4.13 Canadian History Through Poetry and Lyrics - Part One
Lyrics
Have you heard of “lyrics” before? Lyrics means “words to a song” – basically poetry put to music. In this lesson, you will explore two songs that reflect Canada's history and help us to better understand our story as a nation.
Structure of songs
Instead of stanzas, songs have verses and a chorus.
- Verse: a verse is like a poetic stanza and often even has a rhyming pattern.
- Chorus: The chorus contains the main idea, or big picture. It is repeated throughout the song.
The first song (on the next page) in this lesson is called “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. As you read it, see if you can determine what the song is about.
Words to know before you read:
Gourd: a fleshy “fruit” with a hard outer skin, also used to create decorative ornaments, or to create drinking containers out of their shells.
Quail: A bird that can be used for food, similar to a chicken (but wild).
