Songs revolving around wordplay, jokes, puns, double entendres, and any other funny way to use language.
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A playful way to teach Latvian children (or learners of the Latvian language) the Latvian alphabet. The song is constructed in a way that every consecutive word should begin with the consecutive letter of the alphabet. The funny, cheerful video possibly makes the learning easier. The video contains subtitles in English.
Words that are very similar can have very different meanings, creating funny or absurd situations.
Язык песни: Итальянский
Words are fun to play with: with little modifications here and there, you can create whole new worlds.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.
Wordplay: The sport of a wordsmith.
In hip-hop, the greatest rappers to have ever touched a mic and spit their truth have dabbled in this art. Some have done it more smoothly than others, who—in their own right—have made the obvious a bit more clear.
Wordplay can come about in a multitude of directions, but the overall goal is to execute a pun or pop culture reference through word alterations and the flipping of meanings. A few methods include: internal rhyme schemes; varying pronunciations; synonyms; synonyms juxtaposed by antonyms; syllable breakdowns; double, triple, and even quadruple entendres; and spelling.
With Eminem releasing his latest album Kamikaze, there’s been some internet buzz about who the best to ever do it is. Some of these debates already exist on the archives of the internet—I’m sure we can trace back to some examples existing in REVOLT’s content alone.
To be clear, this article is not attempting to throw its two cents in the debate of who the best wordplay-ist is, but rather go lyric by lyric on some of the top-notch, heavy-hitter examples hip-hop has ever delivered to the culture.
Starting with easy one-liners:
“She almost got cut short—you know, scissors” — Slick Rick, “Mona Lisa” (1988)
An easy one with the answer right in the lyric! The slickest to ever do it, Slick Rick recalls meeting this tempting beauty, named after the painting, at a pizza parlor. In the middle of their conversation, he almost interrupts her (“cut short”). And “you know,” what do scissors do? It’s almost a shame he didn’t describe her haircut.
“Real Gs move in silence like lasagna” — Lil Wayne, “6 Foot, 7 Foot” (2011)
Simple play here: The letter “g” is in the word “lasagna.” The “G” will always remain silent no matter how many times you try to pronounce it. Hustlas (aka “G’s”), like Lil Wayne, know how to remain in silence about their moves.
“I’m not gay, I just wanna boogie to some Marvin” — Tyler, The Creator, “Yonkers” (2011)
Let’s stir the pot with a pop culture reference. Here, Tyler is addressing rumors about his sexuality but simultaneously acknowledging a legend, Marvin Gay(e), whose style of music has a “boogie” groove to it.
Now to the ones that S-P-E-L-L out T-H-E M-E-A-N-I -N-G:
“I’m the L-I-L to the K-I-M / And not B-I-G, R.I.P. ba-by” — Lil’ Kim, “Spell Check” (2005)
One of the best to ever do it, Lil’ Kim immediately gets to the point on the first line off The Naked Truth. She spells out her name in the introduction and notes how opposites attract in size. The “not” deads all criticisms that “Biggie wrote her shit,” but she makes sure to show love and respect to her mentor, who has taught her a thing or two about spelling.
“Ride the dick like a BMX, no nigga wanna Be My eX” — Cardi B, “Motorsport” (2017)
While the Queen Bee of Rap directed her spelling at critics, the Empress warned rejected suitors with her wordplay, while in full costume. She equates her kamasutra to the X Games sport. God forbid her partner messes up, and crashes to ex territory, as she phonetically spells out with “Be My Ex.” (An honorable mention has to go to Remy Ma’s “Nigga you can Be my eX, that’s where I’m from” on “Money Showers” (2017), which rather nods to the Bronx.)
Now that we’ve warmed up to wordplay, it’s time to take a Kurtis Blow moment with some noteworthy chorus examples, because these are the…
“Brakes on a bus, brakes on a car / Breaks to make you a superstar / Breaks to win and breaks to lose / But these here breaks will rock your shoes / And these are the breaks / Break it up, break it up, break it up!” — Kurtis Blow, “The Breaks” (1980)
What made “The Breaks” one of hip-hop’s first commercial success stories is its relatability factor in the storytelling. Kurtis Blow had delivered rap’s version of the facts of life. Breaks, the device on a vehicle, are meant to stop motion. Sometimes life is interrupted by unfortunate breaks. In fact, these so-called “breaks” do happen to appear in a monthly schedule, at least the amount of times they appear in this hook.
“You niggas want word play, I’m ’bout birdplay / First of the month, yeah, we call that bird day (Look at ’em fly)” — Jeezy, “Word Play” (2008)
Flash forward to 38 years after “The Breaks,” and the genre of trap—specifically from the Southern hemisphere of America spanning from Atlanta to New Orleans—had taken over hip-hop. Still, there were the skeptics of this sound that complained about a lack of crafty lyricism resembling the Golden Age. At the forefront of the commercial movement, Jeezy responds to his critics via an appropriately titled song from his album The Recession. Jeezy claims he’s all about being a dope rapper in this line, hence “birdplay,” a slang for slinging drugs. However, “look at em fly” acknowledges how words can still effortlessly roll off his tongue.
