This is the home of a fun method for both learning and perfecting your English. ⇓ It primarily focuses on spoken English.
¤ Taylor Swift:
‘We’re Never Ever Getting Back Together’⇒
∇ MORPHINE ⇓
◊→ ‘Thursday‘⇐[Cure for Pain]
[… Each blank needs a personal pronoun]
____ used to meet every Thursday Thursday Thursday in the afternoon For a couple of beers and a game of pool ____ used to go to a motel a motel a motel across the street And the name of the motel was the Wagon Wheel Oh One day ______ said come on come on ______ said Why don’t ______ come back to my house ______ said my husband’s out of town You know ______‘s gone till the end of the month Well ______was just so nervous so nervous you know ______couldn’t really quite relax Cause ______was never really quite sure when her husband was coming back Sure one of the neighbors yea one of the neighbors one of the neighbors that saw my car And______told her yea ______ told her I think they know who you are Well her husband he‘s a violent man – a very violent and jealous man Now _____ have to leave this town I got to leave while______still can ______should have kept it every Thursday Thursday – Thursday in the afternoon For a couple of beers and a game of pool ______should have kept it every Thursday Thursday – Thursday in the afternoon For a couple of beers and a game of pool _____was pretty cool too.◊ The Weepies ⇓ ‘World spins madly on’
Complete the lyrics with the past forms of these verbs. Only one ends in ‘-ed’
‘GET’ – ‘LIE’ (x2) – ‘SAY’ – ‘SLEEP’ – ‘THINK’ (x2) – ‘WAKE’ (x2) – ‘WISH’ (x2)
I _________ up and _________ that I was dead
With an aching in my head
I _________ motionless in bed
I ____________ of you and where you’d gone
and let the world spin madly on
Everything that I __________I’d do
Like make the world brand new
And take the time for you
I just _________ lost and __________ right through the dawn
And the world spins madly on
I let the day go by
I always say goodbye
I watch the stars from my window sill
The whole world is moving and I’m standing still
_________ up and _______ that I was dead
With an aching in my head
I __________ motionless in bed
The night is here and the day is gone
And the world spins madly on
I ___________ of you and where you’d gone
And the world spins madly on.
♥ kd lang & the Reclines ⇓ ‘Big Big Love’
| concealing | feeling | revealing |
| imagination | infatuation | sensation |
¤ Suzanne Vega ↓ ‘Tom’s Diner’
«Tom’s Diner» is an a cappella pop song written in 1981 by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, first released in 1984. It was later used as the basis for a popular remix by the British group DNA in 1990 (click pic on the left).
The «Tom’s Diner» of the song is Tom’s Restaurant in New York City. The tune is written as a simple first person vignette of someone stopping at a diner for a cup of coffee. The song notes the newspaper as well as two women, one who enters the diner and one who stands outside in the rain. The ringing of bells at a nearby cathedral causes the singer to reminisce on an unnamed companion and a picnic previously. When the coffee is finished, it is time to leave the diner to catch a train.
. . . These are the 15 missing verbs you need:
‘COMING’ – ‘DRINKING’ – ‘HITCHING’ – ‘KISSING’ – ‘LISTENING’ – ‘LOOKING’ – ‘PRETENDING’ – ‘SHAKING’ – ‘SITTING’ – ‘STRAIGHTENING’ – ‘THINKING’ – ‘TRYING’ – ‘TURNING’ – ‘WAITING’ – ‘WATCHING’
I am …_________ in the morning At the diner on the corner
I am …_________ at the counter For the man to pour the coffee
And he fills it only halfway And before I even argue
He is looking out the window At somebody …_________ in
«It is always nice to see you» Says the man behind the counter
To the woman who has come in She is …_________ her umbrella
And I look the other way as they are …_________ their hellos
I’m …_________ not to see them And instead I pour the milk
I open up the paper There’s a story of an actor
Who had died while he was …_________ It was no one I had heard of
And I’m …_________ to the horoscope and looking for the funnies
When I’m feeling someone …_________ me and so I raise my head
There’s a woman on the outside …_________ inside Does she see me?
