an American superstar singer who recorded this song in 2008 for her third album, “I Am… Sasha Fierce.” She wrote this song with Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart.
Remember those walls I built Well, baby they’re tumbling down And they didn’t even put up a fight They didn’t even make a sound
I found a way to let you in But I never really had adoubt Standing in the light of your halo I got my angel now
It’s like I’ve been awakened Every rule I had you breaking It’s the risk that I’m taking I ain’t never gonnashut you out
Everywhere I’m looking now I’m surrounded by your embrace Baby I can see your halo You know you’re my saving grace
You’re everything I need and more It’s written all over your face Baby I can feel your halo Pray it won’t fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo I can see your halo halo halo I can feel your halo halo halo I can see your halo halo halo
Hit me like a ray of sun Burning through mydarkest night You’re the only one that I want Think I’m addicted to your light
I swore I’d never fall again But this don’t even feel like falling Gravity can’t forget To pull me back to the ground again
It’s like I’ve been awakened Every rule I had you breaking The risk that I’m taking I’m never gonna shut you out
Everywhere I’m looking now I’m surrounded by your embrace Baby I can feel your halo Pray it won’t fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo I can see your halo halo halo I can feel your halo halo halo I can see your halo halo halo Halo, halo
Everywhere I’m looking now I’m surrounded by your embrace Baby I can see your halo You know you’re my saving grace
You’re everything I need and more It’s written all over your face Baby I can feel your halo I pray it won’t fade away
I can feel your halo halo halo I can see your halo halo halo I can feel your halo halo halo I can see your halo halo halo
Vocabulary:
walls – walls around my heart for protection tumbling – falling put up a fight – try to fight let you in – let you into my heart had a doubt– believed that you were not the one for me halo – the light around your head that shows you are a good person angel – perfect lover awakened – woken up risk – danger ain’t never gonna – am not ever going to shut you out – not be open to your love embrace – hug my saving grace – the person who will save me pray – hope fade away– disappear over time ray – piece of light my darkest night – worst time of my life I’m addicted – I must have it swore – promised myself fall – fall in love gravity – the force that pulls me down
Desiderata, which translates from Latin as “desired things,” is a famous poem written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann (1872–1945). It is written in an old-style English. Some people believe he translated it from the text on the stone wall of the bell tower of Old Saint Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland. It urges people to see the beauty and troubles of the world through wise, hopeful and compassionate eyes. It was mostly unknown in the author‘s lifetime, but became well known after its use in an Anglican Church service, and after being found in 1965 at the deathbed of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson II. The poem became very well-known among the “baby boom” generation in the 1960s and 70s. Here is the text, followed by my modern English version, which is easier to understand.
Click on the audio recording below to hear the paragraph above.
Desiderata
Go placidly amidst the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful
Strive to be happy
Max Ehrmann 1927
Click on the audio recording below to hear the poem.
Go calmly through a world of noise and fast living
and remember there is peace in silence.
Without being untrue to yourself, try to get along with everyone
Say what you believe quietly and clearly, and listen to others
because everybody, no matter who they are, has a story.
Avoid loud and aggressive people;
their annoying behavior can bring you down.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become conceited or hateful
because there will always be others who are better or worse than you
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans for the future
Stay interested in your own career, even if you think it’s not very important;
You’ll be glad you have it when everything around you changes.
Be cautious when you do business with people
because the world is full of those who will take advantage of you.
But don’t think there’s no goodness out there;
many people are trying to improve themselves;
and all over the world people are doing what’s right.
Be yourself. Above all, don’t pretend to love.
Also, don’t think love doesn’t exist
because even when it seems that everything is getting worse,
love is as everlasting as the grass.
Learn from your experiences,
and let go of the things you could only do when you were young.
Learn to be strong if things should suddenly go wrong.
But don’t imagine the worst.
Many fears are the product of fatigue and loneliness.
Apart from a healthy discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here
And whether you know it or not,
the universe is definitely evolving as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with your God,
whatever you think that is,
and whatever you do and whatever you dream
in this noisy and confusing life, stay peaceful in your soul.
Even with all it’s dishonesty, hard work andbroken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world, so be as happy as you can.
Click on the audio recording below to hear the modern version.
