So Long It's Been Good to Know You Lesson

So Long It’s Been Good to Know You
by Woody Guthrie This version was adapted by the Weavers

1. I've sung this song, but I'll sing it again,
Of the people I've met and the places I've seen.
Of some of the troubles that bothered my mind
And a lot of good people that I've left behind, saying:

CHORUS
So long, it's been good to know yuh;
So long, it's been good to know yuh;
So long, it's been good to know yuh.
What a long time since I've been home,
And I've gotta be driftin' along.

2. The sweethearts sat in the dark and they sparked.
They hugged and they kissed in that dusty old dark.
They sighed and they cried and they hugged and they kissed,
But instead of marriage they talked like this: Honey,

CHORUS

3. I went to your family and asked them for you.
They all said, “Take her. Oh, take her, please do!
She can’t cook or sew, and she won’t scrub your floor.”
So I put on my hat and tip-toed out the door, saying,

CHORUS

4. I walked down the street to the grocery store.
It was crowded with people both rich and both poor.
I asked the man how his butter was sold.
He said, “One pound of butter for two pounds of gold.” I said,

5A. The telephone rang. It jumped off the wall,
That was the preacher, a-makin' his call.
We’re waitin’ to tie the knot.
You’re getting married. Believe it or not!

(5B. The telephone rang. It jumped off the wall,
That was the preacher, a-makin' his call.
He said, "Kind friends, this may be the end.
You have your last chance at salvation from sin!")


6A. The church was jammed and the church, it was packed,
The pews were all crowded from the front to the back
A thousand friends waited to kiss my new bride,
but I was so anxious, I rushed her outside.

(6B. The church, it was jammed and the church, it was packed,
The pews were all crowded from the front to the back
That the preacher could not read a word of his text,
So he folded his specs, took up a collection, Sayin')

CHORUS
1. What words in the chorus mean: I have to go. or Gotta go


2. What are the present perfect verbs in the first verse?

a. _____________________________
b. _____________________________
c. _____________________________
d. _____________________________

3. Why are the present perfect verbs the correct verbs for this first verse?


4. In the 2nd verse, what are all the past tense verbs?
a. _____________________________
b. _____________________________
c. _____________________________
d. _____________________________
e. _____________________________
f. _____________________________
g. _____________________________
5. Why are these past tense verbs the correct verbs for this 2nd verse?


6. What does “sparked” mean in this verse?


7. “instead of ” is used when you want to tell an alternative idea.

Can you use “instead of” in a sentence?
The “of” is like a preposition, so you’ll have to follow “of” with a noun. For example,
I’ll have onion rings instead of French fries.
We went to Disneyland instead of Lake Tahoe.
Instead of swimming, we just walked along the beach.

8. In verse 3, why did he go to her family? (Answer in a complete sentence.) __________________________________________________________

9. Why did he leave? (in verse 3) Answer in the past tense, please.




10. What’s the difference between these two sentences: (Use the words either and both in your answers.)
“She can’t cook or sew.” _____________________________________________
“She can cook and sew.” _____________________________________________

11. Why do we use “or ” in “She can’t cook or sew?”
For example: We don’t come to school on Saturdays or Sundays.
I won’t eat meat or chicken because I’m a vegetarian.

12. Can you write your own example of a negative sentence using “OR” ?

13. What is a preacher ? Can you give me a synonym? ________________________________________________________________________
14. “jammed” and “packed” are adjectives. What’s another word in verse #6 that means the same thing? __________________________________
15. In verse #6, what are the pews ? ________________________________________________________________________
16. Also in verse #6B, what is the preacher’s “text”? It’s his______________.
17. What is another word for “specs” [spectacles]?

18. What is “the collection.” _________________________________________



19. We use “can” (“could” in the past) to say we are not able to do something. For example:
I can’t drive. = I am not able to drive.
I can speak both Mandarin and Cantonese. =
I am able to speak both Mandarin and Cantonese.
When I was young, I could walk 5 miles and not get tired.
Today I am not able to walk even 1 mile.

How do we say “He could not read” in another way?
He_______________________________________________________
20. Now you write two sentences, one using “can or could + base form of a verb.______________________________________________________________

and another sentence using to be able to
_______________________________________________________________________
21. Can you tell me something you cannot do.

22. What phrase in verse #5A mean “to get married”? ___________________
23 Why do you think the groom was anxious to take his bride outside?
_______________________________________________________________________

24. What words rhyme?
a. ____________ sort of rhymes with again.
b. mind rhymes with _______________
c. sparked sort of rhymes with _______________
d. kissed sort of rhymes with _______________
e. you rhymes with _______________
f. floor rhymes with _______________
g. store rhymes with _______________
h. sold rhymes with _______________
i. wall rhymes with _______________
j. end sort of rhymes with _______________
k. packed sort of rhymes with _______________
l. text sort of rhymes with _______________