No she does not really see me ‘cause she sees her own reflection
And I’m …_________ not to notice that she’s …_________ up her skirt
And while she’s …_________ her stockings Her hair has gotten wet
Oh, this rain It will continue through the morning as I’m …_________
To the bells of the cathedral I am …_________ of your voice…
And of the midnight picnic once upon a time before the rain began…
And I finish up my coffee and it’s time to catch the train
♦ Nick Cave + Kylie Minogue ↓ ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’
They call me The Wild Rose but my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know for my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I [ . . . ] her I [ . . . ] she was the one
As she [ . . . ] in my eyes and [ . . . ]
For her lips were the colour of the roses that [ . . . ] down the river, all bloody and wild
When he [ . . . ] on my door and [ . . . ] the room
My trembling [ . . . ] in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand, he [ . . . ] up the tears that went down my face
They call me The Wild Rose but my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know for my name was Elisa Day
On the second day I [ . . . ] her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I’d seen
I [ . . . ], ‘Do you know where the wild roses grow so sweet and scarlet and free?’
On the second day he [ . . . ] with a single rose
Said: ‘Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?’
I [ . . . ] my head, as I lay on the bed
‘If I show you the roses will you follow?’
They call me The Wild Rose but my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know for my name was Elisa Day
On the third day he [ . . . ] me to the river
He [ . . . ] me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I [ . . . ] was a muttered word as he knelt above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she [ . . . ] on the bank, the wind light as a thief
As I [ . . . ] her goodbye, said, ‘All beauty must die’
And I lent down and [ . . . ] a rose between her teeth
∞ Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler ↓ ‘This Is Us’ [2006]
· · · Fill in each blank with one word rhyming with the word in bold above it
This is us down at the Mardi Gras
This is us in your Daddy’s Car
You and the missing link
Yeah, I’d had a little too much to _______, now
Too long in the sun
Having too much _______
You and me and our memories
This is us . . .
Rocking at the barbecue
Yeah, when we said I do
Hand jiving on the Ballroom floor
You in that wedding coat you _______
Yeah, and you in that amazing dress
I was stoned on love I ______
You and me we were meant to be
This is us . . .
This is us on our Honeymoon
In our hotel ________
Sitting by the wishing well
Checking out of the love motel
Making plans for the sunshine state
Waiting at the terminal ______
You and me making history
This is us . . .
And our baby boy
With our pride and ______
You at the Sunday Game
Standing next to What’s his ________?
On our Anniversary
With the family
You and me and our memories
This is us . . .
* * *
♥ Randy Travis & Josh Turner ⇓ ‘Deeper Than The Holler’
· · · These adjectives are missing: ‘HIGH’ – ‘HONEST’ – ‘LONG’ – ‘PURE’ – ‘STRONG’
You’ll need one twice! All but one are in the comparative form [-er]
Well I’ve heard those city singers singin’ ‘bout how they can love,
Deeper than the oceans, __________ than the stars above.
Well, I come from the country, and I know I ain’t seen it all.
But I heard that ocean’s salty, and the stars, they sometimes fall.
And that would not do justice to the way I feel for you.
So I had to sing this song about all the things I knew.
My love is deeper than the holler.
___________ than the river.
___________ than the pine trees growin’ tall upon the hill.
My love is __________ than the snowflakes,
That fall in late December.
And __________ as a Robin on a springtime window sill.
And ___________ than the song of a whippoorwill.
