Week 2 Term 4 - EVERGREEN - an Unfamiliar Text

The older I get the more I understand and embrace the notion that there are just some things that are not worth holding on to. Whether it is letting go of things that I have left in storage for years or accepting that a friendship has run it's course, I know that there is a season for everything. Some things in life are rooted deeply into the very fabric of our lives that it will simply remain. In contrast there are things that are only temporary moments, moments that are meant to teach us something or steer us in a different pathway. I understand this now and I can see that there is nothing wrong with this. It is the things in life - for me it is my faith, my marriage, my family, my friends, my values and my 'work' - these aspects in my life that I have some time of retention in my life. They are unwavering pillars in my life, like an evergreen - constant and remaining. 

EVERGREEN

relating to or denoting a plant that retains green leaves throughout the year

A song that I have stumbled across this year [which has been on repeat ever since] is Yebba's 'Evergreen'. Born in in Arkansas in 1995, Yebba [Abbey Smith] came into the music scene in 2016 and since then won a Grammy in 2019 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song 'How Deep Is Your Love' with PJ Morton. In 2017 she released her debut single 'Evergreen'. The song is a tribute to her mother who passed away due sudden death. "A touching tribute to her late mother, YEBBA’s “Evergreen” is an account of her time of grieving and finding peace in dealing with the absence of a woman so important in her life" [Urban Soul]. The song's simple but haunting arrangement paired with soulful harmonies and a grieving but altogether solid lead by Yebba, makes 'Evergreen' a beautiful listen. 

We all experience some type of grief and loss in our lives. I think about my journey and the grief that I have experienced. I think about the hope that is found in grief - that our loved ones who have passed on are watching over us, they are with us in spirit - this is the type of hope that grief provides. Finding this hope is reliant on how you choose to experience your grief. This song is depiction of Yebba and how she is finding peace in her grief. This is the type of text that I love to use in class with my students. Whilst the topic of the text is one that we can all relate, the richness in the language - figurative and emotive language features - is what makes it a great text to read, listen and unpack. 

Verse 2

Standing at the water's edge

The Mississippi's overflowing

Hold your current in my hands

You bring the meaning to my moments

'Evergreen' is a song that full of metaphors, rhetorical questions, symbolism and personification [a treasure trove for any senior English teacher!] The way that the metaphors play off each other, the way the rhetorical questions press on knowing that the answer is something that we will never from our loved ones who have passed, the symbolism of the 'evergreen' as is alludes to heaven or life-after death - all of this - takes the listener into the journey of grief. The imagery in the metaphor of 'water's edge' and 'overflowing' alludes to the waves of grief that we experience - one moment we are nervous or anxious, the next moment we are overwhelmed by emotion and pain. The beauty of metaphors is in the imagery that it paints for any reader. It can bring two different ideas, concepts, visuals and despite any contrasts a metaphor can show some type of relationship. 'Hold your current in my hands, you bring the meaning to my moments' - comparing the idea a current, something that is powerful beyond control especially in the human ability to physically hold and then pair it with the notion of 'you bring the meaning to moments' - to images that are so vastly different but again, metaphorically the relationship between the two highlight the power and density that our love for our loved ones have on us and how meaningful this is. 

Chorus: 

So will you wait for me?

My evergreen

I know it's just as hard in heaven

So will you wait for me?

My evergreen

The rhetorical question boasts 'will you wait for me?' Understanding the context of the song, the listener understands that the answer, the voice and the response we WANT to hear will never be reached. This the harsh reality with loss and grief - things will never be the same when you lose someone, physically the dynamic has changed for everyone. 'My evergreen' is the response - almost echoing Yebba talking to herself or reassuring herself of her mother 'evergreen'. The repetition of the rhetorical questions acknowledges the questioning of self, of others, of WHY when one is dealing with grief. The cycle one goes through when thinking about 'WHY' did this happen? What does my life mean now that I have lost my loved one? It is a very simple but notable effect in the use of repetition. 

Lyrically this song shows readers how to really finesse metaphors. It allows the listener to understand Yebba's grief and also encourages us - through her approach - how to find peace in whatever we are suffering in or from. Finding texts that are not just relevant to my students but ones that I can enjoy and really unpack is part of the fun when it comes to teaching. I intend on using this song as a text to focus on when going through unfamiliar text for the external preparation. The unfamiliar text paper is notoriously known for providing texts that have no relevance or connection to the student - something that is out of my control as a classroom teacher. However what I can control is the unfamiliar texts that I can offer to my students and in hope, giving the students different, rich and powerful texts that can help them comprehend and unpack what they have read. But more importantly texts that are thought provoking and makes them reflect on their own journey. That is powerful.