The poem became famous after it was recited in the film, Four Weddings and A Funeral. The fundamental structure of 12 Bar Blues is three four-bar lines or sections. Mississippi John Hurt, "Stack O' Lee" ... there is rhyme in each stanza. Free Essays on Funeral Blues Rhyme Scheme . someone out on a date, completing a homework assignment, or performing in a school eventathletic or otherwise. students that borrowing lines, a concept further explored in the Focus Exercise, was common practice in early blues. The poem explores grief in the aftermath of someone's death. And the rhyme scheme is tweaked a bit, too: AABB instead of ABAB. Illustrate this idea by The blues is known traditionally as a style of music played typically in 12 bars, featuring lyrics that highlight pain and suffering. Addresses the following themes in the National Curriculum Standards for. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song.It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.. An example of the ABAB rhyming scheme, from "To Anthea, who may Command him Anything", by Robert Herrick: How the blues represents an extension of the African American oral tradition, How the AAB blues form connects to African music and early African American music, The connection between slave music lyrics and blues lyrics. Can't find my baby Web Sites: which B.B. The rhyme scheme in the poem is A-B-A-B; I feel that the poet uses this rhyme scheme to give the poem more structure; I feel that it mirrors his pace while he is walking through London. Invite students to read the work of their I painted with Picasso, Played Blues with BB King I went on tour with Dylan and I taught him how to sing I Been there ---- done that I am the chairman of the bored I am the chairman of the bored I ran the Boston marathon in 20 minutes flat Debated William Buckley and I took him to the mat Dropped acid with the Grateful Dead in 1969 The term "12-bar" refers to the number of measures, or musical bars, used to express the theme of a typical blues song. Hughes supposedly wrote "The Weary Blues," which is about a singer performing on Lenox Avenue, after visiting a cabaret in Harlem. The poet's blues poetry was influenced by the music he heard during his childhood. Ask students to label each sentence lyrically from others as well. d. The poem does not offer insight into emotions. Once students have each Inform them that Johnson borrowed c. The poem does not use figurative language. Why would blues singers borrow from one another in this fashion? Muddy Waters, "Mannish Boy" students comprehend the parts, ask them to identify the parts of the song lyrics they brought to class, pointing out that not all songs contain Click on a word above to view its definition. What is the rhyme scheme in Funeral Blues? © copyright 2003-2020 Study.com. Mastery of the blues and rhythm changes are "critical elements for building a jazz repertoire". Research should consider the following: Good starting places for research include: Extensions And I can't be satisfied. The Road to Memphis ("Sam Phillips" segment) Start by discussing the lyrical parts of a song: Mention that blues songs, like many other songs, conform to standard song structure in some ways while varying in others. Ask students to bring the lyrics of a favorite song to class Auden. ", Next, encourage them to move further away from the original in another rewriting of the verse. This page is an analysis of the poem Funeral Blues by W.H. Analysis of “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash Look at the song lyrics the way you would at a poem, and identify the elements below (as many as are present in the song). Next, identify how the song conforms to the AAB blues format, with the first two lines King's performance shows the AAB form) All rights reserved. into their music today are no different from blues musicians who used floating The lyrics of blues songs are often as entertaining as they are tragic, and they tend to replicate poetry more than song lyrics, inspiring a sub-genre of poetry known as the blues … Words That Rhyme With Blue What rhymes with Blue? spirituals, and country string ballads) as well as early blues performers. Finally, demonstrate how blues music frequently veers away from the AAB format. 1976 #1 hit: The Manhattans, "Kiss and Say Goodbye" Read the descriptions of rhyme schemes below. 1955 #10 hit: Fats Domino, "Ain't That a Shame" As a class, analyze both the form and topical content of the lyrics, focusing on whether there is sufficient evidence to Click here to download a PDF of this lesson. (reminding them beforehand what appropriate and inappropriate choices would be). Blues lyrics, in addition to often following the AAB blues format, frequently tell a story. Auden write "Funeral Blues"? Start by playing B.B. But Trethewey opts for the restraint mandated by a set rhyme scheme and meter. King performs a song in the AAB format. forum in which these issues are discussed. BridgeTransitional passage connecting two sections of the song. view their findings as ideas rather than as definitive answers. classmates, borrowing lines that they particularly like from one another's work and incorporating these lines into their own songs. Overview 2. Today's hits can be located at http://www.americanmusiconline.com/. To further illustrate this blues form, show the segment "Black Spot on the Dial" from The Road to Memphis in creation might read: And my eyes were burning with pain. "Well now, it's three o'clock in the morning, 1955 #10 hit: Fats Domino, "Ain't That a Shame", http://www.bluesroots.de/songbook1/10.htm, http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/lyrics/d/, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lohome.html, http://www.varsity.cam.ac.uk/802567B80049EF7D/Pages/, http://www.discmakers.com/music/ffwd/sampling.php, Understand and practice mapping out a blues song, Comprehend the difference between the use of floating verse and the violation of copyright law. identified a story, inform them that they will use B.B. This exercise explores song elements and looks closely at the blues song format. What is emphasized in W.H. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes within a poem. Origins of the Blues The best The Weary Blues study guide on the planet. Auden write Funeral Blues? the AAB form is by no means the exclusive song format of the blues. AAB / 12 Bar Blues is the most common blues song form. b. The poem is also known as Stop All the Clocks. When And I can't even close my eyes. This exercise encourages students to consider blues musicians weren't necessarily happy when white artists "borrowed" their music, remaking it for white audiences. In addition to highlighting the basic musical form of a blues song, it Today Once the difference between the practice of floating verse and plagiarism. Where would the line breaks be? Big Bill Broonzy, "When Will I Get to Be Called a Man" Feel Like Going Home. it is an elegy which is a poem about a dead person. which stories were passed down from generation to generation, have shaped the phrase-borrowing that is so common to the blues? Ask students what they think about this kind of 1. students listen to "Lost Your Head Blues" by Bessie Smith, recording the words as they listen. The poem ‘Funeral Blues’ is a lament for a friend. 1956 #5 hit: Chuck Berry, "Maybellene" When students have been given adequate research time, the class can hold a In other words, it is the structure of end words of a verse or line that a poet needs to create when writing a poem.Many poems are written in free verse style.Some other poems follow non-rhyming structures, paying attention only to the number of syllables. Auden. The This lesson examines both the content and form of lyrics in blues songs. The familiar 12-bar structure and AAB rhyme scheme from the Delta Blues provided a simple and effective means to construct a song, and hundreds of ‘footloose bards’ and ‘wandering songsters’ used it to compose their own material.