Request

On top of teaching 4th grade, I teach the 5th grade reading and language arts. As I mentioned a couple months ago, I am discouraged by the powers that be from teaching novels. Instead of using nothing but short, boring test prep passages, I would like to use songs. I used Nick Cave's Where the Wild Roses Grow to teach the elements of a narrrative and point of view. Next week I'm using the Decemberists Yankee Bayonet and The Mariner's Revenge to teach drawing inferences and conclusions. The latter has a semi-naughty word in it that none of the kids will be able to pick up by listening and I could just omit from the lyric sheet. I hate it that I have to do that, but it's either that or not use the song.

So my request is this: Do you know of any songs that tell stories? Songs that I could use in a classroom full of 5th graders, that would be enjoyable but not get me in trouble? I like using the indie rock ballads a lot because they'd never hear anything like that otherwise. But I'd also love to find some hiphop I could use. So far, every time I think I find a good hiphop song, there ends up being something in the language that I can't cover up that disqualifies it. Anyway, I'd love to see some suggestions. Anything that keeps the kids from having to read about Milton Snavely Hershey or whatever.