Listening
exercise:
Popular song:
Father and Son
by Cat Stevens
1. Transcribe the lyrics of this song. After you have done your
best, look up the lyrics on the Internet and correct your work with a red pen
very carefully.
2. Who is speaking? Indicate in your transcription where each speaker's part
begins. How does Cat Stevens reflect the change of speakers in his singing?
3. About how old do you think the son and father are?
4. What kind of conflict does this song describe? What does the father recommend
for the son? What is the son's reaction?
5. In which lines is the father trying to convince his son that he understands
how the son feels? What is the son's response to the father's expression of
understanding?
6. According to the son, what is the father's usual reaction when the son tries
to communicate with the father? How long has this pattern of interaction been
going on? Why did the son sometimes cry?
7. What do you think the outcome of this intergenerational conflict will be?