WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING

WHERE WERE YOU (WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING) ALAN JACKSON Jon Rice Block 7 Turner

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day Out in the yard with your wife and children Working on some stage in LA Did you stand there in shock at the site of That black smoke rising against that blue sky Did you shout in anger In fear for your neighbor Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children Who lost their dear loved ones And pray for the ones who don't know Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride For the red white and blue The heroes who died just doing what they do Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself to what really matters

--CHORUS-I'm just a singer of simple songs I'm not a real political man I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you The difference in Iraq and Iran But I know Jesus and I talk to God And I remember this from when I was young Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day Teaching a class full of innocent children Driving down some cold interstate Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor In a crowded room did you feel alone Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her Did you dust off that bible at home Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened Close your eyes and not go to sleep

Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages Speak with some stranger on the street Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow Go out and buy you a gun Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger Stand in line and give your own blood Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family Thank God you had somebody to love --Chorus--

I'm just a singer of simple songs I'm not a real political man I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you The difference in Iraq and Iran But I know Jesus and I talk to God And I remember this from when I was young Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us And the greatest is love The greatest is love Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

To view my bibliography please click here.

“That September Day” This line refers to September 11, 2001. On this day, the World Trade Center in New York was attacked by two planes. Also, one plane crashed into the Pentagon. The planes were hijacked and the attacks were acts of terrorism. Many families lost loved ones and there were many casualties in the attacks. For more information click here.

“That black smoke rising against that blue sky” This line refers to the trail of smoke that was left from the burning World Trade Center. The smoke cloud stretched for miles. The cloud was so large that it could be seen by satellites.

“Singer of simple songs” This is an example of alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant at the beginning of words. The consonant “s” is repeated three times in the phrase “singer of simple songs”.

“heroes who died just doing what they do” This line talks about the many people in the attacks on September 11, 2001 that were trying to save the civilians. 343 firefighters/ paramedics were killed and 23 NYPD officers were killed. For more information click here.

Alan Jackson was born on October 17, 1958. He was born in Newnan, Georgia. Alan’s father, Eugene, worked as a autoworker. His mother, Ruth, was a homemaker. Alan is one of seven children under Ruth and Eugene. Jackson met his wife, Denise, in high school at a Dairy Queen. They married in 1979. Soon after their marriage, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee so Alan could have a music career. However, before he became a talented musician, Alan worked odd jobs. For example, he worked as a used car salesman and Denise worked as a flight attendant. Denise met Glen Campbell of Glen Campbell Enterprises on a plane one day and told him about Alan. Soon after, Jackson was hired by the manager, Marty Gamblin. Jackson released his first album, Here in the Real World, in 1990 and also birthed his first daughter. Alan released “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) on his album Drive in 2002. For more information click here.

“I Love Lucy” is a very popular American television show. The very first broadcast of this show was Monday, October 15, 1951 on CBS. It was a comedy and was about marital life.

“The greatest is love” In the last chorus, the words “The greatest is love” are repeated multiple times. This is an example of anaphora. Anaphora is the repeat of a word or phrase.

“Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor” In this song, “Did you feel guilty cause you’re a survivor” is the main theme in my opinion. In the second verse, Alan Jackson talks about how people would appreciate the simple things like calling their mothers and just being alive. Some people felt very bad for the innocent people that died and they felt guilt because they just survived.

“Jesus” The reference to Jesus in this poem is an allusion. An allusion is a reference to another piece of literature. In this case, the reference of “Jesus” comes from the Bible. Jesus is known as the savior in the Christian religion.

“man” “I'm not a real political man I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you The difference in Iraq and Iran” These lines are an example of a rhyme. The rhyme pattern is A-B-A. There are many rhymes similar to this one in this song.

“Bible” The Bible is the holy scripture for the Christian religion. It is divided into two testaments. They are called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible speaks about the savior of the Christians, Jesus.

“Red, White, and Blue” Red, white, and blue are the colors that represent the United States. These colors appear on the United States’ flag. In this song, “red, white, and blue” is used as a symbol of America.