ESLSongs

Practise verb tenses in your ESL class with this song, My Way by Frank Sinatra. The lyrics of this song contain 27 verbs in 4 tenses:

• Present simple: is, am, face, find, think, has got, feels, kneels, shows
• Will: I’ll say, I’ll state
• Present perfect: I’ve lived, I’ve had, I’ve loved, I’ve laughed, I’ve cried
• Past simple: did, traveled, saw, planned, bit, could, was, ate, spit, faced, stood

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

Lyrics

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I’ll say it clear,
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.

I’ve lived a life that’s full.
I traveled each and every highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I’ve had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried.
I’ve had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say – not in a shy way,
“Oh no, oh no not me,
I did it my way”.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has not
to say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows –
And did it my way!

Yes, it was my way.

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Listen to the song, and put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense; present simple, present perfect or past simple.

And now, the end ¹__________ (be) near;
And so I ²__________ (face) the final curtain.
My friend, I’ll say it clear,
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.

I³__________ (live) a life that’s full.
I ⁴__________ (travel) each and every highway;
And more, much more than this,
I ⁵__________ (do) it my way.

Regrets, I⁶__________ (have) a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I ⁷__________ to do
And ⁸__________ (see) it through without exemption.

I ⁹__________ (plan) each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
And more, much more than this,
I ¹⁰__________ (do) it my way.

Yes, there ¹¹__________ (be) times, I’m sure you ¹²__________
When I ¹³__________ (bite) off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there ¹⁴__________ doubt,
I ¹⁵__________ (eat) it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I ¹⁶__________ (stand) tall;
And ¹⁷__________ (do) it my way.

I¹⁸__________ (love), I¹⁹__________ (laugh) and cried.
I²⁰__________ (have) my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I ²¹__________ (find) it all so amusing.

To think I ²²__________ (do) all that;
And may I say – not in a shy way,
“Oh no, oh no not me, I ²³__________ (do) it my way”.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he ²⁴__________ (have) not
to say the things he truly ²⁵__________ (feel);
And not the words of one who ²⁶__________ (kneel).
The record ²⁷__________ (show) I ²⁸__________ the blows –
And ²⁹__________ (do) it my way!

Yes, it ³⁰__________ (be) my way.

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Board” and later called “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century. Sinatra is among the world’s best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million record sales globally.