Practice the first conditional in your ESL class with this song, If You Go Away by Frank Sinatra.
There is a suggestion on how to use this song in your ESL classes below, but for more ideas, click here.
Lyrics
If you go away
On this summer day
Then you might as well
Take the sun away
All the birds that flew
In the summer sky
When our love was new
And our hearts were high
And the day was young
And the night was long
And the moon stood still
For the night bird’s song
If you go away
If you go away
If you go away
If you go away
But if you stay
I’ll make you a day
Like no day has been
Or will be again
We’ll sail the sun
We’ll ride on the rain
We’ll talk to the trees
And worship the wind
Then if you go
I’ll understand
Leave me just enough love
To fill up my hand
If you go away
If you go away
If you go away
If you go away
If you go away
As I know you must
There’ll be nothing left
In the world to trust
Just an empty room
Full of empty space
Like the empty look
I see on your face
And I’d have been the shadow of your dawn
If I thought it might have kept me by your side
If you go away
If you go away
If you go away
Please don’t go, away
Suggested activity: match the sentence halves
Download this exercise (PDF)
Match the first half of each line with the second half
First halves…
1 If you go away on this summer day,
2 All the birds that flew in the summer sky,
3 When the day was young and the night was long,
If you go away, if you go away, if you go away.
4 But if you stay,
5 We’ll sail the sun, we’ll ride on the rain,
6 Then if you go,
7 Leave me just enough love
If you go away, if you go away, if you go away.
8 If you go away, as I know you must,
9 Just an empty room, full of empty space,
10 I’d have been the shadow of your dawn
11 If you go away, if you go away, if you go away,
Second halves…
…when our love was new and our hearts were high.
…then you might as well take the sun away.
…and the moon stood still for the night bird’s song.
…I’ll understand,
…we’ll talk to the trees and worship the wind.
…to fill up my hand,
…I’ll make you a day like no day has been, or will be again;
…if I thought it might have kept me by your side.
…like the empty look I see on your face.
…please don’t go away
…there’ll be nothing left in the world to trust,