ESLSongs

Practice used to and would with this song, Come Dancing by The Kinks. These song lyrics include 7 examples of “used to” and 8 examples of “would” meaning “used to”, as well as one example of the conditional “would”.

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

Lyrics

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
Where the supermarket used to stand
Before that, they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local palais
That’s where the big bands used to come and play
My sister went there on a Saturday

Come dancing
All her boyfriends used to come and call
Why not come dancing?
It’s only natural

Another Saturday, another date
She would be ready, but she’d always make him wait
In the hallway, in anticipation
He didn’t know the night would end up in frustration
He’d end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek

Come dancing
That’s how they did it when I was just a kid
And when they said “come dancing”
My sister always did

My sister should have come home at midnight
And my mom would always sit up and wait
It always ended up in a big fight
When my sister would get home late

Out of my window I could see them in the moonlight
Two silhouettes saying good night by the garden gate

The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died

Now I’m grown up and playing in a band
And there’s a car park where the palais used to stand
My sister’s married and she lives on an estate
Her daughters go out, now it’s her turn to wait
She knows they get away with things she never could
But if I asked her I wonder if she would

Come dancing
Come on sister, have yourself a ball
Don’t be afraid to come dancing
It’s only natural

Come dancing
Just like the palais on a Saturday
And all your friends would come dancing
While the big bands used to play

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Listen to the song carefully and put the correct form of “used to” or “would” into each gap along with one of the verbs in the list below. Can you see other examples of used to & would?

always make / always sit up / be x2 / come x3 / end up / get home / play / stand x2

They put a parking lot on a piece of land where the supermarket ¹_________________
Before that, they put up a bowling alley
On the site that ²_________________ the local palais
That’s where the big bands ³_________________ and play
My sister went there on a Saturday

Come dancing! All her boyfriends ⁴_________________ and call
Why not come dancing? It’s only natural

Another Saturday, another date
She ⁵_________________ ready, but she⁶_________________ him wait
In the hallway, in anticipation, he didn’t know the night ⁷_________________ in frustration
He’d end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek

Come dancing! That’s how they did it when I was just a kid
And when they said “come dancing”, my sister always did

My sister should have come home at midnight, and my mom ⁸_________________ and wait
It always ended up in a big fight, when my sister would ⁹_________________ late

Out of my window I could see them in the moonlight
Two silhouettes saying good night by the garden gate

The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died

Now I’m grown up and playing in a band
And there’s a car park where the palais ¹⁰_________________
My sister’s married and she lives on an estate
Her daughters go out, now it’s her turn to wait
She knows they get away with things she never could
But if I asked her I wonder if she would

Come dancing! Come on sister, have yourself a ball
Don’t be afraid to come dancing, it’s only natural

Come dancing! Just like the palais on a Saturday
And all your friends ¹¹_________________ dancing
While the big bands ¹²_________________

The Kinks

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the United States until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies-penned “You Really Got Me”, became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the top 10 in the United States.