The song you are going to listen to is called Abraham, Martin & John, sung by Dion.

Abraham, Martin & John
Dion

Has anybody here,
Seen my old friend Abraham,
Can you tell me, where he's gone,
He freed a lotta people,
But it seems the good they die young,
You know I just looked around,
And he's gone,

Has anybody here,
Seen my old friend John,
Can you tell me where he's gone,
He freed a lotta people,
But it seems the good they die young,
I just looked around,
And he's gone,

Has anybody here,
Seen my old friend Martin,
Can you tell me where he's gone,
He freed a lotta people,
But it seems the good they die young,
I just looked around,
And he's gone,

Didn't you love the things that they stood for,
Didn't they try to find some good for you and me,
And we'll be free,
Someday soon it's gonna be one day,

Has anybody here,
Seen my old friend Bobby,
Can you tell me, where he's gone,
I thought I saw him walkin' up over the hill,
With Abraham, Martin and John.

The unit we are going to study is all about civil-rights heroes. The song you have just heard is about four of them. Can you guess who they are? All are American. All are dead, all, as the song says, "gone". How about Abraham? Dion says he freed a lot of people. That's one clue. Another comes when she quotes the proverb: "the good die young." So it seems Abraham died young. My guess is Dion has in mind Abraham Lincoln, the American president who freed the slaves and was assassinated. How about John, another leader who helped people to free themselves? He too died young. Can you guess who it might be? President John F. Kennedy seems most likely. He too supported civil rights. He too died young, assassinated like Lincoln.

Now who could Martin be? Another civil-rights leader who died young, once again assassinated. A great speaker comes to mind. Who do you think? Martin Luther King, surely. And finally, Bobby. Bobby who? Probably Dion is thinking of Bobby Kennedy, John Kennedy's brother, another supporter of civil rights. He was running for president when, like his brother before him, he too was gunned down.

Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions:

1. Can you guess who Abraham, Martin, John and Bobby are?
2. What did these people stand for?
3. Do you know why they all died young and who killed them?
4. Can you guess what the texts in this unit are going to be about?