Hey there, this is Teacher Ola Podcast episode 82. Learn English With Amy Winehouse ‘Rehab’
My name’s Ola and I am an online English teacher, I teach through one to one classes and I want you to know I believe you can eliminate your language blockade. I’ve overcome a massive blockade myself and I know how to do it. This podcast is for you if you’re an English learner who wants to speak English with more confidence and get rid of speaking barriers. You’ll boost your vocabulary, brush up your grammar and improve your pronunciation. Go to my website for full transcripts and worksheets to each episode. Happy learning!
Welcome to today’s episode! If this is the first episode you’ve ever heard from me, or if this is one of the first episodes, or if this is the first episode with song lyrics let me explain it shortly. First of all, thank you for being here. Secondly, please note that this episode is transcribed and you can find the text on my website. Go there for the worksheet and it’ll help you to digest and test the things covered in this episode. It’s at teacherola.com/82. If you want me to send you the worksheets each week right with the new episode, become a member of TOPeople, it’s free. To become a member please download the worksheet to this episode, and that’s it. Teacherola.com/82.
We are here to help you eliminate language blockade. In each episode of this podcast, you speak English. This series, Learn English With Music, is not random. There are many reasons why learning languages with music is effective. If you want to know my story, why I keep recording episodes like this, unravelling song lyrics please listen to episode 3. It’s episode 3, the title is: ‘How To Learn English With Music. Ed Sheeran, I Don’t Care’. Episode three.
Today my dear, we are going to talk about the one and only Amy Winehouse. Her brief career, her short life, her unique voice, poetic lyrics, emotional load, and just makes me feel somber, sad. Melancholic. Heartbroken. What an immense loss. Hm. We will talk about the song she wrote herself. I’ll give you some song facts. Next, we’re going to look at the lyrics. You’ll repeat each line and then we’re going to explain some phrases, some words.
When we’re done with this part, we’ll move on to your practice. In that part you will speak English out loud. The sentences you’re going to repeat are not lyrics anymore. They are everyday sentences I made up for you using the vocabulary from the song ‘Rehab’. Let us begin.
Amy Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her extraordinary, deep voice. She released her first album ‘Frank’ in 2003 and it was a massive success, especially in the UK. ‘Frank’ was followed by ‘Back To Black’ in 2006. ‘Back To Black’ was an international success. One of the best-selling albums in UK history. At the 2007 Brit Awards it was nominated for British Album of the Year, and she received the award for British Female Solo Artist. In 2008 she won five Grammy awards, and became the first British woman to win five Grammys, including three of the “Big Four” Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Recording of the Year and Song of the Year (for “Rehab”), as well as Best Pop Vocal Album. And then Amy died in 2011 at the age of 27.
‘Rehab’ talks about Amy’s refusal to attend a rehabilitation center to treat her problems with severe alcohol addiction which led her to her death. According to Amy, after her management team persuaded her to go into rehab, she asked her father Mitch Winehouse if he thought it was necessary. He felt it wasn’. She actually gave it a try for “just 15 minutes” and walked out and changed her management. Later, in 2007, Amy entered The Causeway Retreat, a rehab center in England, with her new husband. The Causeway was not an ethical institution; it was shut down in 2010. She tried to treat her addictions but unsuccessfully. It’s so sad, I literally can’t watch documentary films about her. I can’t even look at the videos or her performances. I just can’t. It’s such a shame she’s not here. If I could bring anyone back from the dead it would by Amy. “Life teaches you how to live it, if you’re lucky enough to live that long” Tony Bennett. “Life teaches you how to live it, if you’re lucky enough to live that long”
Time to finally get you speaking some English, right? Please repeat out loud. We’re going to say out loud each line of the song.
They tried to make me go to Rehab
But I said no
Yes I’ve been black but when I come back
You’ll know
To make somebody do something – to cause someone to do something. To force someone to do something. So, they tried to force her, push her to go to rehab.
Rehab – is the process of curing someone who has an alcohol or drugs problem. Addicts. One can go to rehab, you can be in rehab. There are rehab centres, clinics and rehab programmes. Rehab, rehabilitation centre.
I’ve been black – well, it’s not easy to state with certainty what she meant in this passage. Maybe it’s about depression. I’ve been depressed. ‘Black’ is also the end result of her drinking. In attempting to escape from depression brought by her boyfriend, she blacks out. On the other hand some say that the expressions `I’ll go back to black’ and ‘I’ve been black’ are not idiomatic and are poetic creations of Amy.
Coming back to the lyrics:
I ain’t got the time
And if my daddy thinks I’m fine
Just try to make me go to Rehab
But I won’t go
I ain’t got the time – means I haven’t got the time. We’ve actually spoken about this phrase before. It appears in many songs. It’s used as negation in various ways, for instance:
She ain’t Spanish. = She isn’t Spanish.
I ain’t got money. = I don’t have money.
But I won’t go – and again, we’ve talked about this before, on many occasions. I know pronunciation of this contraction is tricky, so let’s focus on this one more time. Will not. If you contract ‘will’ and ‘not’ you end up with won’t the /əʊ/ sound. Won’t, won’t – /wəʊnt/, /wəʊnt/.
Listen and repeat out loud next lines:
I’d rather be at home with Ray
I ain’t got seventy days
‘Cause there’s nothing
There’s nothing you can teach me
That I can’t learn from Mr. Hathaway
I’d rather be home with Ray – ‘I’d rather’ means I would rather, I would prefer to stay at home. But with ‘I’d rather’ we use a bare infinitive, that means the basic version of the verb and we don’t add ‘to’ before it. I’d rather go, I’d rather stay, I’d rather sleep. And Ray! Who’s Ray? She’d rather stay at home with? This is Ray Charles, a singer she admired. I’m sure you know him too.
