4.14 Canadian History Through Poetry and Lyrics - Part Two

Lyrics

Have you heard of “lyrics” before? Lyrics means “words to a song” – basically poetry put to music. In this lesson, you will explore a song that reflects Canada's history to better understand our story as a nation and the story behind a national symbol. Then, you will write a poem that reflects a piece of your own personal history.

Structure of songs

Remember, 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 song (on the next page) in this lesson is called “Bluenose". As you read it, see if you can determine what the song is about.