WAR CHILD Lyrics Teacherdoc

The Power of our Voices

Date :

WAR CHILD

(lyrics by Emmanuel Jal and Clinton Outten) I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives All the people struggling down there Storms only come for a while Then after a while they’ll be gone Blessed, blessed I’m a war child I’m a war child I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives (touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives) My father was working for the government as a policeman Few years later I heard he joined a rebel movement that was formed to fight for freedom I didn’t understand the politics behind all this ‘cause I was only a child After a while I saw the tension rising high between the Christian and the Muslim regime We lost our possession My mother, my mother’s mother suffered depression and because of this… I was forced to be a war child I’m a war child (ane ge kore, kore*) I’m a war child (ane ge kore, kore*) I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives (touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives) I lost my father in this battle My brothers too perished in this struggle All my life I’ve been hiding in the jungle The pain I’m cutting is too much to handle Who’s there please to light up my candle Is there anyone to hear my cry. * South Sudanese dialect, translation: ‘and I’m crying, crying’

Your Reading TASK  With your team , you are going to explore the song by Emmanuel Jal entitled : War Child .  Study the lyrics. Answer the questions to check your

understanding of the song.  a- What is the song topic ? Justify your answer by quoting the text . (repetitions)

The song deals with Emmanuel Jal’s personal story as a war child and his fight against child soldiers.  “I’m a war child “ “I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives .” b- What human right (s) is the song about ?

The song is about the right to live in freedom and safety, the right for children to have a childhood, a family , and education and to be treated fairly. c- Identify the chorus.

 “I’m a war child, I’m a war child, I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives …”  a- Who speaks ? Identify the narrator . Justify by quoting some lyrics .

Emmanuel Jal, the singer –songwriter is the narrator .  “I’m” / “my” / ”We”/ “my story” b- What does it tell you about the type of narrative. Tick  the correct box and justify your choice in your own words.  a first-person narrative

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 It’s a first-person narrative because Emmanuel Jal tells his own story. It’s a personal testimony. c- List all the persons mentioned .

 The persons mentioned are Emmanuel Jal ‘s father, mother, grand-mother, brothers . The “people” from Sudan, his home country, are also mentioned.  a- Who wrote this song ?

 Emmanuel Jal wrote the song together with Clinton Outten. b-

What do you learn about the narrator ? (name/ origin / occupation / childhood )

The narrator is a Sudanese (from South Sudan) singersongwriter . He grew up in war time and he himself became a child soldier as most of his family was killed in the war . c-

What do you learn about his family and social background ?

He came from a middle-class family as his father was a policeman before joining a rebel movement. His father and his brothers fought in the war. Both his mother and grand-mother had a mental illness.

d-

What was going wrong in the narrator’s country ?

There was a civil war at the time in Sudan and a lot of tension between the Christians and the Muslims. (The country was at war)  a- Pick out all the past forms . Classify them in the chart below. Preterite tense

Past participle

was working / was

survived

heard / joined

gone

didn’t understand / saw / lost

formed

suffered

forced

perished

been

b- Pick out all the passive forms .

was formed / ( they) ’ll be gone / was forced

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Briefly describe the story as told in the song . ( 40/ 50 words)

His father who used to work for the government as a policeman joined a rebel movement fighting for freedom during the war. The family quickly lost everything in the struggle. His mother and grand-mother had a mental illness. When his father and his brothers were killed in the war, he was forced to become a child soldier. He then fled to the jungle to survive.  a- List some of the Human Rights that the narrator was denied as a child .

The right to education / the right to safety / the right to freedom / the right to have a family / the right to be treated fairly with torture/ the right to play b- Identify the repetitions in the song .

“I’m a war child” X 4 / “child” X 6 / “ I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives …” X6 / “blessed” X 2 / “touch lives” X 15  What is the effect produced ?

It gives more power to the message. The aim is to raise awareness about the issue of child soldiers. He wants to “touch” the hearts of the listeners.  What is the overall tone of the song ? Justify your choice .

The overall tone of the song is sadness and suffering as the song deals with a serious issue, war and child soldiers. It is a very emotional song. c- Read these 2 lines . What does the imagery convey?  “ The pain I’m cutting is too much to handle. Who’s there to light up my candle”.

On the one hand, the imagery conveys pain and suffering, but on the other hand the words “light” and “candle” convey some hope. d- Come up with 2 adjectives to describe Emmanuel Jal . Explain why you chose these.

Emmanuel Jal is brave and courageous as he survived the atrocities of the civil war as a child soldier. He is a committed singer - songwriter who writes songs to tell the world about his personal story.  What do you think is the purpose of his song ? What does he hope to achieve ?

Through his own story as a war child, he hopes to raise awareness about the issue of child soldiers and let the world know that many children’s rights are denied in some countries where children are forced to serve as soldiers in the war.  Emmanuel Jal calls himself a “ warchild” . Explain why he may be called so and whether you agree.

I agree with the fact that he may be called a “war child” as he was ill-treated as a child and forced to become a child soldier in his home country. He was denied the right to a family and to live in safety. He must have been tortured by his captors.  GO FURTHER !

a- What lines in the song do you find the most powerful ? Quote them and explain why in your own words.

“ Who’s there please to light up my candle”  This is the only line in the song that brings some hope. I find it touching as Emmanuel Jal seems to be calling for help. b- Is this an effective song ? What makes it memorable ?

What makes the song effective and powerful is that Emmanuel Jal himself tells his own story. The listener can learn from the narrator’s traumatic experiences as a war child and experience the narrator’s pain (suffering) and fear. c- Is this song can be described as a protest song ? Justify your answer.

This song can be described as a protest song (= a human rights song) as Emmanuel Jal denounces the situation of child soldiers whose human rights are being denied. It is definitely a committed song. Through his personal story and through music, the singer hopes to “trigger” change and make a difference in the world. It’s a very inspiring song.

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Get ready for a talk :

 Imagine you have been asked to present the song War Child

to a young audience in order to raise awareness about child soldiers in Africa . All of the information collected above should be used in your oral account as well as the background information ( See / Child Soldier Statistics)