ESLSongs

One of the best songs for elementary-level ESL students. Practice the simplest of language and vocabulary in your ESL class with this fun song, Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles

There is a suggestion on how to use this song in your ESL classes below, but for more ideas, click here.

Lyrics

You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go go go, oh no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello

I say high, you say low
You say why and I say I don’t know, oh no
You say goodbye and I say hello
(Hello goodbye hello goodbye) Hello hello
(Hello goodbye) I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello
(Hello goodbye hello goodbye) Hello hello
(Hello goodbye) I don’t know why you say goodbye
(Hello goodbye) I say hello/goodbye

Why why why why why why do you say goodbye goodbye, oh no?

You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello

You say yes (I say yes) I say no (But I may mean no)
You say stop (I can stay) and I say go go go (Till it’s time to go), oh
Oh no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello hello

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Listen to the song and put the words in the list on the right into the correct gaps: go (x6), goodbye (x4), hello (x4), no (x2), stop (x2), why (x9), yes (x2)

The song is a bit fast, but don’t worry if you don’t have time to fill all the gaps; there are lots of repetitions!

You say ¹_________, I say ²_________
You say ³_________ and I say ⁴_________ ⁵_________ ⁶_________

Oh no
You say ⁷_________ and I say ⁸_________
Hello hello
I don’t know ⁹_________ you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know ¹⁰_________ you say goodbye, I say hello

I say high, you say low
You say why and I say I don’t know, oh no
You say ¹¹_________ and I say ¹²_________
Hello hello
I don’t know ¹³_________ you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know ¹⁴_________ you say goodbye, I say hello

Why why why why why why do you say goodbye goodbye

Oh no

You say ¹⁵_________ and I say ¹⁶_________
Hello hello
I don’t know ¹⁷_________ you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know ¹⁸_________ you say goodbye, I say hello

You say ¹⁹_________ I say ²⁰_________
You say ²¹_________ and I say ²²_________ ²³_________ ²⁴_________

Oh no
You say ²⁵_________ and I say ²⁶_________
Hello hello
I don’t know ²⁷_________ you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know ²⁸_________ you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know ²⁹_________ you say goodbye, I say hello hello