“I can’t even roll in peace (why?) / Everybody notice me (yeah) / I can’t even go to sleep (why?) / I’m rolling on a bean (yeah) / They tried to give me eight / Got on my knees like “Jesus please” / He don’t even believe in Jesus / Why you got a Jesus piece?” — Kodak Black, “Roll In Peace” (2017)
As a protege of Jeezy, Kodak Black offers a hook that’s both morose and addictive, and a standout amongst this new generation of rappers. First, “Roll In Peace” spells out RIP to match the graveyard music. Jesus is associated depending on what religious burial is taking place, or when you’re being sentenced to time, who you pray to last minute. Second, “roll” could mean the action for a blunt, as well as tripping out on a pill (“bean”).
Now for the bars that mix in snapshots of pop culture:
“Ha, holla cross from the land of the lost / Behold the pale horse, off course (off course)” — Method Man, Wu-Tang Clan’s “Gravel Pit” (2000)
Method Man stands tall amongst the greats who, if you don’t pay attention to every detail in their verses, the references will go over your head. That’s just how smooth he is. Now this opening verse is often disputed: Is he saying “ha, holla cross,” or “ha holocaust”? Either way, each interpretation still ties into a religious allusion, albeit the latter is more gruesome, to say the least. Now, “Gravel Pit” returns to Wu-Tang’s underground sound, as RZA mentions in the intro, but it’s somewhat lost musically in the new millennium climate. Wu-Tang Clan still remained holy figures in rap regardless, bringing prophetic wisdom and blessings to the game. On this journey, Method Man brings a pale horse into the conversation, who just so happens to be “off course” in “the land of lost.” This horse also happens to know one of Mr. Ed’s—America’s first sitcom horse—theme song, which starts “a horse is a horse, of course, of course.” See: smooth word play!
“Now, pan right for the angle / I got away with murder, no scandal, cue the violins and Violas” — Janelle Monae, “Django Jane” (2018)
On a song titled after the female equivalent to Jamie Foxx’s slave revolting superhero, Janelle Monae pushes against perceptions media has placed on the black image. She also celebrates them, like in this line, directing her next punchline’s “angle” (with a “pan right”). She salutes the Shondaland Thursday primetime line-up for ABC (“How To GetAway With Murder” and “Scandal”), before instructing the strings players of her band to play the instrument sharing a name with the HTGAWM lead actress.
“Niggas talkin’ shit, ‘Ye—how do you respond? / Poop, scoop! / Whoop! Whoopty-whoop!” — Pusha T and Kanye West, “What Would Meek Do?” (2018)
Pusha T asks him a question and Kanye responds with his infamous lines from “Lift Yourself.” Of course we don’t have to point out the obvious synonyms, but what a great alley-oop-oop-oop-oopty-oop through collaboration.
Here are some examples of musical terminology and rapping ability tied to double meanings:
“Rappers, I monkey flip ’em with the funky rhythm I be kickin’ / Musician inflictin’ composition of pain” — Nas, “New York State of Mind” (1994)
Simply the best to utilize wordplay, the examples from Nas are endless. But this informal introduction to the power of his skill takes the cake. A monkey flip is a wrestling and breakdancing move that requires the person to kick. A monkey flip in the ring of the WWF (or WCW, WWE depending on which generation you associate), in particular, flips the opponent over. Sounds painful. Musicians and rappers make “compositions” through “rhythms.” Of course, Nas’ wordplay is some of the most lethal.
“Listen, you should buy a sixteen, ’cause I write it good / That 808 WOOF WOOF, ’cause I ride it good / And bitches can’t find they man, ’cause I ride it good / I’m the wolf, where is Little Red Riding Hood?” — Nicki Minaj, “Itty Bitty Piggy” (2009)
One aspect that can’t be denied with Nicki’s craft is her ability to ride a beat. That’s exhibited well in her flow and deuce set of sixteen bars from her mixtape days. She interchanges “write” and “ride” with similar pronunciation. Nicki’s exemplary wordplay is ran by her “rrr’s” and “w’s.” The “woof woof” shows onomatopoeia tying into the “wolf,” but also the sound of the beat’s 808. Little Red Riding Hood is a pop culture reference that ties back into the variations of “ride” and “write.”
“Crack off nigga, I’m squeezing empty ’til the shell break / Fuck my image I need to drop, I need to, Blank Face” — ScHoolboy Q, “Blank Face” (2016)
With this bar, ScHoolboy Q masks his wordplay to create a vivid image. He mentions his gun “cracking off,” which directs attention to what a shell can do once it “breaks.” There’s also the shell of a gun which will “break” after he empties the clip, or possibly an AK-47. “I need to drop” could mean two things: killing thy enemies on sight and/or disappearing after committing the act—hence the need for a discreet “blank face.” But there’s one last meaning: his album being named Blank Face would also “need to drop” in time for the scheduled release. Maybe the West Coast rapper is tying all this into annihilating the game with his rapid and energetic delivery.
