Today is Thanksgiving Day and we want to give thanks once again to all of our fantastic listeners, especially our members and donors, who make it possible for us to continue our work here at ESL Podcast.
In past years, we’ve talked about Thanksgiving in regular podcasts and Cafes ((ESL Podcast 91 and English Cafe 60). We’ve also talked about it on the blog, here, here, and here.
This is a happy holiday for everyone, except perhaps for the poor turkeys. For them, we play this song. We hope you like it, too. (You can also access the video here.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
~ Lucy
P.S. Gobble has two common meanings: It means to eat a lot of food very quickly, and it also refers to the sound that turkeys make.
Keep way (far) back,
I’m not your meal
Plan another meal
Hear my appeal (plea; serious request)
You can’t gobble me
on Thanksgiving Day
Why not eat tofu
feed yourself the vegan (without meat) way
You can’t gobble me try as you may (even if you try)
Fill up on veggies (informal way of saying “vegetables”)
have yourself a deli tray (a large plate of cut meats and cheeses, often served at parties)
Now why can’t I find a place
to live in peace
Where I’m not a part
of someone’s Thanksgiving feast (big celebration meal)
Don’t want my giblets (heart, liver, neck and other parts of a chicken or other bird before it’s cooked) touched
Don’t want my drumsticks (lower part of the leg) gnawed (eat slowly with one’s teeth)
You know we turkeys think
It’s a major faux-pas (socially unacceptable behavior)
(Hear my appeal)
You can’t gobble me
on Thanksgiving Day
Why not eat tofu
feed yourself the vegan way
You can’t gobble me
try as you may
Fill up on veggies
have yourself a deli tray
In today’s English Cafe 292, Jeff was nice enough to invite me back to talk about the U.S. military soldiers called “Buffalo Soldiers.” In the Learning Guide under “What Insider’s Know,” we also talked about the song called “Buffalo Soldiers” by Bob Marley. In case you want to hear it, here it is, with the lyrics (words). Keep in mind that Bob Marley was from Jamaica and spoke Jamaican English, so he won’t sound like the Americans you’re used to on the podcast. Enjoy!
~ Lucy
“Buffalo Solders”
by Bob Marley
Buffalo soldier, dreadlockrasta:
It was a buffalo soldier in the heart of (in the middle of) America,
Stolen from Africa, brought to America.
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
I mean it, when I analyze the stench (strong, bad smell)
To me, it makes a lot of sense
How the dreadlock rasta was the Buffalo Soldier
And he was taken from Africa, brought to America
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival (trying to stay alive)
Said he was a Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta
Buffalo Soldier, in the heart of America
If you know your history
Then you would know where you coming from
Then you wouldn’t have to ask me
“Who the heck do I think I am?”
I’m just a Buffalo Soldier
In the heart of America
Stolen from Africa, brought to America
Said he was fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
Said he was a Buffalo Soldier, win the war for America
Dreadie, woe yoe yoe, woe woe yoe yoe
Woe yoe yoe yo, yo yo woe yo, woe yoe yoe
(repeat)
Buffalo Soldier, trodding (walking on top of something) through the land
Said he wanna run, then you wanna hand
Trodding through the land, yea, yea
Said he was a Buffalo Soldier
Win the war for America
Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival Driven from (pushed out of) the mainland
To the heart of the Caribbean
Singing, woe yoe yoe, woe woe yoe yoe
Woe yoe yoe yo, yo yo woe yo woe yo yoe
(repeat)
Trodding through San Juan
In the arms of America
Trodding through Jamaica, a Buffalo Soldier
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta
Woe yoe yoe, woe woe yoe yoe
Woe yoe yeo yo, yo yo woe yo woe yo yoe
In today’s English Cafe, Jeff talked about the movie The Graduate. The soundtrack of the movie (music used in the movie) contains several songs that have become classics (judged to be good overtime and is known by a lot of people). One of the songs that is best-known is “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel.
Paul Simon didn’t actually write “The Sound the Silence” for the film, although it is very closely associated with The Graduate today. He wrote it several years earlier after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The song was released in 1965, two years before The Graduate. The song hit (arrived at) number 1 on the charts (ranking of the most popular songs) on New Year’s Day in 1966.