⇑ Click to check
* * *
♥ MIRANDA LAMBERT ↓ ‘Jack Daniels’ _ Here’s the ten words missing from the gaps:
GET – MADE – MAKES – MISERY – NEEDS – OWNS – RAISED – RUINED – SET – WRONG
Daddy always said he was ________ for me And in the end he’d only bring me ________ I tried and tried to turn away But something ‘bout him ________ me stay The only man who’s ever knocked me to my knees The only man who’s ever ________ my spirit free He was born and ________ in Lynchburg Tennessee His daddy ________ a big distillery He’s an old time whiskey drinker When I’m with him I ________ meaner And momma says he’s ________ my destiny He sure has ________ a woman out of me I fell in love with Jack Daniels again He’s the best kind of lover that there is I can have him when I please He always satisfies my ________ He takes me back no matter where I’ve been Yeah I fell in love with Jack Daniels again . . . Jack Daniels if you please – Knock me to my knees You’re the only friend there has ever been that didn’t do me wrong Jack Daniels if you please – Knock me to my knees You can kill this pain . . .* * *
¤ Joe Diffie ↓ «Pickup Man« ←[1994]
←Click for vid with lyrics on screen.
The song, a moderate up-tempo, is about a man who reasons he can meet the woman of his dreams by driving a pickup truck. At one point, he is able to secure a ride for a high school homecoming queen. «Pickup man», in this sense, has a double meaning — i.e., he is not only driving a pickup truck, but he is also «picking up» women in it.
Well I got my first truck, when I was three,
Drove a hundred thousand miles on my knees
Hauled marbles and rocks, and thought twice before
I hauled a Barbie Doll bed for the girl next door
She tried … __________________________… I began to understand,
a) to lay me without ease; b) to pay me with a kiss; c) playing with the keys
There’s just something women like about a PickUp Man
When I turned sixteen, I saved a few hundred bucks
My first car was a Pickup Truck
I was cruisin’ the town and the first girl I seen
Was Bobbie Jo Gentry the homecoming queen
She flagged me down and … ____________________________, and said
a) clammed up in her cap; b) climbed up in the cab; c) claimed to be a cop
«I never knew you were a Pickup Man!»
You can set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill
But I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe DeVille
I’ve got an eight foot bed that never has to be made
You know if it weren’t for trucks we wouldn’t have tailgates
I … _____________________ in traffic jams,
a) beat off the laughs; b) bet on my life; c) met all my wives
There’s just something women like about a Pickup Man
Most Friday nights, I can be found
In the bed of my truck on an old chaise lounge
Backed into my spot at the drive-in show
You know a cargo light gives off a romantic glow
I never have to … _____________________ at the popcorn stand,
a) waste the wine; b) wait in line; c) weigh ‘till nine
‘Cause there’s just something women like about a pickup Man
You can set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill
But I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe DeVille
I’ve got an eight foot bed that never has to be made
You know if it weren’t for trucks we wouldn’t have tailgates
I … ________________________ in traffic jams,
a) beat off the laughs; b) bet on my life; c) met all my wives
There’s just something women like about a Pickup Man
A bucket of rust, or a … _________________________
a) brand new machine; b) branded missile; c) ranting meshing
Once around the block and you’ll know what I mean
You can set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill
And I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe DeVille
I’ve got an eight foot bed that never has to be made
You know if it weren’t for trucks we wouldn’t have tailgates
I … ________________________ in traffic jams,
a) beat off the laughs; b) bet on my life; c) met all my wives
There’s just something women like about a Pickup Man
Yeah, there’s something women like about a Pickup Man.
Owww, Drive that pickup son … That’s right…
* * *
¤ Six Days On The Road ⇓
A song written by Earl Green and Carl Montgomery, made famous originally by country music singer Dave Dudley. First released in 1963, the song became a major hit that year and is often hailed as the definitive celebration of the American truck driver.
[ . . . ] These are the nine words missing from the lyrics:
COAL – COP – DODGE – GEARS – GUYS – KISSED – OVERWEIGHT – PILLS – TIGHT
Well, I pulled out of Pittsburgh, rollin’ down the Eastern Seaboard.
I’ve got my diesel wound up, and she’s running like never before.
There’s a speed zone ahead, all right,
I don’t see a _________ in sight.
Six days on the road and I’m gonna make it home tonight.
I got ten forward ____________, and a Georgia overdrive.