If there are three legendary emcees from the Golden Age with OG wordplay, look no further:
“Eric be easy on the cut, no mistakes allowed / ‘Cause to me, MC means move the crowd / I made it easy to dance to this / But can you detect what’s coming next from the flex of the wrist? / Say ‘indeed’ and I’ll proceed ’cause my man made a mix / If he bleed he won’t need no band-aid to fix / His fingertips sew a rhyme until there’s no rhymes left / I hurry up because the cut will make ’em bleed to death” — Rakim, “Eric B Is President” (1987)
With Rakim on wax, it’s like you’re in conversation, and every time he speaks there’s not just one message, but quite a few. There is a large serving of wordplay here so let’s digest this bite by bite: “Eric b(e)” is of course a play on of his DJ partner in crime who is the muse behind this song and its lyrics. Rakim is requesting precision from Eric B so that he can “MC,” or rather move the crowd, efficiently. “Man made a mix” plays on the homophone of “manmade,” that which hip-hop ultimately is a manmade art. “Band aid” simply makes you ask, “what DJ ever needed a band to fix their mistakes or hand them a band-aid should they ever bleed?” Finally, Eric B is “sewing” together the production behind Rakim, helping to stitch his rhymes together. For the slam dunk, Rakim loops back into “cut” which means the cut of music or at the turntables, and a physical cut that would make “em bleed to death.”
“Rappers stepping to me / They want to get some / But I’m the Kane so, yo, you know the outcome / Another victory / They can’t get with me / So pick a BC date because you’re history.” — Big Daddy Kane, “Ain’t No Half Steppin’” (1988)
It’s only fair that a great who has felt imitated by others would compare himself to the first human ever born, the biblical figure Cain. Cain existed in the BC time period, while this song was released during the AD (where it seems other MCs can’t presently hang with Big Daddy Kane). Not only is he telling them they’re old news, he calls it all “history.”
“Who da freshest motherfucker in rap? / You better dig in your crates, who lives what they state? / Who’s the most consistent to date? / If you’re talking 2Pac or B.I.G., you late (KRS!)” — KRS-One, “Who Da Best” (2010)
Being one of hip-hop’s titan truthsayers, KRS-One’s arsenal of puns and punchlines are endless. Take this example where he has to quickly remind the new school of his legendary status on an alchemical EP called Back to the L.A.B. (Lyrical Ass Beating). While many will say “da freshest in rap” are either of the “late” greats “2Pac or B.I.G.,” KRS-One tells us to go look at the records and vinyls in the “crates” before their time. There is also the juxtaposition of “live” and “late,” as KRS is freshly “stating” his case while alive.
Okay, this one’s a Biggie:
“Now check it: I got more mack than Craig, and in the bed / Believe me, sweetie, I got enough to feed the needy /No need to be greedy, I got mad friends with Benzes /C-notes by the layers, true fuckin’ players” — The Notorious B.I.G., “Big Poppa” (1994)
Being the G.O.A.T., Biggie had the ability to highlight luxury and materialism to give his verses the charismatic life they packed. There’s the name drop of his Bad Boy label mate, Craig Mack which he uses the last name to compare his sexual prowess (mack could also tie into that obscenity before “players”). Then we get to his rich friends, who also happen to be musicians or “players” who have dealt with “C-notes,” wads of $100 bills and on the music scale. Mercedes Benz has a C-class of cars which are considered to be some of the highest for the luxury car market. But back to the “now check it,” usually the rich write checks to “feed the needy,” through charity.
Rarely mentioned gems from some top class elite MCs.
“I father, I Brooklyn Dodger them / I jack, I rob, I sin / Aww man, I’m Jackie Robinson / ‘Cept when I run base, I dodge the pen” — JAY-Z, “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” (2008)
For the Notorious soundtrack, JAY-Z salutes his and B.I.G.’s home borough through an old-school reference. Jackie Robinson became the first black player of the MLB, competing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The phonetic breakdown of “jack,” “rob,” and “sin”—with “I” in front of each word—sets up the first analogy. Here, JAY is also discussing criminal activity, drawing back to his days of “running base” in the streets, and not the kind Jackie Robinson ran on the fields. The “dodge the pen” not only completes “Brooklyn Dodger,” but alludes to two points: JAY can avoid jail time when he’s selling drugs and his skill of not having to write down verses.
“Streets don’t fail me now, they tell me it’s a new gang in town / From Compton to Congress, set trippin’ all around / Ain’t nothin’ new, but a flu of new Demo-Crips and Re-Blood-licans / Red state versus a blue state, which one you governin’?” — Kendrick Lamar, “Hood Politics” (2015)
Systematic oppression is what created gang life as a means of survival in the first place, so leave it to Kendrick to eloquently bring that up. He associates Washington, D.C. government with the same “trippin’” behavior as the gangs banging out in his hometown Compton. He renames the Democratic Party after the blue repping Crips, and the Republican Party after the red riding Bloods. At the end, he ask listeners “which one you governin’,” or basically what state are they living in relation to these matters.