~ Lucy
“The Sound of Silence”
by Simon and Garfunkel
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision (seeing something, like in a dream) softly creeping (moving slowly and carefully)
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted (placed there by someone else) in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence (with no sound)
In restless (unable to relax) dreams I walked alone Narrow (not wide) streets of cobblestone (round stone used to cover the surface of a road)
(Be)neath the halo (circle of light, usually around the head of a holy person) of a street lamp
I turned my collar (piece of material around the neck of a shirt) to the cold and damp (a little wetness)
When my eyes were stabbed (hit by something sharp, like a knife) by the flash of a neon light
That split (divided; interrupted) the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked (uncovered) light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared (had the courage)
Disturb the sound of silence
“Fools (unwise people)”, said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer (serious disease where the cells of the body behave in a destructive way – see Cancer) grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells (deep places) of silence
And the people bowed (lowered their heads) and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out (turning on and off its lights) its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets (people who are believed to have special information or knowledge from God) are written on the subway walls
And tenement (buildings with small apartments, usually for people with low income) halls”
And whispered (spoke very softly) in the sounds of silence
Tomorrow, November 25 (the fourth Thursday each November), is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Learn more about the holiday here and here.
Once again, it is time for us to give thanks for the support of our fantastic ESL Podcast listeners, members, and donors. The song below is a parody (funny song based on another song) of the popular 1970′s Gloria Gaynor hit song “I Will Survive.” Happy Thanksgiving!
~ Lucy
“I Will Survive” – Thanksgiving Version
At first I was an egg, I was petrified* (very scared; very frightened)
Kept thinking I’d be lost or I’d get cracked (for something hard to be broken so that a line appears on the surface) and fried
But you took me to your nest (bird’s home) before it was too late
and kept me warm and you helped me incubate (for an egg to be kept warm until a bird is hatched or born).
And now you’re back, think you’re the boss
Wanna put me on a plate next to your wife’s cranberry sauce (a sweet jelly sauce made from cranberries, eaten at Thanksgiving)
I should have known this day would come
I should have known not to relax
If I thought for just a second that you’d come in here with an ax (tool for cutting wood).
Go on now go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
Ain’t chopping (using a sharp tool to cut) my head to the floor.
Weren’t you the one who prized (highly valued) this dark meat on my thighs (upper part of a leg)?
Do you think I’d gobble (make the noise that a turkey makes)?
Did you think I’d lay down and die?
Oh on, not I.
I will survive.
Oh as long as I know how to peck (for a bird to use its hard mouth (beak) to hit or bite), I know I’ll stay alive.
Got my wings so I won’t fall,
Ain’t selling me to Butterball (popular U.S. company that sells turkeys).
I will survive.
I will survive.
…
* “Petrified” can also mean for a living thing to turn into something very, very hard because it is very old, like a fossil.
We’ve had a week of wet, cloudy, and windy weather here in (slightly less) beautiful Los Angeles, and it made me think of this classic song by Bill Withers. It’s also in my mind because, as I’ve mentioned before, Jeff likes to sing in his office throughout the day, and he has been singing it all week, which means I’ve been humming it (singing it with my lips closed) all week. Now, it’s time to get you singing it, too.
~ Lucy
P.S. Here’s a wonderful cover (another version, originally recorded by someone else) of this song by Eva Cassidy.
“Aint No Sunshine”
by Bill Withers
Ain’t no sunshine (direct light from the sun) when she’s gone.
It’s not warm when she’s away (not here).
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.
And she’s always gone too long, anytime she goes away.
Wonder this time where she’s gone,
Wonder if she’s gone to stay (permanently; not to return).
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.
And this house just ain’t no home anytime she goes away.
And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
Hey, I ought to (should) leave the young thing alone, but ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone,
Only darkness (being without light; unhappiness) everyday.
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone,
And this house just ain’t no home anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Have you ever had friends or family play a trick on you? If you have, then you may have been “punked.”
If you’re playing a prank or playing a practical joke on someone, it means that you’re deceiving them in some way to have fun or to make other people laugh. In recent years in the U.S., people have started using the word “punked” to describe being the victim (the person harmed or tricked) of a practical joke or prank. In fact, the actor Ashton Kutcher had a show on MTV, the music cable television station, called Punk’d in which he played practical jokes on other celebrities.
Recently, I saw a prank on the website “Funny or Die.” Here’s the setup (arrangement; plan): The producers (makers) of “Funny or Die” asked popular singer Jewel to disguise herself by wearing a wig (false hair) and a fake nose, and to go to a karaoke bar and to sing her own songs. A karaoke bar is a bar where any customer can sing a popular song on stage while recorded music plays, usually performing in front of friends or coworkers for fun. The producers asked her to sing her own hit (very popular) songs as a woman named “Karen” to see how the other bar patrons (customers) would react. After Jewel got her disguise, she was also given some fake coworkers, “business associates,” who went to the bar with her. They all wore badges, which she calls “laminants” in the video, which are identification cards worn on a string around the neck or pinned to a shirt/coat, showing that they were in town to attend a frozen foods convention (large meeting).
