfare, rent’s due, coward, fix us, suspended, thugs, shed, hangin’, reminisce, penitentiary, whoopin’, fiend, rocks, scraps
Dear Mama
You are appreciated
When I was young, me and my mama had __________
Seventeen years old, kicked out on the streets
Though back at the time I never thought I’d see her face
Ain’t a woman alive that could take my mama’s place
__________ from school, and scared to go home, I was a fool
With the big boys breakin’ all the rules
I __________ tears with my baby sister, over the years
We was poorer than the other little kids
And even though we had different daddies, the same drama
When things went wrong we’d blame Mama
I __________ on the stress I caused, it was hell
Huggin’ on my mama from a jail cell
And who’d think in elementary, hey
I’d see the __________ one day?
And runnin’ from the police, that’s right
Mama catch me, put a __________ to my backside
And even as a crack __________, Mama
You always was a black queen, Mama
I finally understand
For a woman it ain’t easy tryin’ to raise a man
You always was committed
A poor single mother on __________, tell me how you did it
There’s no way I can pay you back
But the plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
Lady, don’t you know we love you? (Dear Mama)
Sweet lady, place no one above you (You are appreciated)
Sweet lady, don’t you know we love you?
Now, ain’t nobody tell us it was fair
No love from my daddy, ’cause the __________ wasn’t there
He passed away and I didn’t cry, ’cause my anger
Wouldn’t let me feel for a stranger
They say I’m wrong and I’m heartless, but all along
I was lookin’ for a father, he was gone
I hung around with the ___________
And even though they sold drugs
They showed a young brother love
I moved out and started really __________
I needed money of my own, so I started __________
I ain’t guilty, ’cause even though I sell ________
It feels good puttin’ money in your mailbox
I love payin’ rent when the ______________
I hope you got the diamond necklace that I sent to you
‘Cause when I was low you was there for me
And never left me alone, because you cared for me
And I could see you comin’ home after work late
You’re in the kitchen, tryin’ to _______ a hot plate
You just workin’ with the __________ you was given
And Mama made miracles every Thanksgivin’
But now the road got rough, you’re alone
You’re tryin’ to raise two bad kids on your own
And there’s no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
Lady, don’t you know we love you? (And dear Mama)
Sweet lady, place no one above you (You are appreciated)
Sweet lady, don’t you know we love you?
Pour out some liquor and I reminisce
‘Cause through the drama I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I’m hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus
When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there’s no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
And even though I act crazy
I gotta thank the Lord that you made me
There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always ______________
And I appreciate how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night, there’s a brighter day
Everything will be alright if you hold on
It’s a struggle every day, gotta roll on
And there’s no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
Lady, don’t you know we love you? (Dear Mama)
Sweet lady, place no one above you? (You are appreciated)
Sweet lady, don’t you know we love you? (Dear Mama)
Sweet lady Lady (Dear Mama) Lady, lady
2. Can you find synonyms for these words based on the context?
slangin’ _________________________________
stay real ________________________________
beef ____________________________________
welfare _________________________________
coward __________________________________
fix us __________________________________
thugs ___________________________________
shed a tear _____________________________
reminisce ________________________________
penitentiary ______________________________
whoopin’ _________________________________
fiend ___________________________________
scraps __________________________________
Check if you were right in a dictionary.
3. Listen to the song again. Can you make a list of social issues that Tupac and his sister faced as kids and young adults? Try to use the words above when explaining the issues and their effects. You get a point for each used correctly. Let’s see who gets the most points.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4. Read this excerpt from the Rolling Stone magazine article ‘8 Ways Tupac Shakur Changed the World’. Speak with your group about why you think rap music is so popular nowadays.
“Although he is no longer with us, the myth of 2Pac the thug angel remains. No other artist better illuminates hip-hop’s fault lines between regional pride and mainstream success, and the struggle to transcend and elevate beyond humble origins while honoring the streets that raised you. His wayward, conflicting expressions of pride, militancy and gangster-ism resonates in a world when black men and women celebrate their heritage and collectively organize against a racist America, yet are also cautious to protect themselves from each other.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/8-ways-tupac-shakur-changed-the-world-128421/
