Listening practice with Michael Jackson's "Heal The World"
In times of grief and sorrow, we often turn to music. “Heal the World” was Michael Jackson’s cry for the planet Earth and its children. The song’s relevance keeps on growing every passing day, as human values deteriorate and Earth’s destruction skyrockets.
The “Heal The World” short film furthered Michael Jackson’s goal of making art and music that would inspire worldwide peace, love and tolerance, by showcasing a diverse group of children united in their abilities to love unconditionally and their wishes for a brighter future.
Listen to this music video and answer the questions with your tutor.
Questions
Have you heard this song before?
What did you think of this song?
What is the child saying in the introduction to this song?
There's a place in your heart and I know that it is _______.
In this place it was _______ than tomorrow.
There are ways to get there. What are they?
There are _____ dying...
Love is _______, it only cares of joyful giving.
What does MJ feel in his heart about all other people?
What kind of world does MJ want to create with the lyrics from this song?
Lyrics
(Think about um, the generations And ah, say we want to make it a better place for our children And our children's children so that they, they They, they know it's a better world for them And think if they can make it a better place)
There's a place in your heart And I know that it is love And this place it was brighter than tomorrow And if you really try You'll find there's no need to cry In this place you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow
There are ways to get there If you care enough for the living Make a little space Make a better place
Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me, and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
If you want to know why There's love that cannot lie Love is strong It only cares of joyful giving If we try we shall see In this bliss we cannot feel Fear of dread, we stop existing and start living
Then it feels that always Love's enough for us growing Make a better world So make a better world
Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me, and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
And the dream we were conceived in will reveal a joyful face And the world we once believed in will shine again in grace Then why do we keep strangling life Wound this earth, crucify its soul? Though it's plain to see, this world is heavenly Be god's glow
We could fly so high Let our spirits never die In my heart I feel you are all my brothers Create a world with no fear Together we cry happy tears See the nations turn their swords into plowshares
We could really get there If you cared enough for the living Make a little space To make a better place
Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me, and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me, and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
Heal the world (heal the world) Make it a better place For you and for me, and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me
You and for me (for a better place) You and for me (make a better place) You and for me (make a better place) You and for me (heal the world we live in) You and for me (save it for our children) You and for me (heal the world we live in) You and for me (save it for our children) You and for me (heal the world we live in) You and for me (save it for our children) You and for me (heal the world we live in) You and for me (save it for our children)
Song analysis and review
Intro
A child’s voice at the beginning of the video sends out the message of the entire song–a better world for future generations.
Verse 1
Michael Jackson sings about the ‘love’ inside all of us which has immense power to heal anyone that it touches. Despite a person’s outer appearance or his past, MJ says that he believes everyone is capable of love. Everyone should reach into this special place inside them and bring it out for the world.
Pre-chorus
MJ invites everyone to spread love all around us. Make a little place for love all around us. This will make the world a better place for the future.
Chorus
Michael Jackson’s cry is to ‘heal the world.’ There are so many issues in the world at every corner of it. There is war, famine, poverty, hunger, disease, pollution, inequalities and the list goes on. Being ’empathetic’ is the solution to all this. We, as human beings, should be able to feel the pain of another human being. If we could do that, the world would be a much brighter place tomorrow.
Verse 2
‘Love’ is the easiest thing to give out that can help overcome these problems. Love is strong and infectious. Fear and dread can be chased away with love.
Bridge
MJ turns towards religion in these lyrics of the song. He says the Earth is being crucified by its own inhabitants. But do we have to? MJ says that there is God’s grace everywhere on this Earth and we have to see it. People have to realize that there is no need to go to a heaven after death. Heaven can be created on this planet itself.
Verse 3
With love, peace, and joy all around us, humans can achieve great feats. Michael Jackson knows this and feels it in his heart. His only wish is to see people shedding tears of joy and all the nations to be at peace.
‘Swords to ploughshares’ is an idea where military weapons are turned into peaceful civilian tools. This symbolizes the end of war.
The King of Pop had a beautiful vision of healing for this humankind. It is unfortunate to see that his dream is likely to be a utopian dream every passing year. Hopefully, there will come a turning point for humanity. Until that day, we pray!