Cross Road Blues
Robert Johnson · 1936
🎤 Sing along
Sing with the singer
- You can run, tell my friend boy Willie Brown
Definitions: Cambridge Dictionary · Translation: MyMemory
Exercises
Exercise 1
Fill the blank in this line:
Exercise 2
Fill the blank in this line:
Exercise 3
Fill the blank in this line:
Exercise 4
Translate this line to Portuguese:
Lord that I'm standin' at the crossroad, babe
Exercise 5
Translate this line to Portuguese:
I believe I'm sinkin' down
Exercise 6
Translate this line to Portuguese:
Ooh-eeh, boy dark goin' get me here
Exercise 7
Choose the missing word:
Ooh-eeh, boy ? goin' get me here
Exercise 8
Choose the missing word:
You can run, ? my friend boy Willie Brown
Exercise 9
Choose the missing word:
Lord that I'm ? at the crossroad, babe
Exercise 10
Choose the missing word:
I ? I'm sinkin' down
Exercise 11
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 12
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 13
How many times do you hear the word "crossroad" in the whole song?
"crossroad"
Exercise 14
How many times do you hear the word "standin'" in the whole song?
"standin'"
Exercise 15
Which single word from this song do you think carries the most emotional weight, and why?
Exercise 16
"Cross Road Blues" was released in 1936. Do you think the themes in the song are timeless, or do they feel dated? Give one example from the lyrics.
Exercise 17
Imagine you are making a short film with "Cross Road Blues" as the soundtrack. What scene would you show while the chorus plays?
Exercise 18
Write the full form of each contraction:
didn't→haven't→i'm→
Exercise 19
What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "Cross Road Blues" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.
Exercise 20
If you could change the ending of the story told in "Cross Road Blues", what would happen instead?
Exercise 21
If you could ask Robert Johnson one question about "Cross Road Blues", what would it be and why?
Exercise 22
Describe the mood of "Cross Road Blues" in three adjectives. What part of the song makes you feel that way?
Exercise 23
Rewrite the chorus of "Cross Road Blues" in your own words — keep the meaning but change the style (formal, slang, poetic, whatever you like).
Exercise 24
Who in your life would you dedicate "Cross Road Blues" to, and what line captures what you want to say to them?
Exercise 25
The singer makes a claim or statement in this song. Do you agree with it? Use evidence from the lyrics to support your answer.
Exercise 26
If you had to summarize "Cross Road Blues" in one sentence to someone who has never heard it, what would you say?
Exercise 27
Compare "Cross Road Blues" with a Brazilian song you know. Do they share a theme? How do their styles differ?
Exercise 28
Pick one line from "Cross Road Blues" that could stand on its own as a personal motto. Why did you choose that line?
Exercise 29
Would "Cross Road Blues" work better as a solo performance or as a duet? Who would you cast as the second voice, and why?
Exercise 30
How does the pace of "Cross Road Blues" change from beginning to end? Is the ending more intense, calmer, or the same? Give one example.