ESLSongs

Revise multiple tenses in your ESL class with this song, Roar by Katy Perry. These song lyrics include 20 examples of verbs in 6 different tenses:

• used to (used to bite)
• past simple (sat, agreed, forgot, had, let, stood, fell, held, got up, earned, went)
• present simple (hear, get, see, am)
• going to (going to shake, going to hear)
• present perfect (I’ve had)
• present continuous (I’m floating)

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

Lyrics

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floatin’ like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee, I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (you’ll hear me roar)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (yeah)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (you’ll hear me roar)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Suggested activity: choose the correct option

Download this exercise (PDF)

I ¹ bit / used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I ² sat / used to sit quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I ³ had / made a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I ⁴ was standing / stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

CHORUS

You held me down, but I ⁵ stood up / got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, ⁶ it’ll shake / gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I ⁷ stood up / got up
Get ready ’cause ⁸ I’ve had / I have enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion, and ⁹ you’re gonna hear / you will hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion, and ¹⁰ you’re gonna hear / you will hear me roar

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
¹¹ You’re gonna hear / you will hear me roar

Now ¹² I’m floating / I float like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee, I earned my stripes
I ¹³ came / went from zero, to my own hero

CHORUS

Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Perry is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 143 million units worldwide. She is known for her influence on pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the “Queen of Camp” by Vogue and Rolling Stone. With an estimated net worth of $350 million, Perry is one of the world’s wealthiest musicians.