Most importantly, some Kaepernick play action:
“In case my lack of reply had you catchin’ them feelings / Know you’ve been on my mind like Kaepernick kneelin’” — J. Cole, Miguel’s “Come Through and Chill” (2017)
Earlier in this Miguel collaboration, J. Cole—who has been a front and center proponent for Kaepernic—left his love interest on red. He returns back a few verses later to finish his thought. Here’s an allusion to Kaepernick focused on the act of “catchin’,” either the actual football he throws or the NFL fans mulling over their feelings regarding his protesting.
“Feed me to the wolves, now I lead the pack and shit / You boys all cap, I’m more Colin Kaepernick” — Big Sean, “Big Bank” (2018)
Simple here: “wolves” come in a “pack.” Kaepernick himself is a quarterback who has to lead his team of players. “Cap” is also the salary limit in major league sports, which Big Sean claims he’s above just like Colin Kaepernick, as he’s not currently associating with the rules of the NFL for a payday.
Some Kamikaze wordplay, because relevancy is also key:
“You play your cards, I reverse on you all / And I might just drop 4 like a Uno” — Joyner Lucas, Eminem’s “Lucky You” (2018)
As one of the standout features on Kamikaze, Joyner Lucas shoots rapid fire while relating the game to the Uno card game. There’s a “reverse” card which changes the game’s rotation (as both men attempt to do on this song), and a Draw 4 is rephrased to “drop 4.” Lucas then proceeds to drop 4 bars right after this wordplay.
“Levels to this shit, I got an elevator / You could never say to me I’m not a fuckin’ record breaker / I sound like a broken record every time I break a record / Nobody could ever take away the legacy, I made a navigator” — Eminem, “Lucky You” (2018)
While many claim to be the master of wordplay, Eminem seamlessly takes that skill to another “level” just like an “elevator.” After seeing many multi-platinum albums—two going diamond—he, for sure, is a “record breaker” who then flips the script into “break a record.” Then there’s “I made a navigator,” which indicates he can show you the direction to take hip-hop, but he also navigated some of its present “legacy” with the contributions he “made.”
“I’m in the court of public opinion, ready to click and spray / Light Jay Elec ass up, that’s my Exhibit A / Bitch kill my vibe is what you wanna get into / Drown ’em all in a swimming pool, full of phlegm and drool” — Joe Budden, “Lost Control (Freestyle)” (2013)
Many are doubting if Joe Budden could ever hold his own on wax again, instead of on a podcast. Here’s a reminder to how he responded to Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse without even being mentioned. His “Exhibit A” of “lighting” up an “Electronic” monikered rapper ties into being “in the court of public opinion.” Then he drops some Kendrick references: “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Swimming Pools (Drank).” “Phlegm and drool” also point out how Budden’s spitting is creating a pool of lyrics that rappers can’t recover from and will ultimately drown in—just more evidence in the case.
“Now tell me, what do you stand for? (what?) / I know you can’t stand yourself (no) / Tryin’ to be the old you so bad you Stan yourself (ha)” – Machine Gun Kelly on “Rap Devil” (2018)
As the first to officially respond to Eminem’s litany of attacks, Machine Gun Kelly already plays on Em’s “Rap God” by calling himself the “Devil” in the title. Here he uses multiple meanings of “stand” including beliefs being held, and tolerating or liking oneself. Then there’s the punchline: “Stan,” the term for an obsessive fan that Eminem coined in his old days of rap— a flow and energy Em attempts to bring back on Kamikaze.
And for those who felt like they were snubbed from this list, don’t worry. This was a warm-up. The saga will continue…
More from Da’Shan Smith:
Jon Galiotto
Raised Rowdy Contributor
Songwriters and Artists have an amazing ability to transform the meaning of lyrics throughout a song. I find this skill pretty damn awesome and wanted to highlight my Top 5 Word Play Songs.
Eric Church – “Cold One”
Is there anything colder then your significant other blindsiding you and walking out the door? The answer is yes, when they take one of your cold ones on the way out. Studies have shown that the perfect number of cold ones that you need to consume after being walked out on is twelve, not eleven.
Morgan Wallen – “Whiskey Glasses”
Neal Mccoy told us years ago how Billy uses his beer goggles to get through his heartbreak. Now Morgan Wallen lets us know that whiskey glasses can also help to fill that void. Throughout the song Morgan cleverly switches the hook with needing a pair of whiskey glasses that you wear to change your eyesight and a pair that you fill with whiskey — or whatever your drink of choice.
Ryan Hurd – “Down to a T”
Ryan Hurd’s “Down to a T” captures 2 of the best parts of a relationship – fully understanding someone and fully undressing them. Kuddos to Ryan for this genius song.
