Comin' Home by City and Colour (aka Dallas Green) Present Perfect Tense

Comin' Home-City and Colour (aka Dallas Green)  

Present Perfect Tense

Level: Lower Intermediate and up.

City and Color is the recording alias for Canadian singer and songswriter, Dallas Green, who was also the guitarist and vocalist of the band Alexisonfire. He plays melodic acoustic and folky sounding music. The name City and Colour comes from his own name: Dallas a city and Green a colour. He is from St. Catharines, Ontario (a city close to my heart) and is my first Can Con (Canadian Content) on this Blog. Enjoy. (Thanks to Wikipedia for the info).

This song is slow and sad. The lyrics are clear and simple. Could lead to some homesickness.... 

 

Procedure for an easy lesson

1. Listen without lyrics or video. Have students write what he has seen and done.

On board:

What has he seen? 

What has he done? 

Where has he never been?

2. Listen again. 

On board: What would he rather do?

3. Listen again with the lyrics on the hand out or on the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9tkKDbQVLg

On board:

What is his last question? 

What has happened to the singer and his relationship?( for higher levels)

 4. Follow up ideas:
1. Find the places he sings about on a map.
2. Ask students to rewrite the lyrics with their own travels overseas or away from home.

Lyrics 

"Comin' Home" by City and Colour

Well I've been down to Georgia
I've seen the streets in the West
I've driven down the 90, hell I've seen America's best
I've been through the Rockies, I've seen Saskatoon
I've driven down the highway 1 just hopin' that I'd see you soon

Cause I'm comin' home, I'm comin' home

I've never been to Alaska, but I can tell you this,
I've been to Lincoln, Nebraska and hell you know it ain't worth shit
I've been through Nova Scotia, Sydney to Halifax
I'll never take any pictures cause I know I'll just be right back

Cause I'm comin' home, I'm comin' home

I've seen a palace in London, I've seen a castle in Wales
but I'd rather wake up beside you and breathe that ol' familiar smell
I never thought you could leave me, I figured I was the one
but I understand your sadness so I guess I should just hold my tongue

But I'm comin' home, I'm comin' home

I know that we're takin' chances, you told me life was a risk
but I just have one last question...
will it be my heart or will it be his?

I'm comin' home

Pdf of this lesson is here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/161377310/Comin-Home-City-and-Colour?secret_password=29womqolwc8ck1t920am

"Should've Said No" Taylor Swift: Past Modals

An older Taylor Swift song from when she was a teenager. The song is fast, but repeats the main chorus over and over. It is about a boyfriend who has done her wrong; Taylor's favourite theme!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao138HwSqow

1. Easy lesson
Class listens once without lyrics and one while reading on the screen.
Ask them the following questions( I write them on the board.)

• What should Taylor's boyfriend have done?
• What shouldn’t she be doing now?
• What shouldn’t he be doing now? 
• What happened? 
• What might happen now?

 See some possible answers on the work sheet in the PDF.

2. Optional Follow up
If you have lots of time or a creative advanced class, get them to try this.
Tell students to think of a mistake that someone has made and give some past advice. Write new lyrics using the chorus of Taylor's song. Enjoy!
For example:

You should've read the book, you should've given it a look

You should've studied more  before we wrote our test

You should've told the teacher

that you needed more time to do do your best

etc.


 Here are the full lyrics on a PDF
http://www.scribd.com/doc/155347569/Taylor-Swift?secret_password=1ysxgfz4du1ulw5n8q5d