Practice vocabulary related to “food” in your ESL class with this song, Eat it by Weird Al Yankovic.
The 31 food-related vocabulary words in these lyrics are: banana, beat (an egg), boiled, a bunch (of bananas), canned, chicken, casserole, chow down, dessert, dinner, eat, egg, feed, food, fresh, fried, be full, fussy, get cold/getting cold, light (the opposite of heavy), lunch, mouth, pie, plate, reheat, send (food) back (to the kitchen), snack, starve/starving, table manners, tuna & yoghurt
Note: This song is a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat it”
There is a suggestion on how to use this song in your ESL classes below, but for more ideas, click here.
Lyrics
How come you’re always such a fussy young man
Don’t want no Captain Crunch, don’t want no Raisin Bran
Well, don’t you know that other kids are starving in Japan
So eat it, just eat it
Don’t want to argue, I don’t want to debate
Don’t want to hear about what kind of food you hate
You won’t get no dessert ’till you clean off your plate
So eat it
Don’t you tell me you’re full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Get yourself an egg and beat it
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn’t matter if it’s boiled or fried
Just eat it, eat it, just eat it, eat it
Just eat it, eat it, just eat it, eat it, ooh
Your table manners are some cryin’ shame
You’re playin’ with your food, this ain’t some kind of game
Now, if you starve to death, you’ll just have yourself to blame
So eat it, just eat it
You better listen, better do what you’re told
You haven’t even touched your tuna casserole
You better chow down or it’s gonna get cold
So eat it
I don’t care if you’re full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Open up your mouth and feed it
Have some more yogurt, have some more spam
It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh or canned
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Don’t you make me repeat it
Have a banana, have a whole bunch
It doesn’t matter what you had for lunch
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
If it’s gettin’ cold, reheat it
Have a big dinner, have a light snack
If you don’t like it, you can’t send it back
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Get yourself an egg and beat it (oh lord)
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn’t matter if it’s boiled or fried
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Don’t you make me repeat it (oh no)
Have a banana, have a whole bunch
It doesn’t matter what you had for lunch
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Suggested activity: fill the gaps
Download this exercise (PDF)
You are going to listen to a song called “Eat it”. These are all the food-related words that appear in the song. Can you match each word with its category?
Words: banana, beat (an egg), boiled, a bunch (of bananas), canned, chicken, casserole, chow down, dessert, dinner, eat, egg, feed, food, fresh, fried, be full, fussy, get cold/getting cold, light (the opposite of heavy), lunch, mouth, pie, plate, reheat, send (food) back (to the kitchen), snack, starve/starving, table manners, tuna & yoghurt
Categories: a food, a meal or course (eg. breakfast), an adjective, a verb, a way to prepare food, other
Listen to the song do you recognise it?
Fill the gaps in the lyrics with the food-related vocabulary that you have just studied.
How come you’re always such a 1__________ young man
Don’t want no Captain Crunch, don’t want no Raisin Bran
Well, don’t you know that other kids are 2__________ in Japan
So eat it, just eat it
Don’t want to argue, I don’t want to debate
Don’t want to hear about what kind of food you hate
You won’t get no 3__________ ’till you clean off your plate, so eat it
Don’t you tell me you’re full, just eat it…
Get yourself an 4__________ and beat it
Have some more chicken, have some more 5__________
It doesn’t matter if it’s boiled or 6__________, just eat it…
Your 7__________ are some crying shame
You’re playing with your food, this ain’t some kind of game
Now, if you starve to death, you’ll just have yourself to blame
So eat it, just eat it
You better listen, better do what you’re told
You haven’t even touched your tuna 8__________
You better chow down or it’s gonna get cold
So eat it
I don’t care if you’re 9__________, just eat it…
Open up your mouth and 10__________ it
Have some more yoghurt, have some more spam
It doesn’t matter if it’s 11__________ or canned, just eat it…
Don’t you make me repeat it
Have a 12__________, have a whole bunch
It doesn’t matter what you had for 13__________, just eat it…
Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
If it’s getting cold, 14__________ it
Have a big dinner, have a light 15__________
If you don’t like it, you can’t send it back, just eat it…
Get yourself an 16__________ and beat it
Have some more chicken, have some more 17__________
It doesn’t matter if it’s boiled or 18__________, just eat it…
Don’t you make me repeat it…