What's Going On
Marvin Gaye · 1971
🎤 Sing along
Sing with the chorus
- What's going on
- What's going on
- What's going on
- What's going on
Sing the opening verse
- There's too many of you crying
- Brother, brother, brother, there's far too many of you dying
- You know we've got to find a way
- To bring some lovin' here today
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:
There's too many of you crying
Exercise 8
Translate this line to Portuguese:
We don't need to escalate
Exercise 9
Translate this line to Portuguese:
Mother, mother, everybody thinks we're wrong
Exercise 10
Translate this line to Portuguese:
We've got to find a way
Exercise 11
Translate this line to Portuguese:
To bring some lovin' here today
Exercise 12
Choose the missing word:
There's too ? of you crying
Exercise 13
Choose the missing word:
We ? need to escalate
Exercise 14
Choose the missing word:
To bring some ? here today, oh oh oh
Exercise 15
Choose the missing word:
But ? to me, so you can see
Exercise 16
Choose the missing word:
Simply ? our hair is long
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 "what's" in the whole song?
"what's"
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:
- So you can see
- There's too many of you crying
- What's going on
Exercise 25
Rewrite the chorus of "What's Going On" in your own words — keep the meaning but change the style (formal, slang, poetic, whatever you like).
Exercise 26
If you had to summarize "What's Going On" in one sentence to someone who has never heard it, what would you say?
Exercise 27
What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "What's Going On" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.
Exercise 28
Write the full form of each contraction:
there's→we've→don't→what's→we're→
Exercise 29
Who in your life would you dedicate "What's Going On" to, and what line captures what you want to say to them?
Exercise 30
The singer makes a claim or statement in this song. Do you agree with it? Use evidence from the lyrics to support your answer.