Using Song in the Classroom - Example 1 | Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

'Torn' by Natalie Imbruglia

I thought I saw a man come to life
He was warm he came along
And he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry

Well you couldn't be that man I adored
You don't seem to know or even care
What your heart is for
And I don't know him any more

There's nothing where he used to lie
My conversation has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's right
I'm torn

Chorus:
I'm all out of faith
And this is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed, lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed into something real
I'm wide-awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn

So I guess the fortune-teller is right
I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light
But you crawled beneath my veins and now
I don't care. I have no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There are so many things that I can't touch
I'm torn

repeat chorus

There's nothing where he used to lie
My inspiration has run dry

repeat chorus

Part 1: Place the students in pairs. Present each pair with the clues that appear below. Working with their partner, they should read the clues and choose a word which matches the definition. This is done without listening to the song

Clues	Word
1. I walked _____________ the path in the forest (preposition of movement)
2. When you are upset you may do this, water will come out of your eyes
3. Past and negative form of can
4. One of the main organs in your body - it pumps your blood
5. When you talk to somebody you are having one of these
6. The opposite of wrong
7. If you are religious you have this
8. How you describe somebody who isn't wearing any clothes
9. Not asleep
10. A person who can see your future and will inform you about it - if you pay!
11. Long blue things in your body that carry blood
12. You do this with your fingertips
13. When someone or something makes you want to do something, be creative or gives you ideas, you get….

Part 2: When they have finished, give each pair of students a copy of the song's lyrics as they appear below. They should then write the words that they chose in Part 1 of the activity into the gaps.

When the students have finished, they should then listen to the song to see if you were right.

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

I thought I saw a man come to life
He was warm he came (1)_______
And he was dignified
He showed me what it was to (2)_______

Well you (3)_______ be that man I adored
You don't seem to know or even care
What your (4)_______ is for
And I don't know him any more

There's nothing where he used to lie
My (5)_______ has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's (6)_______
I'm torn

Chorus:
I'm all out of (7)_______
And this is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed, lying (8)_______ on the floor
Illusion never changed into something real
I'm wide-(9)_______ and I can see the perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn

So I guess the (10)_______ is right
I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light
But you crawled beneath my (11)_______ and now
I don't care. I have no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There are so many things that I can't (12)_______
I'm torn

repeat chorus

There's nothing where he used to lie
My (13)_______ has run dry

repeat chorus

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