IMAGINE AND LET IT BE

"no path without pain"

IMAGINE

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

TASK) John Lennon images a better world. What would that world look like to you? Pick one line from the song above and expand on it using your knowledge of modals. 

for example. 

The world will live as one. I imagine that the world may someday understand one another. I believe that people can be good to one another and care for each other. I think that every father and mother should try to bring peace and love into their home. We could live in a world without hurt. We could live in a school with no violence or bullying at school.......etc. 

LET IT BE

When I find myself in times of trouble, 
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness 
she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken hearted people 
living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be

For though they may be parted, 
there is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the night is cloudy 
there is still a light that shines on me

Shine until tomorrow, let it be

I wake up to the sound of music,
 Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be

There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be

Words of Wisdom

        Paul McCartney was upset. He was one of the Beatles, a very popular band, and the band was breaking up. Paul didn’t want the band to break up. Paul thought back to the early 1960s, when the band was new. It was fun to write songs, it was fun to perform, and it was fun to be with the other Beatles. John, George, and Ringo were Paul’s best friends.

But now it was 1969, and the Beatles weren’t having fun anymore. They argued a lot about their music, and they argued a lot about money. When they weren’t arguing, they didn’t talk at all. “How can I keep the band together?” Paul asked himself. He thought about the Beatles day and night.

One night Paul fell asleep and dreamed about his mother. Her name was Mary, and she died when Paul was 14 years old. She spoke to him in the dream. “Don’t worry, Paul,” she said. “It will be OK. Let it be.” When Paul woke up, he wrote a song about his mother’s words of wisdom. He called the song “Let It Be.”

Paul’s dream gave him an idea for a new song. It also gave him a new way to think about the Beatles. He stopped trying to keep the band together. A short time later, the Beatles broke up forever.

After the Beatles broke up, Paul McCartney wrote and performed songs on his own. He was a success, and he was happy. His mother was right: Usually it’s a good idea to keep trying. But sometimes it’s best to just let it be.

Story: Copyright © 2014 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Task 1) Change the above song into the past tense. 

Task 2) Listen to the song and read along. Where the music stops point to the lyrics or repeat the last word said. 

Task 3) What inspired this song? Would you believe that it came from his deceased mother in a dream? Read the exerpt above. What do you think John Lennon learnt from his struggles? What is the meaning of let it be according to John's story? What is the universal meaning of the phrase? 

LET IT BE