Vocabulary:
desired – wanted urges – advises, encourages compassionate – sympathetic, wanting to help others author – writer deathbed – the bed where someone dies baby boom– all the people born between 1946 and 1964 untrue – doing something you don’t believe in get along – be friendly aggressive – doing anything necessary to succeed annoying – bothersome, irritating bring you down – make you less happy conceited – thinking you’re special achievements – things that you worked hard for career – what you mostly do to make money cautious – careful take advantage of you – take your money but not give you much pretend – act as if it’s real everlasting – continuing forever experiences – things that you do or that happen to you let go of – stop trying to do fatigue – tiredness discipline – doing things that you know you should universe – all the stars and planets everywhere a right – something no one can take away evolving – developing confusing – complicated, not easy to understand soul – the part of you that doesn’t die broken dreams – goals that you never achieve
Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.
abnormal: not usual, not typical, exceptional This past winter there was an abnormal amount of snowfall. Some cats have an abnormal six toes on their paws.
adaptable: able to change when the situation changes She’s very adaptable and will have no trouble living in Spain for a year. My grandparents are not adaptable to new technology.
annual: happening every year, yearly The school holds an annual fund-raising event to raise money for sports equipment. He got a good job out of college with an annual salary of $65,000.
anonymous: nameless, unknown He received an anonymous phone call telling him to stay away from work tomorrow. The donors for the new hospital wing want to stay anonymous.
audible: able to be heard The eruption of the volcano was audible for thousands of miles. Her last words to him were not audible because of the train whistle.
decent: right and good The decent thing to do is to apologize to her and promise never to do it again. That was very decent of you to help the girl find her mother.
improbable: probably not happening, unlikely to occur It is improbable that the earth will get hit by a large meteor anytime soon. Mechanical failure is an improbable cause of the crash.
ineffective: not causing the expected result On the second day his deodorant became ineffective, and he started to smell bad. Her efforts to stay above the water were ineffective, and she drowned.
infectious: spreading from one person to another Anita’s laughter was so infectious that everyone started to laugh with her. AIDS is an infectious disease that is spread through sexual contact.
inseparable: always together, not separating She met her boyfriend three months ago, and since then they’ve been inseparable. My iPhone and I have been inseparable since I bought it over a year ago.
minor: not important, small In her first movie, she had a minor role as a waitress in a diner. He was lucky that his injury was minor; it could have been much worse.
premature: happening too soon, before the right time Many people die a premature death because of smoking. My niece was born four weeks premature, but she’s doing well.
recent: just happening, not long ago In recent years real estate prices have fallen all over the world. The police needed a recent photograph of the woman’s daughter.
toxic: poisonous, very negative The company had to pay the costs of cleanup after dumping toxic waste in the lake. There’s a person at my club who is so toxic that I want to leave the room when he enters.
unconcerned: not worried He seemed unconcerned that his girlfriend hadn’t arrived yet. My doctor seemed unconcerned about the dark spots on my skin.
Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.
Use these flashcards to help you study.
When you think you’re ready, do the following exercises.
a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote this song with Eric Bazilian for her second album, “Tuesday’s Child”, released in 1999.
Somewhere there’s a river, looking for a stream Somewhere there’s a dreamer, looking for a dream Somewhere there’s a drifter, trying to find his way Somewhere someone’s waiting to hear somebody say
I believe in you, I can’t even count the ways that I believe in you, and all I want to do is help you to believe in you
Somewhere someone’s reaching, trying to grab that ring Somewhere there’s a silent voice learning how to sing Some of us can’t move ahead, we’re paralyzed with fear And everybody’s listening, cause we all need to hear
I believe in you, and I can’t even count the ways that I believe in you, and all I want to do is help you to believe in you
I will hold you up, I will help you stand I will comfort you when you need a friend I will be the voice that’s calling I …
I believe in you and there are just so many ways that I believe in you, baby what else can I do but believe in you I believe in you, all I want to know is you believe yeah believe in you
Vocabulary:
stream – small moving water that feeds a river dream – something you want in life drifter – someone who travels and has no home way – path through life ring – prize, windfall, something you want silent – quiet, not saying anything ahead – forward, into the future paralyzed – unable to move cause – because yeah – a form of ‘yes’ [something you say when you really believe something]
Fumi: What chapter did Mr. Johnson want us to read for homework in history class?
Hana:Beats me. We could call Sarah and find out.
Fumi: Maybe we could put it off and do it tomorrow night.
Hana: I don’t think so. I remember he said we had to write a chapter summary and hand it in tomorrow.
Fumi: That’s right. I forgot. Let’s call Sarah right away.
Hana: Hang on. I just remembered something. Sarah told me she is looking after her niece tonight , so she won’t be home.
Fumi: Let’s look up her aunt and uncle’s number in the phone book and call her there.
Hana: Good idea. Go ahead. I’ll turn down the music.
