Guns n’ Roses is about to come to Brazil for the sixth time, so I prepared this activity for a student who is a big fan of the band. I’ve chosen Civil War mainly because it doesn’t mention the band’s favorite topics: sex, drugs and alcohol :/
I hope you like it! The answers are provided in the comment section of this post!
SONG ACTIVITY
1) Complete the song based on the tips at the bottom of the page. Then, listen to check.
Civil War, by Guns n’ Roses
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate
Some men you just can’t reach
So you get what we had here last ________1
Which is the way he wants it, well, he gets it
I don’t like it any more than you men”
Look at your ________2 men fighting
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men ________3
The way they’ve always done before
Look at the _________4 we’re breeding
Look at the fear we’re __________5
Look at the lives we’re leading
The way we’ve always done before
My ________6 are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the _____7 go on with brainwashed pride
For the of god and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can’t deny
And are _________8 away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars
Did you wear a black armband
When they shot the man
Who said, peace could last forever
And in my first __________9
They shot Kennedy
I went numb when I learned to see
So I never fell for vietnam
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
That you can’t trust ____________10
When it’s not in your hands
When everybody’s fighting
For their promised land
And I don’t need your civil war
It feeds the _______11 while it buries the poor
You’re power hungry sellin’ soldiers
In a human grocery store, ain’t that fresh?
I don’t need your civil war
Look at the shoes you’re filling
Look at the blood we’re spilling
Look at the _________12 we’re killing
The way we’ve always done before
Look in the doubt we’ve wallowed
Look at the leaders we’ve followed
Look at the _________13 we’ve swallowed
And I don’t wanna hear no more
My _________6 are tied
For all I’ve seen has changed my mind
But still the _____7 go on as the years go by
With no love of god or human rights
Cause all these dreams are swept aside
By bloody hands of the hypnotized
Who carry the _______14 of homicide
And history bears the scars of our civil wars
“We practice selective annihilation
Of mayors and government officials
For example to create a vacuum then we fill that vacuum
As popular war advances, peace is closer”
I don’t need your civil war
It feeds the ______11 while it buries the poor
You’re power hungry sellin’ soldiers
In a human grocery store, ain’t that fresh?
And I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
You’re power hungry sellin’ soldiers
In a human grocery store, ain’t that fresh?
I don’t need one more war
I don’t need one more war
What’s so civil about war, anyway?
I don’t need one more war
What’s so civil about war, anyway?
TIPS:
1. A period of seven days
2. The contrary of old
3. To become dead (verb; present continuous)
4. Intense dislike
5. To give food (verb; present continuous)
6. The part of the human arm located below the forearm, used for holding things (plural)
7. Conflicts, battles
8. To clean, using water or other liquid (participle)
9. All that a person can remember (plural)
10. The condition of being free.
11. the contrary of poor
12. Earth, planet
13. False information, not true (plural)
14. +
2. Match the words with their translation.
a. breed 1. ( ) sangrento
b. brainwash 2. ( ) enterrar
c. sweep 3. ( ) lavagem cerebral
d. bloody 4. ( ) prefeito
e. shot 5. ( ) gerar, criar
f. hide 6. ( ) engolir
g. bury 7. ( ) varrer
h. grocery store 8. ( ) esconder
i. swallow 9. ( ) armazém, mercadinho
j. mayor 10. ( ) tiro
3. Explain what is described in the following passage:
Look at your young men fighting
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying
The way they’ve always done before
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying
The way they’ve always done before
4. What is this song protesting against?
5. Do you think Brazil may ever face a war like the one described in the song?
Download worksheet for free HERE.
Answer key:
Task 1:
1) week 2) young 3)dying 4)hate 5)feeding 6)hands 7)wars 8)washed 9)memories 10)freedom 11)rich 12)world 13)lies 14)cross
Task 2: a-5, b-3, c-7, d-1, e-10, f-8, g-2, h-9, i-6, j-4
Tasks 3, 4 and 5: open answers