I’m taking little white _________, and my eyes are open wide.
I just passed a ‘Jimmy’ and a ‘White’:
I’ve been passin’ everything in sight.
Six days on the road and I’m gonna make it home tonight.
Well, it seems like a month, since I __________ my baby good-bye.
I could have a lot of women, but I’m not like some other _________
I could find one to hold me ___________
But I could never believe that it’s right.
Six days on the road and I’m gonna make it home tonight.
I.C.C. is checking on down the line.
Well, I’m a little ________________ and my log’s three days behind.
But nothing bothers me tonight.
I can ____________ all the scales all right,
Six days on the road and I’m gonna make it home tonight.
Well my rig’s a little old, but that don’t mean she’s slow.
There’s a flame from her stack, and the smoke’s rolling black as _________
My hometown’s coming in sight,
If you think I’m happy you’re right.
Six days on the road and I’m gonna make it home tonight…
* * *
¤ Chrissie Hynde [The Pretenders] ⇒ ‘Brass in Pocket’ ⇐
Seven nouns have been removed from the lyrics (you’ll need to use one several times):
I got brass in pocket – Got bottle, I’m gonna use it.
[1]…__________
I feel inventive,
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Got [2]…___________, restrained [3]…____________
I been driving uh, Detroit leaning.
No [4]…____________, just seems so pleasing.
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Gonna use my arms, Gonna use my legs,
Gonna use my style, Gonna use my side-step
Gonna use my fingers.
Gonna use my, my, my, imagination.
Cause I going make you see– there’s nobody else here
No one like me – I’m special, so special.
I got to have some of your [5]…___________, give it to me!
I got [6]…____________, I can’t miss a [7]…__________
I got-a new skank so reet.
Got something. I’m winking at you,
Gonna make you, make you notice.
Gonna use my arms, Gonna use my legs,
Gonna use style, Gonna use my sidestep
Gonna use my fingers, gon’ use my my my imagination.
Oh .. cause I gonna make you see
there’s nobody else here, no one like me.
I’m special, so special.
I got to have some of your [8]…____________, give it to me!
‘Cause I gonna make you see there’s nobody else here, no one like me,
I’m special, so special.
I got to have some of your [9]...___________, give it to me.
Ooooooooo, when you walk.
* * *
◊ Bob Seger & The Silver Band ↓ ‘Against The Wind’ [1980]
In 1999, Brooks & Dunn ↓ covered this song on the television soundtrack to King of the Hill.
· · · You’ll need 12 past forms: five regular (-ed) forms, and seven irregular pasts:
· · · ‘BEGIN’ – ‘FIND’ – ‘HOLD’ – ‘LOSE’ – ‘MOVE’ – ‘OWE’ –
– ‘ROLL’ – ‘SAY’ – ‘SHARE’ – ‘SWEAR’ – ‘THINK’ – ‘WORRY’
It seems like yesterdayBut it was long ago
Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio playing low
And the secrets that we __________
The mountains that we _________
Caught like a wildfire out of control
‘Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove I remember what she ________ to me
How she _________ that it never would end
I remember how she _________ me oh so tight
Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then Against the wind
We were runnin’ against the wind
We were young and strong, We were runnin’ against the wind The years __________ slowly past
And I ___________ myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I __________ were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home
And I guess I __________ my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never ___________ about paying or even how much I ________
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I ____________ to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind Well those drifter’s days are past me now
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out Against the wind – I’m still runnin’ against the wind
Well I’m older now but still runnin’ against the wind
I’m older now and still runnin’ against the wind
Against the wind – Against the wind
I’m still runnin’ – Against the wind
I’m still runnin’ against the wind
I’m still runnin’
I’m still runnin’ against the wind
Still runnin’
Runnin’ against the wind…
Let the cowboys ride
They’ll be ridin’ against the wind Against the wind …
* * *
♠ MEN AT WORK ↓ ‘Land down Under’ [1981]
Two of these words you won’t need for the chorus:
‘glow’ / ‘flow’ / ‘chunder’ / ‘plunder’ / ‘hunger’ / ‘thunder’ / ‘cover’ / ‘over’
Travelling in a fried-out combie on a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast, and she said,
«Do you come from a land down under where women ______ and men _______?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the _____? You better run, you better take ____.»