Vocabulary:
• chapter: part of a textbook
• history: the story of people, countries, and war
• summary: a short paragraph with the main ideas
• niece: brother’s or sister’s daughter
• aunt: mother’s or father’s sister, or uncle’s wife
• uncle: mother’s or father’s brother, or aunt’s husband
Idioms:
beats me I don’t know find out get information put off do (something) at a later time hand in give to the teacher/boss right away immediately hang on wait look after care for look up get information from a book or the Internet go ahead start / go before turn downdecrease (sound, light, or heat) / say no to an offer
Notes:
Beats me and search me have the same meaning.
Hand in and turn in have the same meaning.
Hang on and hold on have the same meaning.
Look after and take care of have the same meaning.
Go ahead has 2 meanings. The second meaning is “go before.
Example: You only have a few items to buy, so you can go ahead of me.
Turn down has 2 meanings: The second meaning is “say no to an offer.”
Example: I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie with me, but she turned me down.
Sexist words have been part of the English language since men dominated the world. Today, with the equality of the sexes, the English language has changed. Gone are words like policeman, stewardess, fisherman and housewife, all of which indicate the sex of the person mostly likely to have that job. The first words to change were those with -man on the end, such as fireman and policeman. What about the women who hold these same jobs? Should there be two different words – one for women and one for men, or should there be only a single word for both sexes? Many people agree that English should reflect the equality of the sexes, so little by little the language has been getting rid of its sexist words. Here is a list of words that have changed to become non-sexist.
Don’t useman:
Man is always exploring the limits of his environment.
Usepeople:
People are always exploring the limits of their environment.
Don’t use mankind:
Mankind has not yet solved the problem of global food distribution.
Use humanity / humankind / people / human beings:
Humanity has not yet solved the problem of global food distribution.
Don’t usemanpower:
They can’t build that bridge without trained manpower.
Useworkers / workforce:
They can’t build that bridge without a trained workforce.
Don’t useman-made:
Nylon was one of the first man-made fibers.
Useartificial / manufactured / synthetic:
Nylon was one of the first synthetic fibers.
Don’t usebusinessman / businesswoman:
As a businessman with interests around the world, he’s always traveling.
Usebusiness person / business executive:
As a business personwith interests around the world, he’s always traveling.
Don’t use chairman:
She became chairman of the fund-raising committee.
Use chairperson / chair:
She became chair of the fund-raising committee.
Don’t use fisherman:
For three months a year, he is a fisherman off the coast of British Columbia.
Use fisher:
For three months a year, he is a fisher off the coast of British Columbia.
Don’t use fireman:
Firemen are well-respected in the community.
Use fire fighter:
Fire fighters are well-respected in the community.
Don’t use foreman:
His foreman fired him for not wearing his hard hat.
Use supervisor:
His supervisor fired him for not wearing his hard hat.
Don’t use mailman:
The mailman delivered the package I had been waiting for.
Use letter carrier:
The letter carrierdelivered the package I had been waiting for.
Don’t use policeman / policewoman:
She told the policeman that she hadn’t heard the gun shot.
Use police officer:
She told the police officer that she hadn’t heard the gun shot.
Don’t use salesman:
The salesman understood exactly what I needed.
Use sales person / sales clerk:
The sales person understood exactly what I needed.
Don’t use actress:
She was a stage actress for twenty years.
Use actor:
She was a stage actor for twenty years.
Don’t use ballerina:
She’s a ballerina with the Royal Ballet in London.
Use ballet dancer:
She’s a ballet dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.
Don’t use heroine:
Annie, the heroine of the story, escaped and came back home.
Use hero:
Annie, the hero of the story, escaped and came back home.
Don’t use hostess
As everyone sang Happy Birthday, the hostess brought out a cake with thirteen candles.
Use host:
As everyone sang Happy Birthday, the host brought out a cake with thirteen candles.
Don’t use housewife:
After ten years in the corporate world, she quit to become a full-time housewife.
Use homemaker:
After ten years in the corporate world, she quit to become a full-time homemaker.
Don’t use stewardess:
She got a job as a stewardess with Air Canada.
Use flight attendant:
She got a job as a flight attendant with Air Canada.
Don’t use waitress:
She’s been a waitress at the diner ever since I can remember.
Use server:
She’s been a server at the diner ever since I can remember.
Also, the pronouns he/him/his and she/her, if unknown or unimportant, can change to they/them/their in informal language.
For example:
Formal: Everyone who bought tickets to the concert can get his or her money back.
Informal: Everyone who bought tickets to the concert can get their money back.
Formal: Someone on the bus told me that he needed to buy his son a new bike.
Informal: Someone on the bus told me that they needed to buy their son a new bike.
