ESLSongs

Practice verb tenses, especially the present simple and the present continuous, in your ESL classes with this beautiful song from the Broadway musical “Hamilton”: Wait for it. The lyrics of this song include lots of examples of the present simple- including the third person singular-, the present continuous, present perfect and past simple tenses.

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

Lyrics

Theodosia writes me a letter every day
I’m keeping the bed warm while her husband is away
He’s on the British side in Georgia, he’s trying to keep the colonies in line
But he can keep all of Georgia, Theodosia, she’s mine

Love doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep loving anyway, we laugh and we cry and we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m by her side when so many have tried
Then I’m willing to wait for it

My grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher
But there are things that the homilies and hymns won’t teach ya
My mother was a genius, my father commanded respect
When they died they left no instructions, just a legacy to protect

Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway, we rise and we fall and we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive when everyone who loves me has died
I’m willing to wait for it

I am the one thing in life I can control
I am inimitable, I am an original
I’m not falling behind or running late
I’m not standing still, I am lying in wait
Hamilton faces an endless uphill climb
He has something to prove, he has nothing to lose
Hamilton’s pace is relentless, he wastes no time
What is it like in his shoes?

Hamilton doesn’t hesitate, he exhibits no restraint
He takes and he takes and he takes
And he keeps winning anyway, he changes the game
He plays and he raises the stakes
And if there’s a reason he seems to thrive when so few survive,
Then I’m willing to wait for it

Life doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
We rise and we fall, and if there’s a reason I’m still alive
When so many have died then I’m willing to… wait for it

Suggested activity: correct the mistakes

Download this exercise (PDF)

Look at the verbs in bold. Although they are grammatically correct, the song uses the verb in another tense. Can you imagine what tense they might be in?

Listen to the song, and correct the mistakes.

Theodosia is writing me a letter every day
I keep the bed warm while her husband is away
He’s on the British side in Georgia, he tries to keep the colonies in line
But he can keep all of Georgia, Theodosia, she’s mine

Love discriminates between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep loving anyway, we laugh and we cry and we break
And we have made our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m by her side when so many try
Then I’m willing to wait for it

My grandfather is a fire and brimstone preacher
But there are things that the homilies and hymns won’t teach ya
My mother was a genius, my father commands respect
When they died they left no instructions, just a legacy to protect

Death discriminates between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway, we rise and we fall and we break
And we have made our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive when everyone who loves me dies
I’m willing to wait for it

I am the one thing in life I can control
I am inimitable, I am an original
I don’t fall behind or running late
I don’t stand still, I am lying in wait
Hamilton is facing an endless uphill climb
He has something to prove, he has nothing to lose
Hamilton’s pace is relentless, he is wasting no time
What is it like in his shoes?

Hamilton hesitates, he exhibits no restraint
He takes and he takes and he takes
And he keeps winning anyway, he has changed the game
He plays and he raises the stakes
And if there’s a reason he doesn’t seem to thrive when so few survive,
Then I’m willing to wait for it

Life discriminates between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
We rise and we fall, and if there’s a reason I’m still alive
When so many die then I’m willin’ to… wait for it