It’s Monday, the start of a new week, and for those of us who work Monday to Friday, the most dreaded (disliked before it happens) day of the week.
We used to say that the average work week for Americans if 40 hours. These days, Americans are actually working more, with about 40% working 50 hours or more. That’s more work and more pressure. Pressure is the force we feel to do something. Bosses may pressure workers to do more work. Workers are under pressure to do well to keep their jobs.
This song is called “Under Pressure” and is by the classic rock group Queen. You may recognize the first seven notes (musical sounds). They have been sampled (music used from other songs) in other, more recent songs. The video is interesting to watch, too. I sometimes feel like screaming (yelling loudly with a high voice), just like the women in the video. Don’t stand too close to me.
~ Lucy
“Under Pressure”
by Queen
Mm ba ba de
Um bum ba de
Um bu bu bum da de (just sounds with no meaning)
Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure – that burns a building down
Splits (divides) a family in two
Puts people on streets (makes people homeless)
Um ba ba be
Um ba ba be
De day da
Ee day da
It’s the terror (being very scared) of knowing what the world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, ‘Let me out’
Pray (communicating with a god) tomorrow – gets me higher
Pressure on people – people on streets
Day day de mm hm
Da da da ba ba
O.K.
Chippin’ around (going around (not used in American English)) – kick my brains (the organ in your head that allows you to think) around the floor
These are the days it never rains but it pours (rains very hard)
Ee do ba be
Ee da ba ba ba
Um bo bo
Be lap
People on streets – ee da de da de
People on streets – ee da de da de da de da
It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, ‘Let me out’
Pray tomorrow – gets me higher high high
Pressure on people – people on streets
Turned away from it all like a blind (unable to see) man
Sat on a fence (not supporting one side or another; being neutral) but it don’t work
Keep coming up with love but it’s so slashed (cut into pieces with a knife) and torn
Why – why – why ?
Love love love love love
Insanity (craziness; mental illness) laughs under pressure – we’re cracking (breaking into small pieces; becoming emotionally unstable)
Can’t we give ourselves one more chance
Why can’t we give love that one more chance
Why can’t we give love give love give love give love
give love give love give love give love give love
‘Cause (because) love’s such an old-fashioned (traditional; not modern) word
And love dares you (asks that you have courage) to care for the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
This is so wonderful to understand/discover after so many years of listening this song, what it is really about. Before it was just a nice song and now it’s complete.
Thank You Lucy
Ps. I’am again first with the comment. Probably I become ESLPod junkie. It feels so good to be addicted 😉
Yes, think and say the same as Grzegorz, just the same feelings about the song, that now at last has new meaning to me.
My thoughts reminds to Freddy Mercury one of the best singers of last century, what a pity his dead that now should
be possible to stop with the new medicines.
As always Lucy, you have so good choice to select songs, you know I wish you and Jeff the best and also force
to going on with you marvellous work.
Monday, Black Monday, for whom is not dreaded this day? I think, it is for every body
even the half day of Sunday is dreaded for my. I don’t enjoy it. Cause, I start thinking about the things I do on monday.
But it is not bad that much. And the rash of the peopl in the screan made me not to dislike Monday any more.
Eventhough, it’s terorr to whach the buildings when they split down. I like the music so much.
T H A N K ‘ S A L O T LUCY
Good song
Hi! I.ve never posted anything before, but I’ve visited the webpage previously… The last time I did (some 6 months ago) this section didn’t exist, so I’m surprised by it, but also amazed and happy… I’ve always thought that one of he best ways to learn a language is by listening to music… I like Queen a lot, but my favorite band is The Beatles; Lucy, if you haven’t posted any Beatles’ song yet, i recomend you do, I’ll come up with some ideas for the next time…
Ok. that’s it. Oh, I almost forgot… I want to thank and congratulate Jeff and Lucy for their work… Your help with thies website is tremendous for english learners (in my opinion, these are the best podcasts in the entire world, and definetely, the best way to learn english!)
See you next time…!
TOODLE-OO!
My daughters learned quite a lot of English listening and reading Beatles songs.
They did what I din’t, so they were more inteligent than her father who was
her first teacher.
That’s true, songs are a funny way to learn but you need the lyrics and
some nice person as Lucy to explain the meaning.
I´m a great Queen FAN, and this is really exciting to see one of my favourite songs here in ESLPOD.
This is a very nice song, is wonderfull can see the lirics and understand
Good Work!
Hi! To study English by songs is very difficult I believe. Sometimes a singer says words not clearly. But with you explanations that’s another side! Thank you very much! In Russia today is the Day of the Radio and everyone who works for massmedia is celebrating it. You (Lucy and Jeff) both are American but all the same my CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!