ESLSongs

Practise connectors such as “and”, “but”, “or”, “so”, “although”… etc. in the ESL classroom with this beautiful folk song, “Drink my tears” by Alan Smith Robertson (on Spotify, published under the stagename Grumpy Old Man).

The lyrics of this song includes FIFTEEN (15) different connectors: although, and, as, but, ’cause, even when, in spite of, now, or, since, so, till, well, when, where

This song comes with a PDF worksheet and is also available on Spotify as well as on Youtube. If you do not have access to either of these streaming services you can also download the song in mp3 format. To see other suggestions on how to use this song in class, click here.

Lyrics

As the time passes by and the wounds start to heal
I remember when I made a fool of myself
Now you ask me deep down how do I really feel?
I don’t know but at least now I don’t feel like hell

So what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag or did you come to drink my tears?

The fire in my heart nearly killed me and all that I was
‘Cause I burned all the bridges till the embers turned to dust
In spite of the pain of being betrayed
I rose from the ashes in the cold light of day

So what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag or did you come to drink my tears?

So now I can see where once I was blind
And although I found peace, I still left some shadows behind

Since you left all the wounds have started to heal
Now you come around here and make a fool of yourself
And you ask me deep down if I feel anything
Well I feel nothing even when I see you lying there

So what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag or did you come to drink my tears?

So what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag or did you come to drink my tears?

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Look at the list of connectors. Do you know what they all mean? Use your intuition to try to put them into each of the gaps in the song lyrics, then listen to check: although, and x4, as, but, ’cause (because), even when, in spite of, now x2, or x3, so x4, till (until), well, when, where

¹______ the time passes by ²______ the wounds start to heal
I remember ³______ I made a fool of myself
⁴______ you ask me deep down how do I really feel?
I don’t know ⁵______ at least now I don’t feel like hell

⁶______ what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag ⁷______ did you come to drink my tears?

The fire in my heart nearly killed me ⁸______ all that I was
⁹______ I burned all the bridges ¹⁰______ the embers turned to dust
¹¹______ the pain of being betrayed
I rose from the ashes in the cold light of day

¹²______ what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag ¹³______ did you come to drink my tears?

¹⁴______ now I can see ¹⁵______ once I was blind
And ¹⁶______ I found peace, I still left some shadows behind

Since you left all the wounds have started to heal
¹⁷______ you come around here and make a fool of yourself
¹⁸______ you ask me deep down if I feel anything
¹⁹______ I feel nothing ²⁰______ I see you lying there

²¹______ what do you want? What’cha doin’ around here?
Are you wavin’ a white flag ²²______ did you come to drink my tears?

Song: Drink my tears © 2024, Alan Smith Robertson
Permission is granted to reproduce the song for classroom use & the worksheet is published under the Creative Commons license BY-NC-SA