ESLSongs

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…

"Weird Al" Yankovic

Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic is an American musician, comedian, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of several popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.