The Weight
The Band · 1968
🎤 Sing along
Sing with the chorus
- Take a load off Fanny
- Take a load for free
- Take a load off Fanny
- And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
Sing it again — final chorus
- Take a load off Fanny
- And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
- Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
- It's just ol' Luke and Luke's waitin' on the Judgment Day
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
Translate this line to Portuguese:
Take a load off Fanny
Exercise 6
Translate this line to Portuguese:
Take a load for free
Exercise 7
Translate this line to Portuguese:
Yeah, take a load off Fanny
Exercise 8
Choose the missing word:
Take a ? off Fanny
Exercise 9
Choose the missing word:
I said, "Hey, ? come on let's go downtown"
Exercise 10
Choose the missing word:
Go down, ? Moses, there's nothin' you can say
Exercise 11
Choose the missing word:
"Well, ? my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
Exercise 12
Choose the missing word:
Who ? me here with her regards for everyone
Exercise 13
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 14
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 15
Put the words in the right order:
Exercise 16
How many times do you hear the word "load" in the whole song?
"load"
Exercise 17
How many times do you hear the word "fanny" in the whole song?
"fanny"
Exercise 18
Compare "The Weight" with a Brazilian song you know. Do they share a theme? How do their styles differ?
Exercise 19
If you could change the ending of the story told in "The Weight", what would happen instead?
Exercise 20
Describe the mood of "The Weight" in three adjectives. What part of the song makes you feel that way?
Exercise 21
Write the full form of each contraction:
let's→gotta→there's→it's→you'll→i'm→
Exercise 22
Which single word from this song do you think carries the most emotional weight, and why?
Exercise 23
What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "The Weight" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.
Exercise 24
"The Weight" was released in 1968. Do you think the themes in the song are timeless, or do they feel dated? Give one example from the lyrics.
Exercise 25
If you could ask The Band one question about "The Weight", what would it be and why?
Exercise 26
Imagine you are making a short film with "The Weight" as the soundtrack. What scene would you show while the chorus plays?
Exercise 27
Rewrite the chorus of "The Weight" in your own words — keep the meaning but change the style (formal, slang, poetic, whatever you like).
Exercise 28
Who in your life would you dedicate "The Weight" to, and what line captures what you want to say to them?
Exercise 29
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 30
If you had to summarize "The Weight" in one sentence to someone who has never heard it, what would you say?