Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and daffodils
Catch the breeze and winter chills
In colors on the snowy living land
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
The "How you suffered for your sanity"
The "How you tried to set them free"
They did not listen, They did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I could have told you Vincent
This world was never meant for one as
beautiful as you
Starry, starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn of bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
The "How you suffered for your sanity"
The "How you tried to set them free"
They did not listen they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will
VINCENT VAN GOGH THE STORY
"To me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all.
Certainly the most popular great painter of all time.
The most beloved.
His command of color, the most magnificent.
He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty.
Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to
portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world.
No one had ever done it before.
Perhaps no one ever will again.
To my mind, that strange wild man who roamed the fields of
Provence, was not only the world's greatest artist but also
one of the greatest men who ever lived."
Song interpretation[edit]
The song clearly demonstrates a deep-seated admiration for not only the work of Van Gogh, but also for the man himself. The song includes references to his landscape works, in lines such as "sketch the trees and the daffodils" and "morning fields of amber grain" which describe the amber wheat that features in several paintings. There are also several lines that may allude to Van Gogh's self-portraits: perhaps in "weathered faces lined in pain / are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand", McLean is suggesting that Van Gogh may have found some sort of consolation in creating portraits of himself. However, this line may also refer to Van Gogh's painting "The Potato Eaters", which depicts a hard-working Dutch farming family sitting in semi-darkness and eating their meager meal. There is, too, a single line describing Van Gogh's most famous set of works, Sunflowers. "flaming flowers that brightly blaze" not only draws on the luminous orange and yellow colours of the painting, but also creates powerful images of the sun itself, flaming and blazing, being contained within the flowers and the painting.
In the first two choruses, McLean pays tribute to Van Gogh by reflecting on his lack of recognition: "They would not listen / they did not know how / perhaps they'll listen now." In the final chorus, McLean says "They would not listen / they're not listening still / perhaps they never will." This is the story of Van Gogh: unrecognised as an artist until after his death. The lyrics suggest that Van Gogh was trying to "set [people] free" with the message in his work. McLean feels that this message was made clear to him: "And now I understand what you tried to say to me," he sings. Perhaps it is this eventual understanding that inspired McLean to write the song.
There are also references to Van Gogh's sanity and his suicide. Throughout his life, Van Gogh was plagued with mental disorders, particularly depression. He "suffered for [his] sanity" and eventually "took [his] life as lovers often do."
These Vincent van Gogh lesson plans for kids are
designed to help children of all ages understand and appreciate art.
Allowing children to be creative through engaging lesson plans is a
great way for young minds to be inspired and learn. These hands on
activities can help improve math skills and teach art appreciation.
With an array of student levels, the following lesson plans and
teaching resources will help students understand more about Van Gogh,
his works and the world of art.
Sunflower Measuring and Counting
Overview: Students will practice measuring and counting - improving math skills and art appreciation through the use of Van Gogh's Sunflowers and sunflower seeds.
Student Level: 1st - 2nd Grade
Time Frame: 1 hour
Objectives:
- Students will communicate what they have learned about sunflowers
- Students will improve their measuring and counting skills
- Students will work cooperatively in groups
Materials:
- Posters, prints, or overheads of Van Gogh's Sunflowers
- Silk or real sunflowers with stalks
- Sunflower seeds
- Glue
- Crayons
- Rulers
- Construction Paper
Procedures:
- Begin the activity by showing a poster or print of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Ask students to count items in the painting. For example, how many sunflowers are in the painting, how many different colors do you see?
- Ask students to guess what type of flower is in the painting. Then ask students to guess how tall is a sunflower. After students make guesses assign students to small groups of 2 to 3 students.
- Each group will receive one sunflower. In small groups, students will use rulers to measure how tall their sunflower is in inches.
- Next students will write how tall the sunflower is in inches at the top of his/her piece of paper underneath his/her name.
- Once each group's measurements have been approved each group will be given a bowl of sunflower seeds. Each student will count out the number of sunflower seeds for the number of inches counted. For example if the sunflower was 40 inches each student would count out 40 seeds.
- Each student will then take his counted seeds and glue them to his paper and create his own sunflower artwork with the seeds and crayons.
Additional Resources:
Vincent Van Gogh Gallery - Sunflowers
The Life of a Sunflower
Overview: Students will analyze poem "Cripple" by Carl Sandburg and make comparisons between poem and Van Gogh's Sunflowers.
Student Level: 8th -10th Grade
Time Frame: 1 class period
Objectives:
- Students will gain a thorough understanding of the poem "Cripple" by Carl Sandburg as well as literary analysis and criticism.
- Students will improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.
Materials:
- Posters, prints, or overheads of Van Gogh's Sunflowers
- Poem - "Cripple" by Carl Sandburg
Procedures:
- Begin the activity by showing Van Gogh's Sunflowers on the overhead. As students walk in ask them to write single words and phrases to describe the painting.
- When students have completed the task, ask for volunteers to give responses.
- Next, ask for volunteers to read the poem "Cripple" by Carl Sandburg aloud so that the poem is read at least three times aloud in class.
- Next, ask for student's reaction to the poem and discuss possible meanings of the poem as well as metaphors used.
- As an exit activity, ask students to look at the painting again and review the words that they chose to use to describe the sunflowers. Then ask each student to write a one paragraph response comparing their choice of words and the choice of words in the poem as metaphors and meaning of the poem.
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