Graceland
Paul Simon · 1986
🎤 Sing along
Sing with the chorus
- I'm going to Graceland
- Poor boys and pilgrims with families
- And we are going to Graceland
- My traveling companion is nine years old
Sing it again — final chorus
- I'm going to Graceland
- For reasons, I cannot explain
- There's some part of me wants to see Graceland
- And I may be obliged to defend every love, every ending
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
Fill the blank in this line:
Exercise 5
Fill the blank in this line:
Exercise 6
Fill the blank in this line:
Exercise 7
Translate this line to Portuguese:
I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee
Exercise 8
Translate this line to Portuguese:
And we are going to Graceland
Exercise 9
Translate this line to Portuguese:
She comes back to tell me she's gone
Exercise 10
Translate this line to Portuguese:
As if I didn't know my own bed
Exercise 11
Translate this line to Portuguese:
I'm going to Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee
Exercise 12
Choose the missing word:
The ? Delta was shining like a national guitar
Exercise 13
Choose the missing word:
He is the ? of my first marriage
Exercise 14
Choose the missing word:
Everybody ? you're blown apart
Exercise 15
Choose the missing word:
And my traveling ? are ghosts and empty sockets
Exercise 16
Choose the missing word:
Everybody ? the wind blow
Exercise 17
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 18
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 19
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 20
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 21
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 22
How many times do you hear the word "graceland" in the whole song?
"graceland"
Exercise 23
How many times do you hear the word "going" in the whole song?
"going"
Exercise 24
Put these three lines in the order they appear in the song:
- Everybody sees you're blown apart
- I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee
- Well, everybody sees you're blown apart
Exercise 25
And these three — put them in the order they appear in the song:
- And we are going to Graceland
- I'm going to Graceland
- In Graceland, in Graceland
Exercise 26
If you could change the ending of the story told in "Graceland", what would happen instead?
Exercise 27
Describe the mood of "Graceland" in three adjectives. What part of the song makes you feel that way?
Exercise 28
Who in your life would you dedicate "Graceland" to, and what line captures what you want to say to them?
Exercise 29
Write the full form of each contraction:
i'm→i've→she's→didn't→i'd→you're→
Exercise 30
"Graceland" was released in 1986. Do you think the themes in the song are timeless, or do they feel dated? Give one example from the lyrics.