Adam Hambrick – “Rockin’ All Night Long” & “Country Stars”
From the first time I heard “Rockin’ All Night Long” it hit home on so many levels. It’s amazing how the same four words can capture how you can rock all night long in every stage of your life. Adam touches everything from rocking at parties when you’re young to rockin’ your baby to sleep all night long. Adam gets a second song because I just heard him play “Country Stars” at CMA Fest and think it fits perfect. This one is about looking up to both the Arkansas sky to see stars and Country Music Stars.
Mitchell Tenpenny – “Alcohol You Later”
I saw Mitchell at a songwriter round a few weeks ago and heard the story of how this song came to life. Apparently some redneck at Losers Bar in Nashville was saying “I’ll call you later” and it sounded like alcohol you later. There’s something about a good buzz that makes you want to call everyone in your phone (especially the ones you shouldn’t).
Luke Combs – “Beer Can”
At first you think this song is about a Top 5 receptacle for drinking beer, however it also refers to beers abilities. Think about it, beer does a lot of things. It “can” make you happy it “can” make you sad and it “can” get you through things but most importantly it “can” come in a “can”. Luke does a great job at telling us how both he and beer lift each other up in perfect unity.
These are just a couple examples of how a songwriter/artist can transform how the same words make you feel or think with a small twist. There are about a million other examples of this so let us know any of your favorites!
P.S. – Beers “can” be shotgunned out of a “can”.
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Last updated:
December 11, 2022
Sing and Learn! 21 English Songs for Learning Vocabulary and Grammar
Did you know that Beyoncé and Adele are excellent English teachers?
Can you believe that famous old songs by Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Elvis Presley are perfect for learning English grammar?
Today we’ll look at—and listen to!—21 great English songs that can help you learn English.
Contents
- How to Learn English with These Songs
- Songs for Learning English Vocabulary
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- 1. “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure
- 2. “We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes
- 3. “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen
- 4. “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash
- 5. “Just a Girl” by No Doubt
- 6. “Bad Luck” by Social Distortion
- 7. “Black or White” by Michael Jackson
- 8. “Don’t Mug Yourself” by The Streets
- Songs for Learning English Grammar
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- 9. “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas
- 10. “Since You’ve Been Gone” by The Outfield
- 11. “And She Was” by Talking Heads
- 12. “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams
- 13. “Ready to Run” by The Dixie Chicks
- 14. “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles
- 15. “Always On My Mind” by Elvis Presley
- 16. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
- 17. “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé
- 18. “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” by Adele
- 19. “Hope You Never” by Tom Petty
- 20. “Stressed Out” by Twenty-One Pilots
- 21. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Download:
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can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
How to Learn English with These Songs
There are two main ways you can use this article and the songs here to improve your English.
If you want to learn actively, you can listen to the songs while following along with the lyrics. Each song in this article includes a link to the video and the lyrics for that song. If you’re in the vocabulary section of this article, you can make a list of any new words you find, focusing especially on the target topic for that song. And if you’re in the grammar section of this article, you can notice when the songs use the mentioned structures and then follow the included links to do more exercises to practice the structures.
Some programs make this simpler. FluentU, for example, has interactive, dual-language subtitles that allow you to click on unfamiliar words for instant definitions. The program’s library of English-language clips has a specific section for music videos.
You can also simply listen to the songs without taking any notes. You won’t exactly “absorb” the English vocabulary and grammar structures automatically, but you may be surprised how much you can learn just by passively listening to songs. And if you hear something that catches your interest, you can always return to the song later on to find more information about the words or structures.
But no matter how you use these songs, you’ll likely find that learning English with music is a fun way to improve your English skills.
I’ve tried to choose songs from many different genres and years, so I hope there’s something that you like.
Let’s start with some songs that can help you increase your English vocabulary.
Songs for Learning English Vocabulary
Obviously any song that has words can help you increase your vocabulary in some way. Here I’ve chosen a few songs that are useful because they include specific types of vocabulary. For each topic, I’ll include the song as well as some comments about the vocabulary.
1. “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure
Topic: Days of the Week
Video | Lyrics
One of the first things that most people learn in a new language are days of the week. If you can’t talk about the days of the week, it’s almost impossible to make plans or to talk about your routines.
Whether you think the days of the week are easy or hard to learn, you can still enjoy this classic ’80s song by The Cure. Some of the lyrics are a bit confusing (at least for me), but at least the days of the week are in the correct order so you won’t get them confused!
Generally the days of the week aren’t especially difficult to learn, but some of my students do have difficulties pronouncing “Wednesday” and “Thursday,” and they often confuse Tuesday and Thursday because they look similar.
2. “We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes
Topic: School and Childhood
Video | Lyrics
This song is a reminder of what it’s like to be young and innocent.
It has a really simple sound and the lyrics talk about things that children do at school. For example, it talks about learning how to spell, and it also mentions things like books, pens and uniforms.
The video for the original version of this song (shown above) is okay, but it just shows a guy (Jack White) playing guitar while a girl (Meg White) rests on a sofa.
