ESLSongs

Be the cool teacher in your school and connect with your “Swiftie” students while practising past simple verbs in your ESL class with this song, So Long, London from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department”.

There are 20 different verbs in the simple past tense in this song (12 of which are irregular): saw, kept, carried, pulled, was, split, caught, stopped, had, founded, left, knew, let, abandoned, said, swore, loved, were, died & sacrificed. The song lyrics also contain the interrogative “did you think” as well as the negative “didn’t opt”

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

Lyrics

I saw in my mind fairy lights through the mist
I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift
Pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away
My spine split from carrying us up the hill
Wet through my clothes, weary bones caught the chill
I stopped trying to make him laugh
(I) stopped trying to drill the safe
Thinking, how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me?
Oh, the tragedy…

So long, London
You’ll find someone…

I didn’t opt in to be your odd man out
I founded the club she’s heard great things about
I left all I knew, you left me at the house by the Heath
I stopped CPR, after all it’s no use
The spirit was gone, we would never come to
And I’m pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free

For so long, London
Stitches undone
Two graves, one gun
I’ll find someone…

And you say I abandoned the ship
But I was going down with it
My white knuckle dying grip
Holding tight to your quiet resentment
And my friends said it isn’t right to be scared
Every day of a love affair
Every breath feels like rarest air
When you’re not sure if he wants to be there
So how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me?
How much tragedy?
Just how low did you think I’d go?
Before I’d self-implode
Before I’d have to go be free

You swore that you loved me but where were the clues?
I died on the altar waiting for the proof
You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days
And I’m just getting color back into my face
I’m just mad as hell cause I loved this place

For so long, London
Had a good run
A moment of warm sun
But I’m not the one
So long, London
Stitches undone
Two graves, one gun
You’ll find someone…

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Do you know which of these verbs below are irregular? Do you know the past simple of each verb? Convert the verbs into the past simple, then listen to the song to check: abandon, be, carry, catch, die, found, have, keep, know, leave, let, love, opt, pull, sacrifice, say, see, split, stop, swear, think.

I ¹_________ in my mind fairy lights through the mist
I ²_________ calm and ³_________ the weight of the rift
(I) ⁴_________ him in tighter each time he was drifting away
My spine ⁵_________ from carrying us up the hill
Wet through my clothes, weary bones ⁶_________ the chill
I ⁷_________ trying to make him laugh, ⁸_________ trying to drill the safe
Thinking, how much sad did you think I ⁹_________, did you think I ¹⁰_________ in me?

Oh, the tragedy… So long, London. You’ll find someone…

I ¹¹_________ in to be your odd man out
I ¹²_________ the club she’s heard great things about
I ¹³_________ all I ¹⁴_________, you ¹⁵_________ me at the house by the Heath
I ¹⁶_________ CPR, after all it’s no use
The spirit ¹⁷_________ gone, we would never come to
And I’m pissed off you ¹⁸_________ me give you all that youth for free

For so long, London. Stitches undone. Two graves, one gun. I’ll find someone…

And you say I ¹⁹_________ the ship but I was going down with it
My white knuckle dying grip, holding tight to your quiet resentment
And my friends ²⁰_________ it isn’t right to be scared every day of a love affair
Every breath feels like rarest air when you’re not sure if he wants to be there

So how much sad did you think I ²¹_________, did you think I ²²_________ in me? How much tragedy?
Just how low ²³__________________ I’d go? Before I’d self-implode, before I’d have to go be free

You ²⁴_________ that you ²⁵_________ me but where ²⁶_________ the clues?
I ²⁷_________ on the altar waiting for the proof
You ²⁸_________ us to the gods of your bluest days
And I’m just getting color back into my face
I’m just mad as hell cause I ²⁹_________ this place

For so long, London. ³⁰_________ a good run. A moment of warm sun. But I’m not the one.
So long, London. Stitches undone. Two graves, one gun. You’ll find someone…

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her biographical songwriting, artistic reinventions, and cultural impact, Swift is a leading figure in popular music and the subject of widespread public interest.