The Impact Template
Transcript: “That’s Life” by James Brown “That’s Life” is relatable to “no gain without pain” because in the song it talks about life being hard at times. In one part of the song the lyrics state, “That's life, that's what the people say/ You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May/ But I know, I'm gonna change that tune/ When I'm back on, top in June” and in these lines the artist is saying that the world is tough and when you are on top of life it will come and nock you down but you keep moving forward. In another line the lyrics state, “I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king/ And up, down, over and out but I know one thing/ Every time I feel that I'm gonna fall flat on my face/ I just pick myself up and get back in the race”. In these lyrics the artist is saying that he has been in every state of life but every time he falls he gets back up and he is motivating others to do the same. The song “That’s Life” reflects the saying “no gain without pains” because it talks about getting knocked down in life but getting up and keep moving forward to be better. First Harvest- Thanatopsis “Circle of Life” by Elton John The song “Circle of Life” relates to Thanatopsis because both works discuss nature as a cycle and when something dies something else is created and follows the same path as the one before, and that path is death. A lyric in "Circle of Life" the song states, “From the day we arrive on the planet/And blinking, step into the sun/ There's more to see than can ever be seen/More to do than can ever be done". In these lyrics the artist is talking about how there is not enough time in any living thing’s life to enjoy the world and that death will take them. Another lyric from “Circle of Life” is, “There's far too much to take in here/ More to find than can ever be found/ But the Sun rolling high through the sapphire sky/ Keeps great and small on the endless round”. In these lyrics the artist is saying that no matter how great or strong someone is they still are going to have the same fate as someone weaker, and that fate is death. Like Thanatopsis the song “Circle of Life” involves a massage that death will take everyone as it has taken those before. The American Tradition-Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God “Cold, Cold Ground” by Tom Waits “Cold, Cold Ground” relates to “How to Build a Fire” because the song talks about being sleeping on a cold ground during winter. In the song a line says, “Now don't be a cry baby when there's wood in the shed/There's a bird in the chimney and a stone in my bed/When the road's washed out, we pass the bottle around/And wait in the arms of the cold, cold ground”. The artist is saying through these lyrics that he is of no concern as long as he has something to drink. In another line the lyrics state, “Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells/Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill/The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream/I find we'll lay down together in the cold, cold ground”. In these lyrics the artist is saying that he can dream but his truth is that he will die and be placed in the cold ground. Like “How to Build a Fire” the song “Cold, Cold Ground” is saying that men are trying to prove it’s self but no matter what they will die. “Happy Birthday” by Stevie Wonder “Happy Birthday” is a good example of the characteristic focus on individual because the artist focuses his song on one man’s birthday. In the song some lyrics state, “You know it doesn't make much sense/ There ought to be a law against/ Anyone who takes offense/ At a day in your celebration”. In these lyrics the artist is saying that no one should disagree with the idea of making a day to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. because he was such a great man. Another lyric from the song is, “I just never understood/ How a man who died for good/ Could not have a day that would/ Be set aside for his recognition”. These lyrics reflect the idea of focusing on an individual because it talks about how good King was and that he died for a good cause in which he should be celebrated for doing so. Like the characteristic focus on individual the song “Happy Birthday” focuses on one man’s birthday and wants it be celebrated by all. "To Build a Fire" Benjamin Franklin- No gain without pains "Bonus" Reason and Revolution- Speech in the Virginia Convention “Self Destruction” by Stop the Violence Movement “Self Destruction” is relatable to The Crucible because the song talks about a group of people killing and destroying each other ruining peace among them just like in The Crucible. In the song the lyric states, “Well, today's topic, self destruction/ It really ain't the rap audience that's buggin/ It's one or two suckas, ignorant brothers/ Trying to rob and steal from one another/ You get caught in the mid/ So to crush the stereotype here's what we did/We got ourselves together so that you could unite and fight for what's right/ Not negative 'cause the way we live is