That I can’t learn from Mr. Hathaway – There’s one more musician hidden in this song. Donny Hathaway, a famous American soul musician she liked a lot.
Let’s get back to ‘Rehab’:
I didn’t get a lot in class
But I know it don’t come in a shot glass
I didn’t get a lot in class
But I know it don’t come in a shot glass – First of all be careful, we have substandard English here. Normally you wanna say: I know it doesn’t. Here, it’s: I know it doesn’t. Be aware of what’s going on here. Now. What does the whole phrase mean? I didn’t get a lot in class but I know it doesn’t come in a shot glass. Well, she knows she’s not classy, she has no manners. A shot glass is a small glass designed to drink liquor. This sentence either means class is something you can’t buy, or class doesn’t go with alcohol. They exclude each other. You either drink or have class.
Listen and repeat next lines:
The man said “Why you think you here?”
I said “I got no idea”
“I’m gonna lose my baby”
“So I always keep a bottle near”
He said “I just think you’re depressed”
“This me, yeah baby, and the rest”
Why do you think you here – the man said it. The man is the boss, so we can assume it’s the doctor in this rehab center. So he asked her this question: why do you think you are here? The word ‘are’ is omitted (why do you thing you here) in the lyrics, it’s supposed to be there. Grammatically, it’s supposed to be there ‘Why do you think you are here?’
I’m gonna lose my baby – here, she means her boyfriend, she’s gonna (going to) lose her boyfriend, her baby.
I always keep a bottle near – To keep something near, within arm’s reach. Close by, near by.
The next lines, listen and repeat:
I don’t ever want to drink again
I just need a friend
I’m not gonna spend ten weeks
And have everyone think I’m on the mend
And it’s not just my pride
It’s just ’til these tears have dried
I’m on the mend – to be on the mend – to mend something is to heal, to repair. “I’m on the mend” means “I’m through a process of rehabilitation”. She’s not gonna spend 10 weeks here, she doesn’t want everyone around to think she’s on the mend. She obviously thinks rehabilitation is for losers, for quitters. It’s just a small case of depression, and with some rest she’ll fix it on her own. Rehab is not necessary, her father thought that too. That’s why she doesn’t want to go there. The idea is a bit stupid, that’s why she justifies herself: “it’s not just pride”, but I guess it was. Pride. Or a severe case of misjudgement of her own situation. So, to be on the mend means to be getting better.
‘Till these tears have dried – ‘till’ is used in the same way as ‘until’. ‘Until’ is more formal. After ‘till’ we are supposed to use present simple or present perfect even though we want to talk about the future. I will not visit you till I have finished my work. I can’t help you till you tell me what seems to be the problem. Present perfect highlights that that situation has to occur first. I can’t help you till you have told me the truth. It is essential for you to tell me what happened first, and only then I will be able to help you. I can’t help you till you have told me the truth.
My dear friend, this is all I have for today. Over to you now. Please stay, please listen and repeat the sentences. And be mindful about them. Really focus, if you’re multitasking, please stop. I listen to podcasts when I go for a walk, and I must tell you I stop the audio when I happen to enter a shop. I can’t focus 100% on the recording if I’m shopping. I believe this is normal, because a person cannot focus 100% on two mentally engaging activities. So please, take the most of this time and focus 100%. The results will come in no time.
One more thing before we start. Some time ago I asked my followers on Instagram how I could improve this show. I received quite a few relevant comments. One of your requests was to repeat the sentences twice.
I used to do this at the beginning but later I thought it was unnecessary. So today I’m going to go back to that method. I’m going to give you 15 sentences to repeat, and I will say them all twice. I’ll put 10 of those sentences in the worksheet. The worksheet is at teacherola.com/82. I am always open to all suggestions from you. If I can do anything better here, please contact me, let me know. I’m here for you, and this is your podcast. Email me: contact@teacherola.com. Ok, listen and repeat:
Who made you do this?
Nobody made me do it.
Don’t make me cry.
He will be fine after a few months in rehab.
They tried to make him go to a rehab clinic.
I ain’t afraid of ghosts.
These people ain’t got a clue.
Ain’t she sweet?
I’d rather go home now.
I’d rather see it for myself.
I always keep my friends near.
She’s been ill with the flu but she’s on the mend now.
I’ve been feeling down but I’m on the mend.
I will not visit you till I finish my work.
I can’t help you till you have told me the truth.
Well done, thank you. Homework! If you are not a member of TOPeople go to teacherola.com/82 and download the worksheet. This is how you become a member and from that moment you will receive each worksheet as well as an email from me each Wednesday.
Time to finally recap all the vocabulary and grammar elements we’ve learnt today!
To make somebody do something
Rehab
I’ve been black
I ain’t got the time
I won’t go.
I’d rather be home.
I’m gonna lose my baby
I always keep the bottle near.
I’m on the mend
Till these tears have dried.
Here you have it, ‘Rehab’ by Amy Winehouse explained and transformed into everyday, highly useful sentences. I loved this lesson, I hope you did too. Let me know what you think. And if you’d like to help me grow this show please rate this podcast in iTunes, if possible leave a comment there. Thank you very much. Secondly, tell someone. If you know someone who could benefit from this show please reach out to them! You can share this episode on Facebook or on Instagram and then tag me. I will come and thank you.
Next Wednesday we’re going to deal with some grammar. We’ll talk about ‘Shall’. What’s that? How to use it? When to use it and all that jam. It was amazing to spend this time with you, take care. Happy learning. Stay fearless and say it out loud. Bye-bye!