Buying bread from a man in Brussels – He was six foot four and full of muscle
I said, «Do you speak-a my language?»
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich; and he said,
«I come from a land down under where beer does ________ and men _______
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the _____? You better run, you better take ____.»
(Yeahhh!)
Dying in a den in Bombay with a slack jaw, and nothin’ much to say
I said to the man, «Are you trying to tempt me because I come from the land of plenty?»
And he said,
«Oh, you come from a land down under? (oh yeah) Where women _____ and men _____?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the _____? (oooh) You better run, you better take _____.»
* * *
→www.onestopenglish.com/phrase-of-the-week-i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine←
¤ Here’s an A capella version of Marvin Gaye‘s 1968 hit ↓ Click icon above to check your choices
Ooh, I bet you’re wonderin’ how I knew
‘Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy …_____________
a)… new and all b)…you know what for c)… you knew before
Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
It took me by surprise …____________
a)… I must say b)…and I said c)… am I sad
When I found out yesterday
(Don’t cha know that I)
Heard it through the grapevine – Not much longer would you be mine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine and I’m just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
I know that a man ain’t …________________
a)… exposed to dry b)…opposed to try c)… supposed to cry
But these tears I can’t hold inside
Losin’ you would end my life – you see
‘Cause you mean …______________
a)… a must to me b)…that much to me c)… a master to me
You could have told me yourself that you love someone else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine – Not much longer would you be mine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine and I’m just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
(Heard it through the grapevine… Not much longer would you be my baby, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…)
People say believe half of …_____________,
a)… what you see b)…watch and see c)… hot use it
And none of what you hear
But I can’t help …___________
a)… being confused b)…feeling refused c)… being enthused
If it’s true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go for the other guy …________
a)… who lost before? b)…you loved before? c)… you once longed for?
(Don’t cha know I) Heard it through the grapevine – Not much longer would you be mine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine and I’m just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
(Not much longer would you be my baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
¤ PLAYING for CHANGE ↓ ‘Higher Ground’
Fill in the nine blanks with -ING forms: ‘DIE’ – ‘LEARN’ – ‘LIE’ – ‘TRY’ – ‘TURN’ – ‘WAR’
People keep on _________ Soldiers keep on ________
World keep on __________ ‘Cause it won’t be too long
Powers keep on _________ while your people keep on __________
World keep on __________ ‘Cause it won’t be too long
I’m so darn glad he let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on __________ till I reach my highest ground
Teachers keep on teachin’ – Preachers keep on preachin’
World keep on __________ ‘Cause it won’t be too long – Oh no
Lovers keep on lovin’ – Believers keep on believin’
Sleepers just stop sleepin’ – Cause it won’t be too long
I’m so glad that he let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on ________ till I reach my highest ground…
◊ The Rolling Stones ↓ «Crackin’ Up» [1977]
· · · ‘FOOT’ – ‘HAND’ – ‘LIKE’ – ‘BUGGING’ – ‘COOKING’ – ‘HOLLERING’ – ‘SCREAMING’
You’re always …_______… bout where I’ve been
You’re always …_______… ‘bout the money I spend
What’s wrong with you?
Oh yeah, you’re crackin’ up
I caught you woman, a long time ago
Oh yeah, yes we did
Keep your …_______… out of my pocket, keep your …_______…out my door
What’s wrong with you?
Oh yeah, you’re crackin’ up
I used to do your …_______…, your laundry too
Now what more for a woman could a man …_______… me do?
I feel low, oh yeah
You’re …_______… me
Oh yeah, crackin’ up … Oh yeah, Crackin’ up
I’m crackin’ up with you
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