English Class Leaves Me Fuming
I may be overreacting, and you can be the judge of that. It's just that I'm so angry right now, and I need to write about it.
Two weeks ago, we had to bring in a poem or song lyrics that spoke to you for English class. I had originally chosen to bring in the song "Vrbana Bridge" by Jill Sobule. It's a beautiful love story. The lyrics are behind the cut.
They stood by the window
And watched the old church
Burn for the second time
The light from the fire made her glow like an angel
As she pulled him down and smiled
And they lay on the bed
There were shouts all around
They could shut the whole war out
With the squeak of the springs
And tomorrow's dreams
And the beating of their hearts
He would lay his arms down for her
She would forgive his brother's crime
They would do anything
To make it past Vrbana Bridge
Well he looked up to Jesus
And she looked to the east
Where the sun was soon to rise
She asked for Allah's blessings
To keep them both alive
They had friends in high places
Who could do them a favor
Turn a blind eye
They'd seen so much hate
And death every day
"Let's just let those two walk by"
They would lay their arms down for her
They would forgive his brother's crime
If for one moment they would
Let them pass Vrbana Bridge
Through a crack in the wall
Of a sandbagged building
The soldier saw them fall
He said "If love was their only armor
Well, it did no good at all"
They lay for six days
In a final embrace
They shut the whole war out
The soldier blames the other side
But even he has his doubts
He would lay down his arms down for her
He would forgive his brother's crime
He would lay down his arms
To let them pass Vrbana
He would lay down his arms for her
She would forgive his brother's crimes
Only one moment they would let them pass Vrbana Bridge
I wasn't sure about the lines "As she pulled him down and smiled/They lay on the bed/There were shouts all around/They could shut the whole war out/With the squeak of the springs/And tomorrow's dreams..." so I asked my teacher what she thought. She said that that line was fine, however she found it offensive. I said okay, and used another Jill song, "Manchild."
I was talking about it with my mom and her friends, Scott and Amy, at Borders after school the same week, and they couldn't find anything offensive in it. So today before class started, I went to my teacher with the lyrics on a piece of paper, and I said that I repected her opinion, but I was wondering what it was that she found offensive.
She says, "Well, what weren't you sure about for that song?"
I pointed to the lines I mentioned above and said, "This part."
Without looking at the paper, she says, "Yeah, that's the part I found offensive." I didn't want to mention that she said that that part was fine, because I didn't want to argue. Then, like some snobby girl like the ones who think of me as inferior because I'm not as popular, she says to me, "I don't get why you're asking, I mean YOU'RE the one who came up to me and ask me."
All I could manage to say was an "Okay" and went back to my seat.
I'm pretty sure it had to do with the fact that Allah is mentioned in the song. But, it's not saying anything against Allah; the lines are just "She asked for Allah's blessings/To keep them both alive." That was the feedback I got before I asked her today. Again, I may be overreacting, but what do you all think?
At least I can post the lyrics up here.
xoxo
Two weeks ago, we had to bring in a poem or song lyrics that spoke to you for English class. I had originally chosen to bring in the song "Vrbana Bridge" by Jill Sobule. It's a beautiful love story. The lyrics are behind the cut.
They stood by the window
And watched the old church
Burn for the second time
The light from the fire made her glow like an angel
As she pulled him down and smiled
And they lay on the bed
There were shouts all around
They could shut the whole war out
With the squeak of the springs
And tomorrow's dreams
And the beating of their hearts
He would lay his arms down for her
She would forgive his brother's crime
They would do anything
To make it past Vrbana Bridge
Well he looked up to Jesus
And she looked to the east
Where the sun was soon to rise
She asked for Allah's blessings
To keep them both alive
They had friends in high places
Who could do them a favor
Turn a blind eye
They'd seen so much hate
And death every day
"Let's just let those two walk by"
They would lay their arms down for her
They would forgive his brother's crime
If for one moment they would
Let them pass Vrbana Bridge
Through a crack in the wall
Of a sandbagged building
The soldier saw them fall
He said "If love was their only armor
Well, it did no good at all"
They lay for six days
In a final embrace
They shut the whole war out
The soldier blames the other side
But even he has his doubts
He would lay down his arms down for her
He would forgive his brother's crime
He would lay down his arms
To let them pass Vrbana
He would lay down his arms for her
She would forgive his brother's crimes
Only one moment they would let them pass Vrbana Bridge
I wasn't sure about the lines "As she pulled him down and smiled/They lay on the bed/There were shouts all around/They could shut the whole war out/With the squeak of the springs/And tomorrow's dreams..." so I asked my teacher what she thought. She said that that line was fine, however she found it offensive. I said okay, and used another Jill song, "Manchild."
I was talking about it with my mom and her friends, Scott and Amy, at Borders after school the same week, and they couldn't find anything offensive in it. So today before class started, I went to my teacher with the lyrics on a piece of paper, and I said that I repected her opinion, but I was wondering what it was that she found offensive.
She says, "Well, what weren't you sure about for that song?"
I pointed to the lines I mentioned above and said, "This part."
Without looking at the paper, she says, "Yeah, that's the part I found offensive." I didn't want to mention that she said that that part was fine, because I didn't want to argue. Then, like some snobby girl like the ones who think of me as inferior because I'm not as popular, she says to me, "I don't get why you're asking, I mean YOU'RE the one who came up to me and ask me."
All I could manage to say was an "Okay" and went back to my seat.
I'm pretty sure it had to do with the fact that Allah is mentioned in the song. But, it's not saying anything against Allah; the lines are just "She asked for Allah's blessings/To keep them both alive." That was the feedback I got before I asked her today. Again, I may be overreacting, but what do you all think?
At least I can post the lyrics up here.
xoxo