There’s Hope

Sep 30, 2023

Hi all,

Thank you for joining me for this Sunday Special.

Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below.

The Song

(217 words)

The song for today is There’s Hope, a 2006 song by the R&B/Soul artist India.Arie.

Can you guess what it’s about?

The lyrics talk about our drive for consumption, to have more things. When the singer became wealthy, she wasn’t happy. She realized that:

…it’s all about your perception

Are you a pauper or a superstar

So you act, so you feel, so you are

So you act means if you act the way you hope to be, you will feel that way, and you will become it.

The song gives us advice about what to do as events go on around us:

Every time I turn on the T.V. (There’s Hope)

Somebody’s acting crazy (There’s Hope)

If you let it, it will drive you crazy (There’s Hope)

but I'm takin’ back my power today (There’s Hope)

Gas prices they just keep on rising (There’s Hope)

The government they keep on lying

but we gotta keep on surviving

Keep living our truth and do the best we can do

The singer isn’t saying we shouldn’t keep fighting. She’s saying keep fighting AND be true to yourself.

Stand up for your rights

Keep shining your light

And show the world your smile

The video below contains the lyrics. It’s pretty easy to follow along… and sing!

What is something that gives YOU hope? Leave a comment below.

VOCABULARY

consumption 消費

perception 知覚

pauper 貧困者

survive 生き残る

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