PHIL COLLINS – ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE
She calls out to the man on the street
'Sir, can you help me?
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep,
Is there somewhere you can tell me?
'He walks on, doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there
Oh think twice, it's another day for
You and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,
You and me in paradise
She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she's been crying
She's got blisters on the soles of her feet
Can't walk but she's trying
Chorus
Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh lord, there must be something you can say
You can tell from the lines on her face
You can see that she's been there
Probably been moved on from every place
'Cause she didn't fit in there
Chorus
What do you think about the lyrics? The song talks about homeless people and hunger. It makes us think about the way we live our lives and to realize how lucky we all are to have a roof over our heads and food on a plate every day. There are many more people in the world having problems like these than what you can imagine. Let's now do some research and find out more about homeless people and hunger in the world. Use the links below to answer the questions (write them in your notebooks):
What is the definition of the word "homeless"? Use the dictionary.
Write at least the causes of homelessness. Which one do you think is the worst? Why?
How many people are homeless in the world? How many are there in Europe?
The word homeless has different cultural perceptions depending on the country. In Spanish we have the word "sin techo" (person without a roof above). Write other 3 definitions and write the country they correspond to.
How many people were homeless in England in the 1930s?
Which is the last film made about homelessness? Name it and write the year.
Who wrote the song "Man on the street" about homeless people?
EXTRA EXERCISE: Now find out more about Phil Collins and the song. Answer these questions:
When was Phil Collins born? Where is he from?
When was the song published? What was its position in the hit lists of the U.K and U.S.A?
Watch the
video here and write a short paragraph about your opinion and thoughts. What is the image that impacts you the most? Why?