When they arrived, Jewel said that their group “really stood out,” meaning that they were very noticeable because they were different from the typical customers in the bar. Her “business associates” were trying to get her to sing, but she pretended to be reluctant (not wanting to do something), until the entire bar was “pulling for her” (wanting her to succeed).
Watch the video below or here at “Funny or Die“. I’ll explain below a few more things people said in the video in case you have difficulty understanding them.
2:48 “She’s kind of homely (not attractive; plain looking).”
3:02 “That’s the first time there’s ever been an encore here (the first time someone has been asked to sing again because the audience enjoyed the first performance so much).”
3:04 “That was pretty off the charts (amazing; better than anyone had expected) there.”
6:14 “That was all set up (all arranged; not real).”
6:18 “I was duped (successfully tricked).”
What do you think of the prank? How would you have reacted if you had been one of the other customers?
As Jeff has mentioned before, the sport of soccer is not as popular in the United States as other sports. (The sport is, of course, called “football” in British English.) The most popular professsional sports here are football (American), basketball, and baseball. However, the U.S. has many residents (people who live in a place) who are from other countries and many people in countries around the world are very excited about the FIFA World Cup, the most important international soccer tournament (a competition which begins with many teams and ends with one team as the winner) in the world. And if you are a soccer fan then you know that the 2010 World Cup begins June 11 and ends July 11, when we’ll know which team is the champion (winning) team.
If the winner is the United States — yes, I know that’s along shot (a small possibility, a very, very, very, very, very small possibility!!) — the players may sing “We Are The Champions” by Queen. This is a very popular song played or sung in the U.S. when people celebrate a victory (win), especially in sports. If you know the lyrics (words), you probably know why. If you don’t, take a look at them below. If you’re not already in the mood (state of mind or feeling) to cheer on (send encouragement to) your favorite team, then maybe this song will help. I know that those of you who are rabid (extreme; crazy about something) soccer fans don’t need anything more to help get you in the mood for the World Cup.
But who will win? Which team will be able to say, “We are the champions?”
~ Lucy
“We Are The Champions”
by Queen
I’ve paid my dues (earned something through hard work or suffering) Time after time (again and again)
I’ve done my sentence (completed my period of punishment)
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I’ve made a few
I’ve had my share of sand (very small bits of rock found at the beach) kicked in my face (“sand kicked in my face” = had obstacles; met people who did not respect me)
But I’ve come through (passed through or survived a period of difficulty)
We are the champions, my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting ’til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions, of the world
I’ve taken my bows (bent at the waist, leaning forward, after a performance to acknowledge people’s applause and cheers)
And my curtain calls (after a performance, for the audience to continue clapping to encourage the performers to come back on stage to receive the audience’s appreciation)
You brought me fame (being known to a lot of people; being famous) and fortune (money) and everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it’s been no bed of roses (easy thing)
No pleasurecruise (vacation on a large ship)
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race (all the living people in the world)
And I ain’t gonna lose
We are the champions, my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting ’til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions, of the world
In our recent poll, you selected The Beatles as your favorite group, but coming in a close second place (position) is Michael Jackson. As you probably know, Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop (popular music),” died last year at the age of 50.
Michael Jackson started early as a performer. He was only six years old when he began performing with his brothers in the group Jackson 5. He went solo (became an individual performer) when he was 13 years old, and released (made available to the public) 10 albums. His most successful album was Thriller, released in 1982. Thrillerbroke records (become the first or best) by selling 110 million copies, and it remains today the best-selling album in history.
That is why I chose the single (individual song) “Thriller” from that album. A thriller is a type of novel, play, or movie that has a very exciting plot (story; storyline). That is certainly true of this scary (frightening) and loooong song!
~ Lucy
“Thriller”
by Michael Jackson
It’s close to midnight and something evil‘s (very bad) lurking (hidden, waiting to attack) in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight (something you see or can see) that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror (extreme fear) takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze (become so cold or afraid that you can’t move) as horror looks you right between the eyes
You’re paralyzed (unable to move)
You hear the door slam (close loudly with force) and realize there’s nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you’ll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination (product of your mind; not real), girl!
