Name US History. Mrs. Brannen /40

Transcription

1 1 Name US History Mrs. Brannen /40 Together as a class we will listen to the songs and follow the lyrics on the printouts. After the song has played through we ll discuss the verses what they are saying and what they are implying. Topics to discuss: Intended audience, Economy, lifestyle, blame, segregation, distribution of wealth and social implications. Assessment: Chose one of the creative assignments below in response to one of the Depression period songs. I am looking to see that you understand the material and the repercussions of the Depression on the common people. 1. Taking the stances of a politician during the Great Depression write a song or poem 2 stanzas in length replying to the needs addressed in the song. The response can be either a directive to the citizens as to what they can do to better their situation, what government plans to do to better the situation or both. 2. RAFT Assignment: write a one page letter to the editor of a local newspaper a. Role concerned citizen b. Audience the readers of the local newspaper c. Format Letter to the Editor d. Topic issues concerning common people, how those issues effect common people with regards to finances and overall morale. 3. Find a song from the Depression period and analyze it in a one page paper. Include: a. What year was the song released? b. Who is the intended audience? c. Discuss the issues the song is addressing. d. What is the tone or attitude of the song?

2 2 NO DEPRESSION (IN HEAVEN) (A. P. CARTER) (1936) For fear the hearts of men are failing, For these are latter days we know. The Great Depression now is spreading, God's word declared it would be so. CHORUS: I'm going where there's no depression, To the lovely land that's free from care. I'll leave this world of toil and trouble, My home's in Heaven, I'm going there. In that bright land, there'll be no hunger, No orphan children cryin' for bread, No weeping widows, toil or struggle, No shrouds, no coffins, and no death. This dark hour of midnight nearing And tribulation time will come. The storms will hurl in midnight fear And sweep lost millions to their doom.

3 3 THE RICH MAN AND THE POOR MAN (BOB MILLER) (1932) By July 1932 the country had reached the depths of the Depression. The Republican Hoover administration appeared powerless in its attempts to restore social and economic normality. Two Democratic hopefuls were battling for the party's Presidential nomination: Al Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt. On July 28 Miller entered Victor's New York studio to record nine masters in anticipation of the 1932 campaign; two are included here. "The Rich Man and The Poor Man" is a humorous look at class differences; "The Poor Forgotten Man" typifies the mood of the era's working class There's just two kind of people, the sinner and the saint; There's one that gets and always got while the other poor one ain't. Oh, the rich man drives his Lincoln past the red light with a grin, And the poor man follows right behind in his little hunk of tin. There's a motorcycle copper following upon their trail; Oh, the rich man tears his ticket, but the poor man goes to jail. Oh, the rich man takes the high road anywhere that he may go, But when the poor man's travelin' he must always take the low. So if you're rich you'll travel snug as peas are in the pod; Oh, the rich man rides a cushion and the poor man rides the rods. Oh, the rich man when he's ailing stays at home and calls the doc, But the poor man has to go to work, be in time to punch a clock. The rich man takes his medicine, has his doctors and his nurse; So the rich man he gets better but the poor man he gets worse! Oh, the rich man steals a million from the bank that he controls, While the poor man steals a loaf of bread or a penny's worth of rolls. They take them to the courthouse, one is laughing, one's in tears; Oh, the rich man gets an apology while the poor man gets ten years! Oh, the rich man gets a lawyer and the lawyer pleads his case, While the poor man asks for sympathy but of that there is no trace. So if you're rich don't worry but the poor must give up hope; Oh, the rich man gets acquitted while the poor man gets the rope! Oh, the rich man when he kicks off has a casket made of gold, While the poor man has a wooden box and his grave looks mighty cold. The rich man gets a sermon but here's one thing that's sure, When the rich man takes that last long ride he's as much dead as the poor!

4 4 HOW CAN A POOR MAN STAND SUCH TIMES AND LIVE? (BLIND ALFRED REED) (1929) This song was recorded by Blind Alfred Reed in New York, NY, 4 Dec 1929 and released as RCA VICTOR Vi V There once was a time when everything was cheap, But now prices nearly puts a man to sleep. When we pay our grocery bill, We just feel like making our will I remember when dry goods were cheap as dirt, We could take two bits and buy a dandy shirt. Now we pay three bucks or more, Maybe get a shirt that another man wore -- Well, I used to trade with a man by the name of Gray, Flour was fifty cents for a twenty-four pound bag. Now it's a dollar and a half beside, Just like a-skinning off a flea for the hide -- Oh, the schools we have today ain't worth a cent, But they see to it that every child is sent. If we don't send everyday, We have a heavy fine to pay -- Prohibition's good if 'tis conducted right, There's no sense in shooting a man 'til he shows flight. Officers kill without a cause, They complain about funny laws -- Most all preachers preach for gold and not for souls, That's what keeps a poor man always in a hole. We can hardly get our breath, Taxed and schooled and preached to death -- Oh, it's time for every man to be awake, We pay fifty cents a pound when we ask for steak. When we get our package home, A little wad of paper with gristle and a bone -- Well, the doctor comes around with a face so bright, And he says in a little while you'll be all right. All he gives is a humbug pill, A dose of dope and a great big bill --

5 5 Shuttin' Detroit Down John Rich (2009) My daddy taught me In this county everyone's the same You work hard for your dollar And you never pass the blame When it don't go your way Now I see all these big shots Whining on my evening news About how their losing billions And it's up to me and you To come running to the rescue While the boss man takes his Bonus pay and jets on outta town DC's paying out the banker As the farmers auction ground And while their living up on Wall Street In that New York City town Well pardon me if I don't she'd a tear Cuz they're selling make believe And we don't buy that here Because in the real world they're While the boss man takes his Bonus pay and jets on outta town DC's paying out the banker As the farmers auction ground And while their living up on Wall Street In that New York City town Well that old mans been working Hard in that plant most all his life And now his pension plans Been cut in half and He can't afford to dye And it's a crying shame Cuz he aint the one to blame When I look down and see his Callused hands Well let me tell you friend It gets me fighting mad Because in the real world they're