If you want a video that’s a bit more visual, check out the Jack Johnson version of the song with a fan-made video that has a lot of pictures of the vocabulary in the song.
3. “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen
Topic: Friendship
Video | Lyrics
There are probably millions of love songs, but there seem to be fewer songs about friendship.
Well, even though this song has “best friend” in the title, it’s more about a romantic friendship.
In the lyrics, Queen’s singer Freddie Mercury sings about how sometimes things get difficult, but his friend is always there to help him when he needs it. It’s about faithfulness (being consistent and staying together with someone). Freddie sings that his friend has “stood by” him “in rain or shine,” which is another way of saying that they supported and helped him during bad times (rain) and good times (shine, sunshine).
So, this song is a nice reminder about what friends should do for each other.
4. “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash
Topic: Places and Geography
Video | Lyrics
Johnny Cash was a singer known for singing country songs about criminals and people who had difficult lives. Johnny didn’t actually write this song, but his version is the most famous one.
In it, he tells a story from the perspective of a hitchhiker (a person who tries to get a ride on the side of the road). A truck picks up the hitchhiker, and the hitchhiker then tells the driver about all the different places he’s been.
The lyrics are really fast, but that’s part of the fun. He lists around 100 cities, states and countries, and you can see how many you can understand. The vocabulary for different places is interesting, but it’s also good because you can notice how he rhymes different place names (for example, “Oklahoma” rhymes with “La Paloma” and “Colorado” rhymes with “Eldorado”).
5. “Just a Girl” by No Doubt
Topic: Gender Relations
Video | Lyrics
First of all, the word “gender” basically refers to being “male” or “female” and the typical characteristics of each .
There are many different songs about how society treats men and women differently.
Pink’s song “Stupid Girls” is a good related song, and Lady Antebellum even has another completely different song that’s also called “Just a Girl.” And Beyonce’s song “If I Were a Boy” is excellent, but we’ll be talking about it later in this article. But personally, this No Doubt song is my favorite one to use in classes when we talk about gender issues.
In this song, Gwen Stefani (the singer) sings about how she’s frustrated because society thinks that women are weak and that people treat women like they’re helpless. She uses good vocabulary to express that frustration, saying that people stare (look at her continually) at her like she’s in captivity.
Another good phrase to notice is “I’ve had it up to here.” That means that you’re completely tired and frustrated, and you’re not going to accept a situation anymore.
6. “Bad Luck” by Social Distortion
Topic: Superstitions
Video | Lyrics
I’m always surprised at the conversations we have in class when we talk about superstitions. It’s an interesting cultural topic, and there’s a lot of good vocabulary related to superstitions.
Of course, there are also other songs about superstitions, including “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Superstitious” by Europe. The Stevie Wonder song’s lyrics do talk about some things related to superstitions, but the Europe song is more about how the singer is not superstitious.
The lyrics for this song focus a bit more on luck than on superstition, but there’s still a lot of good vocabulary. The singer talks about how he always loses in poker, pool and life in general, and he mentions superstitions like black cats, broken mirrors and how he always “sings the blues” (which means that he’s always sad).
7. “Black or White” by Michael Jackson
Topic: Tolerance
Video | Lyrics
I’ll admit it: I’ve always liked this song—the Michael Jackson album “Dangerous” was the first cassette I bought with my own money!—but I never really understood the lyrics until recently when a student played the song in class.
The message is clear. It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white or any other color. We’re all equal. The lyrics are a bit difficult to understand (even for a native speaker like me) but the message is maybe a bit more obvious when you watch the video. There are many helpful images that will improve your understanding in the video.
If you can tolerate the first two minutes of the video, then the song starts and it shows Michael Jackson dancing and singing throughout the world with all kinds of different people. At the end of the video, it shows people morphing (transforming) into people with different skin colors and genders.
It’s a nice message about how, even though there are many physical differences in people throughout the world, we’re still all equal.
8. “Don’t Mug Yourself” by The Streets
Topic: British English Slang and Pronunciation
Video | Lyrics
The song “Don’t Mug Yourself,” and basically anything else by the rapper called The Streets, is really British, at least to my American ears. But that means it’s a good example if you want to hear and see more about the differences between British English and American English.
In the song, the singer talks about how he’s going to call a girl he likes, but his friend is warning him that he shouldn’t mug himself (do something to make himself look foolish or stupid).
It’s interesting to hear the pronunciation, and there’s a lot of good slang and vocabulary in the lyrics, but just be aware that there are some bad words.
Two (clean) words that are common in British English, but not American English, are the words “fancy” for “like” (when you like a person romantically) and “oi” (an expression to interrupt or get someone’s attention).
Songs for Learning English Grammar
Just like in the vocabulary section above, any song that has words will also include grammar.
But what if you want some more examples of specific structures that you’re learning in class? If that’s what you need, you’ve come to the right place!
For each song, I’ll include the name of the grammatical structure, some links to explanations of the structure, and a few examples of how the song uses that structure.