But all the while (during this time) you hear the creature (animal or monster) creeping up (moving close while trying not to make noise) behind, you’re out of time
They’re out to (with the intention to) get you, there’s demons (bad, evil force or creature) closing in (getting closer and closer) on every side
They will possessyou (have complete power over you) unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle (for two people to hold each other to show love or affection) close together, yeah
All through the night, I’ll save you from the terror on the screen, I’ll make you see
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand (nearly here)
Creatures crawl (move forward on one’s hands and knees) in search of blood
To terrorize y’alls (you all’s; informal version of “all of yours”) neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul (spirit) for getting down (enjoying oneself completely)
Must stand and face the hounds (dogs) of hell
And rot (decompose; decay) inside a corpse‘s (dead body’s) shell (hard outer covering)
The foulest (most terrible) stench (bad smell) is in the air
The funk (bad smell and atmosphere) of forty thousand years
And grizzly (with a lot of hair) ghouls (ghosts; appearance of dead people) from every tomb (place in the ground where people are buried after they die)
Are closing in (coming closer; nearly arrived) to sealyour doom (to make sure you die)
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver (shake because of cold or fear)
For no mere mortal (average person) can resist (prevent)
The evil of the thriller
‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one’s gonna save you from the beast (dangerous animal) about to strike (attack)
You know it’s thriller, thriller night
You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller…
Thriller, thriller night
‘Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost (appearance of a dead person) would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a
Killer, diller (not a real word), chiller, thriller here tonight
‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a
Killer, diller, chiller, thriller…
Last week, you, our wonderful listeners (and readers), helped me pick our next Karaoke English song by selecting your favorite recording artist in a poll. The clear winner, with 20% of the vote, is the Beatles!
The Beatles have had so many number-one hits that it’s difficult to select just one of their songs to include here. After looking at the lyrics (words in songs), though, I realized that many of their songs have simple lyrics that probably don’t require very much explaining. That’s why I selected “Penny Lane.”
A lane is a small street and Penny Lane is a street in Liverpool, England, the city where the Beatles are from. Penny Lane is in a busy shopping area, and when Paul McCartney and John Lennon were growing up, they would meet there to take a bus into the center of the city. This song, then, is a nostalgic (with warm feelings for the past) look at a place where McCartney and Lennon spent so many of their younger days.
Since the street Penny Lane became famous, Beatles fans have made it a point to (are certain to) visit this landmark (important historical location). In fact, the Penny Lane street sign had been stolen by tourists so many times that for several years, city officials stopped replacing it, instead painting the name of the street on the side of the buildings there. In 2007, however, the city installed (put into position permanently) a new Penny Lane street sign that is very difficult to steal.
Thanks, again, to those who voted, and I’ll include songs from some of the other top vote-getters (people/things getting votes) in future weeks. Here are the four lads (British English for “guys”) from Liverpool.
~ Lucy
“Penny Lane”
The Beatles
Penny Lane there is a barber (man whose job is to cut hair) showing photographs
Of every head he’s had the pleasure to have known
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar (old-fashioned term for “car”)
The little children laugh at him behind his back (without him knowing)
And the banker never wears a mac (short for “mackintoch,” a British English word for “raincoat,” a coat you wear to keep the rain off your body)
In the pouring (very heavy) rain…
Very strange
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath (under) the blue suburban (not city; neighborhood outside of the city where people live) skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass (a glass container with two parts, in which sand takes an hour to move from the top part to the bottom part)
And in his pocket is a portrait (picture or image of a person) of the Queen.
He likes to keep his fire engine (vehicle driven and used to put out fires) clean
It’s a clean machine
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
Four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back
Behind the shelter (temporary structure that gives protection from the weather) in the middle of a roundabout (British English term for “traffic circle,” where cars coming from several directions move around an area in a circle to reach the next street)
A pretty nurse is selling poppies (type of flower) from a tray
And though she feels as if she’s in a play
She is anyway
Penny Lane the barber shaves (removes hair from one’s face (and other areas) with a razor) another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim (a minor haircut; cutting off a little hair to make the hair look neat)
Then the fireman rushes in (enters in a hurry)
From the pouring rain…
Very strange
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies…
Penny Lane.
From time to time, I have selected songs and provided the lyrics (words in songs), with explanations. They are usually songs I like, so you’ve had to suffer (go through the pain of) my choices.
Finally, it’s your turn to be DJ (disc jockey; the person on the radio who selects the music to be played and who announces the songs). We’d like to hear what songs you’d like to hear and which lyrics you’d like explained.
We sometimes get questions from podcast listeners who ask about lyrics from Elvis songs, Beatles songs, or songs by other well-known and legendary (remarkable; very famous because of their talent) artists, so I thought we’d start with some of these, taking the top five in record sales (the number of records or CDs sold), and then adding a few other popular recording artists (anyone who records music for sale).
Tell us who your favorite recording artist is of all time. If the artist does not appear in the poll below, tell us who it is by posting a comment. Also, suggest a particular song in the comments that you’d like to hear. Let’s see which artist/song gets the most votes or the most mentions and you’ll see that here on the blog.
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