Melissa Ferrick, "I Will Back You Up"

Audio only:

Amazon.com purchase link

... and here's my transcription of the song, written by Melissa Ferrick:

I let you in, I gave you my word
The best gift I ever got
was you telling me you were sure now about us
I like rising up in your eyes
I hold on to our trust, forever I will stand

So I will back you up, even when you're wrong
I will back you up, baby,
Until the end of the world
Even when you've had enough
I'll be the one who backs you up

So when all the rain is gone
and everything is breathing full, breathing full
And all our troubles go soft, I like sitting still with you
'Cause you are my home, yeah, you are my home
So I will back you up, even when you're wrong
I will back you up, baby,
Until the end of the world
Even when you've had enough I'll be the one...

'Cause it took this long, I needed to be done
No more running, no more halfway...
Now, I've traveled far enough to know
you are where I wanna stay, yeah, baby,
You are where I wanna stay.

So I will back you up, even when you're wrong
I will back you up, baby,
Until the end of the world
I will back you up, even when you're wrong
I will back you up
Until the end of the world
Even when you've had enough
I'll be the one who backs you up

Buddy Guy, "Skin Deep"

"Skin Deep": In his intro on the video, Buddy Guy says a bit
about his upbringing on a farm in Louisiana and gives his
mother credit for the inspiration of this song. At this concert,
which I described here, I was just a few meters to the left of
this videographer. (I took the pictures on the right--note the
electric Jerry Jones Sitar in the close-up photo, and in the
video.) I think we were all moved by this song.

First, here is the audio version I used in some of our classes. It features
Buddy Guy and Derek Trucks, two of the best guitarists
on the planet.  Then, the video and lyrics are below.





Questions for listening comprehension:

1. Did Buddy Guy’s mother live long enough to hear him play as a famous musician?
2. Where did he grow up? In what kind of neighborhood?
3. How old was he when he first experienced “running water”? (What is “running water”?)
4. Did his family have electricity?
5. One day, while his mother was combing her hair in a broken mirror, what did Buddy Guy say to her?
6. Without “cracking a smile” (changing her expression), how did she respond to him?
7. Does Buddy Guy agree with what she said? How do we know?

Lyrics: (Buddy Guy)

I've been around a while
I know wrong from right
I learned a long time ago
Things ain't always black and white
Just like you can't judge a book by the cover
We all gotta be careful
How we treat one another
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all, all are the same

A man in Louisiana,
He never called me by my name
He said "boy do this and boy do that"
But I never once complained
I knew he had a good heart
But he just didn't understand
That I needed to be treated
Just like any other man
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all are the same

I sat my child down
when he was old enough to know
I said out there in this big wide world
You're gonna meet all kinds of folks
I said son it all comes down to just one simple rule
That you treat everybody just the way
You want them to treat you
Yeah
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all are the same
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all are the same
Yeah

Groups 201-204 Homework: Write to Julie about food

photo by Johan Maurer

This letter is due at your class on November 13 or 14. (That's right, November 13 or 14! Finish your old homework, too!!)

---

Exercise from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.

Group 301V-401V: Hugh Laurie is "Inside the Actors Studio"

Now you can watch the sections I skipped over in class.

Here are the questions I asked:

1. What did Lipton mean, "We are proud to welcome an entire cast of characters"?
2. How did Laurie contrast American and British audiences?
3. Who is W.G.R.M. Laurie?
4. What was Laurie's mother Patricia's attitude to pleasure?
5. What was Patricia's attitude, at least some of the time, to her son Hugh?
6. Was Hugh a horrible child? In what ways?
7. Did television and the theatre play a big role in Laurie's childhood?
8. Laurie described a moment of pride in his parents' relationship with him. Do you remember the incident?
9. What type of school is Eton? Why is its classification a puzzle for American audiences?
10. What language is spoken at Eaton? What is "capping a beak"? A "wet Bob"?
11. Laurie grew up in Oxford; why did he go to university in Cambridge?
12. What incident caused Hugh Laurie to turn his attention to athletics (rowing) to drama?
13. Why is there a vagueness in the discussion about Emma Thompson?

[skip from 13:22 to 21:19]

14. How did a demolition derby reveal Hugh's psychological state? What was his diagnosis? How did he find help?
15. What was Laurie's attitude to fun?
16. In the context of American television tradition, why was Laurie surprised by House's role in the new TV drama?
17. How did Laurie acquire his American accent? What is "just a fact" according to Laurie?
18. Why is the character of Dr. House upsetting?

NEXT CLASS: We'll finally talk about the "problem" cases in Arakin, exercise 6 on page 128, and we'll try to think of some additional cases.

Cat Power, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

This has to be one of the most extreme examples of how a cover can differ from an original track. Here's Cat Power performing "Satisfaction."



Listen or download Cat Power Satisfaction for free on Pleer

Words: (Cat Power's version leaves out the chorus)

When I'm drivin' in my car
And the man comes on the radio
Hes tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Tryin' to mess my imagination

When I'm watchin' my tv
And a man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be
But, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me

When I'm ridin around the globe
And I'm doin' this and I'm signin' that
And I'm tryin' to make some boy
Baby, baby, baby, come back 'cause you see
I'm on a losing streak

When I'm ridin' a round the globe
And I'm doin' this and I'm signin' that
And I'm tryin'
And I'm tryin'

I have two videos for you. One shows Cat Power performing this song onstage--but here the style is closer to traditional rock, using the Rolling Stones' hook on the organ. The second video is from French television, and shows Cat Power performing two songs, the second a traditional blues song accompanied by my favorite guitarist, Buddy Guy.




Want to compare with the original Rolling Stones' song? ...


Listen or download Rolling Stones Satisfaction for free on Pleer

The Rolling Stones, "Ruby Tuesday"

... by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

OK, this song is faster than "Shelter from the Storm" and slower than "Drive My Car." Do I have it right yet?!





She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter if it's gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows
She comes and goes

Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

Don't question why she needs to be so free
She'll tell you it's the only way to be
She just can't be chained
To a life where nothing's gained
And nothing's lost
At such a cost

Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

There's no time to lose, I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams
And you will lose your mind.
Ain't life unkind?

Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

Groups 201-204 Homework: Applying for a job

Source.

In this week's homework, there's something new. You're not writing to a pen pal. Instead, you are applying for a job. (See the actual assignment C1 below.)

In our class this week, we'll talk about useful words and expressions for a job application letter. We will consider:

• good ways to open your letter
• how to describe yourself
• closing your letter with a specific promise or request.

The homework is due on your class day, October 23 or 24. Good luck!

Exercise from Olga Afanasyeva, Virginia Evans, Victoria Kopylova, Practice Exam Papers for the Russian State Exam, 2010 Revised Edition, Moscow: Express Publishing/Prosveshchenie Publishers.