9. “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas
Structure: Present Simple Tense
Video | Lyrics
You probably already know the present simple tense (also called “simple present”). It’s one of the first structures most people learn in English, and we use it to talk about things that happen commonly or frequently in the present or to talk about characteristics of people or things. If you want to review it, English Page and the British Council’s Learn English site both have good explanations and examples.
This song is about how we can’t control life or death, and eventually, everything turns into dust. Almost all of the lyrics are in present simple, but some clear examples are lines like:
- All my dreams pass before my eyes
- Don’t hang on, nothing lasts forever
10. “Since You’ve Been Gone” by The Outfield
Structure: Present Perfect Tense
Video | Lyrics
This song is about a guy who misses someone who left, and he sings about what he has been doing since that person left.
This song is also great for learning an English tense called “present perfect.”
We use the present perfect tense to talk about things that started in the past and are still happening now. It’s common to contract the subject (like “I,” “you” or “we”) and the verb “have” (for example, saying “I’ve” instead of “I have”) and that happens a lot in this song’s lyrics.
Some examples of the present perfect in this song include:
- Since you’ve been gone
- I’ve just been fooling around
- You’re not the only girl I’ve ever had
There are some good reviews of this grammar structure on English Page and the British Council page. There are also some other great songs that use this structure, such as U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
11. “And She Was” by Talking Heads
Structure: Continuous/Progressive Tenses
Video | Lyrics
There are actually a couple different continuous (also called “progressive”) tenses in English. There are continuous tenses for the past, present and future, and there’s also the perfect continuous for the past, present and future.
That gets complicated, so I chose a song that mainly uses the present continuous (with a form of the verb “to be” in the present and a verb ending in -ing) and the past continuous (with a form of the verb “to be” in the past and a verb ending in -ing).
If you want to review the present continuous, check English Page and the British Council, and they also have explanations for past continuous here and here.
Some examples of the present continuous in the song are:
- She’s making sure she is not dreaming (two examples)
- Now she’s starting to rise
And some examples of the past continuous are:
- She was lying in the grass
- The world was moving
- She was drifting through the backyard
12. “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams
Structure: Past Simple Tense
Video | Lyrics
We use the past simple tense to describe things that started and finished in the past. In other words, these are completed actions. Here’s more information on English Page and the British Council’s page. The past simple is one of the first things that intermediate students learn because it’s so common.
The main difficulty that many students have is remembering the past forms of the irregular verbs in English. If you’re not sure what those are, regular verbs end with an “-ed” in the past forms, but irregular verbs have many different forms in the past.
There are charts of most of the irregular verbs in English, but you just have to just practice them and memorize them over time. Fortunately, there are also some tricks to help you learn irregular verbs.
In this song, Bryan is remembering the past and what he and his friends did when he was younger. Some of the song is in the present but a lot of it takes place in the past.
Some examples of the simple past that have regular verbs are:
- That summer seemed to last forever
- We needed to unwind
And some examples of the simple past that have irregular verbs are:
- I got my first real six-string, [I] bought it at the five and dime
- We were young and restless
- When you held my hand, I knew it was now or never
13. “Ready to Run” by The Dixie Chicks
Structure: Future Tenses
Video | Lyrics
There are several ways to talk about the future in English. We don’t have time to go into a lot of detail about all of them here, but the most common ways are:
- The future simple (“will”)
- The future continuous (“will” and an -ing verb)
- The “going to” structure (a form of “to be” plus “going to” plus a verb)
- The present continuous (which we’ve already talked about), if we include a future time word
I chose “Ready to Run” by the Dixie Chicks because it uses a few of these forms, but I’d also recommend “The Land of Hopes and Dreams” by Bruce Springsteen.
Some examples of the future in “Ready to Run” are:
- I’m gonna be ready (the “going to” form, which is informally pronounced “gonna” sometimes)
- I’ll buy a ticket to anywhere (future simple)
14. “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles
Structure: Modal Verbs
Video | Lyrics
Modal verbs (also called “modal auxiliaries” or simply “modals”) can be tricky, mainly because they can mean different things.
Briefly, a modal verb is a word that you put before a verb to indicate things like possibility, obligation, permission, etc. Common modal verbs are can, will, must, may, should, need to, have to and might, but there are others. The British Council has a good explanation and if you want some exercises you should head over to English Page.
Because they’re so essential, almost every song has at least one modal verb. One I like to use in classes is “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles. Some examples of modals in that song include:
- Do I have to keep on talking till I can’t go on?
- Our love may soon be gone
- We can work it out
- Only time will tell if I am right
15. “Always On My Mind” by Elvis Presley
Structure: Perfect Modals
Video | Lyrics
Now we’re starting to get into the more complicated English grammar structures.
Perfect modals (also called “past modals”) use a modal (like in the previous section) but we use them to talk about the past. Basically, you’ll need to use this structure:
- a modal + “have” + past participle
There are more explanations at Learn American English Online and Espresso English.
