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A1.2·blues·3:57

Smokestack Lightning

Howlin' Wolf · 1956

Smokestack Lightning by Howlin' Wolf (1956) — selected for the English-through-music catalog. Use the sing-along prompts and exercises to drill pronunciation, vocabulary, and listening comprehension.

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Lyrics + translation · letras.mus.br

🎤 Sing along

Sing with the chorus

  • Why don't you hear me cryin'?
  • A-whoo-hoo, a-whoo-hoo, whoo
  • Whoa-oh, tell me, baby
  • What's the matter here?

Echo the hook

  • Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
  • Whoa-oh, tell me, baby
  • Where did you stay last night?
  • Why don't you hear me cryin'?
whoodon'thear

Definitions: Cambridge Dictionary · Translation: MyMemory

Exercises

Exercise 1

Fill the blank in this line:

What's thehere?

Exercise 2

Fill the blank in this line:

I, I been gone abitty boy?

Exercise 3

Translate this line to Portuguese:

Why don't you hear me cryin'?

Exercise 4

Translate this line to Portuguese:

Never see a you no more

Exercise 5

Translate this line to Portuguese:

Whoa, smokestack lightnin'

Exercise 6

Translate this line to Portuguese:

A-whoo-hoo, a-whoo-hoo, whoo

Exercise 7

Translate this line to Portuguese:

What's the matter here?

Exercise 8

Choose the missing word:

Why ? you hear me cryin'?

Exercise 9

Choose the missing word:

Whoa-oh, ? me, baby

Exercise 10

Choose the missing word:

Why don't you ? me cryin'?

Exercise 11

Choose the missing word:

Whoa-oh, ? your train

Exercise 12

Choose the missing word:

Whoa-oh, who been here ? since

Exercise 13

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 14

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 15

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 16

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 17

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 18

How many times do you hear the word "whoo" in the whole song?

"whoo"

Exercise 19

How many times do you hear the word "don't" in the whole song?

"don't"

Exercise 20

Put these three lines in the order they appear in the song:

  • Whoa, smokestack lightnin'
  • Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
  • Why don't you hear me cryin'?

Exercise 21

The singer makes a claim or statement in this song. Do you agree with it? Use evidence from the lyrics to support your answer.

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 22

Which single word from this song do you think carries the most emotional weight, and why?

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 23

"Smokestack Lightning" was released in 1956. Do you think the themes in the song are timeless, or do they feel dated? Give one example from the lyrics.

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 24

Write the full form of each contraction:

  • don't→
  • what's→

Exercise 25

If you had to summarize "Smokestack Lightning" in one sentence to someone who has never heard it, what would you say?

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 26

Compare "Smokestack Lightning" with a Brazilian song you know. Do they share a theme? How do their styles differ?

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 27

What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "Smokestack Lightning" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 28

If you could change the ending of the story told in "Smokestack Lightning", what would happen instead?

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 29

If you could ask Howlin' Wolf one question about "Smokestack Lightning", what would it be and why?

whoodon'thearcryin'

Exercise 30

Describe the mood of "Smokestack Lightning" in three adjectives. What part of the song makes you feel that way?

whoodon'thearcryin'