Since many songs talk about the past, a lot of songs have perfect modals. One of my favorites is “Always On My Mind,” which was made famous by Elvis Presley. Some examples of perfect modals in the song are:
- Maybe I didn’t treat you quite as good as I should have
- Little things I should have said and done, I just never took the time
16. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
Structure: Conditionals
Video | Lyrics
We use conditionals to talk about possible actions and the results of those actions. We usually divide them into four types:
- Zero Conditional
- First Conditional (also called “present/future real”)
- Second Conditional (also called “present unreal”)
- Third Conditional (also called “past unreal”)
Conditional sentences usually have two parts: a condition and a result.
These can get complex, so this section will be basic so it doesn’t get confusing. You can always read more about conditionals and do exercises at English Page.
We use the first conditional to talk about real possibilities, usually in the future. Normally, the condition is in the present tense and the result is in the future.
When talking about this in class, I like to use the song “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper but my students especially like “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. In this song, Ed sings to a person he loves, wondering how things will be in the future. Some examples of the first conditional in the song are:
- When my hands don’t play the strings the same way, I know you will still love me the same
- When your legs don’t work like they used to before […], will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?
17. “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé
Structure: Second Conditional
Video | Lyrics
We use the second conditional to express unreal (imaginary) possibilities and results about the present. It a bit confusing because the condition is in the simple past and the result uses “would” plus a verb.
For example, you could say “If I were tall, I would be uncomfortable in my small car.” In this example, the reality is that I have a small car and I’m not tall; I’m just imagining a different reality.
A really great song for this “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé. She imagines what she would do if she were a boy and how society would treat her differently. Basically, the entire song is a big second conditional sentence, but some examples are:
- If I were a boy, I think I could understand how it feels to love a girl
- If I were a boy, I would turn off my phone
18. “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” by Adele
Structure: Third Conditional
Video | Lyrics
The third conditional is used to talk about actions in the past—but it’s unreal, meaning that we’re imagining different conditions and results that didn’t actually happen. This structure is pretty advanced, and it’s one of the trickiest things for my students to learn.
Adele’s song “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” (the original version by the Steeldrivers is also great) uses this structure to talk about a woman who killed her lover. She’s singing from jail, talking about how and why she killed him. Almost the whole song is in third conditional, but you can see examples in these verses:
- [I] never woulda hitchhiked to Birmingham if it hadn’t been for love (“woulda” is an informal way to say “would have”)
- [I] woulda been gone like a wayward wind if it hadn’t been for love
19. “Hope You Never” by Tom Petty
Structure: Hope Phrases
Video | Lyrics
There are many different ways to talk about hopes, wishes, dreams and desires in English. I put this section after the conditionals section because normally we talk about hopes using the first conditional and we talk about wishes by using the second conditional.
I know, it’s strange because the words basically mean the same thing, but grammar is just weird sometimes.
One common way to talk about hopes is to use two names or subjects. In that structure, the first person is doing the hope and the second person is the topic of that hope. For example, I can say “I hope I pass my exam.” I can also say “I hope she passes her exam.” Notice that in both of these, the verbs are in the simple present.
A good song that uses hope phrases is “Hope You Never” by Tom Petty. It’s a sad breakup song but it has some good hope phrases like:
- I hope you treasure your independence
- I hope you never fall in love with somebody like you
20. “Stressed Out” by Twenty-One Pilots
Structure: Wish Phrases
Video | Lyrics
There are also different ways to talk about wishes, but a common way is very similar to the hope phrases in the last section.
We can have two people, and the first one makes the wish and the second one is the topic of the wish. The biggest difference is that wishes are unreal (or impossible), so you need to change the second verb to the past tense to indicate it’s unreal.
That may sound a bit confusing, but you can see many examples in the song “Stressed Out” by Twenty-One Pilots:
- I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words
- I wish I didn’t have to rhyme every time I sang
- [I] wish we could turn back time to the good ol’ days
21. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Structure: Reported Speech
Video | Lyrics
I said earlier that third conditional was one of the hardest things for my students, but reported speech may be even more difficult. Reported speech (also called “indirect speech”) can be confusing, but you can find a complete explanation of how it works at English Page, which also has exercises.
The thing to remember with reported speech is that you’re repeating what someone else said. In other words, you’re reporting that person’s speech. To indicate that we’re using reported speech, the most common thing to do is to move the verbs into the past.
Again, it can get a lot more complex than that, but the song “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is one that I use with my students to practice reported speech. In the song, a man describes a conversation he had with his mother. For example:
- Mama told me when I was young, “Come sit by me, my only son, and listen closely to what I say, and if you do this, it’ll help you some sunny day.”
This is direct speech, but if we change this line from to reported speech, it looks something like:
- His mother told him when he was young to go sit beside her. She told him to listen closely to what she said and that if he did that, it would help him some sunny day.
Even though the song is in direct speech, it’s a good activity to practice making reported speech sentences.
Now that you have all these song ideas, all that you need to do is to turn up the volume and start learning.
Have fun!
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