Hey there, this is Teacher Ola Podcast episode 118. Learn English With Alicia Keys ‘If I Ain’t Got You’

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. It is 100% guaranteed. I’m not saying it’ll be given to you on a silver platter yet I know you can get there. I’ve overcome a massive blockade myself and I know how to do it. The secret word here is consistency. That is why I record this podcast’s episodes, and each comes with a little worksheet, a one-pager to help you digest and test what you’ve practised here. You can speak English with more confidence, slay that fear and enjoy new freedoms. Each episode helps you practice speaking, the practical part is always there, at the end of each episode.  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. <They’re free> Happy learning!

Hello, hello, welcome to another episode. It’s such a timeless and great song. Who doesn’t love Alicia? She’s such a beautiful soul. I don’t know know her obviously but this is what she gives off. Innit? It’s gonna be awesome today, please, please stay till the very end when you’ll practice speaking. That’s the whole idea, that’s the whole method, you know? Listen to some theory, practice repeating sentences out loud and eventually, finally, download the worksheet. Practice translating those same sentences you’ve repeated into English. How cool is that? Every worksheet is available on my website, but if you subscribe, I’ll send it right to your inbox, every Wednesday, right after I release a new episode. 

One last thing. Are you interested in an English Speaking Online Course based on a Netflix Series? Visit my website for details. Let’s now begin. Song facts first, song lyrics will follow. 

In 2001 a 22-year-old R&B singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash and that tragedy inspired Alicia to write this piece. Alica said: “The song idea came together right after Aaliyah passed away. It was such a sad time and no one wanted to believe it. It just made everything crystal clear to me – what matters, and what doesn’t.”

She wrote the song on a plane right after she’d heard the news of Aaliyah’s passing. She said: “I think being on a plane and knowing she passed away after a plane crash, there was just this sentiment of being present in the moment and really nothing else matters but those that you love. I think that feeling was really present in my life at that time and really right in my face. I wrote it really quickly, but in order to produce it the way that you hear it, it took forever,” she said. “Nothing would come out right. Every version that I did, every arrangement that I did was just wrong. It was such a labour of love.”

Alicia won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for this song at the 2005 Grammy Awards. 

Time to listen to the lyrics and please repeat each line out loud. Are you ready? Here we go:

Some people live for the fortune

Some people live just for the fame

Some people live for the power, yeah

Some people live just to play the game

Some people live for the fortune – fortune is a large amount of money. He made a fortune on pharmaceuticals. Family fortune. A small fortune. Fame and fortune. 

She spends a fortune on her hobby. 

The second meaning of this word is chance or luck. When you have good fortune you are lucky. Some of us believe that certain objects bring good luck. Often in our lives, things happen by a stroke of fortune. We all want fortune to smile on us. 

The third meaning of fortune is the future. A fortune-teller is a person who tells you what the future holds. What’s your fortune. They can read your fortune looking at the lines on your hand. Some Chinese restaurants serve fortune cookies. They contain a short message with some predictions about your future. 

Some people live just for the fame – fame is the state of being known and talked about by many people. You can achieve fame is you want it. Have you heard of ‘claim to fame? It’s this one thing that makes a person or a place important or interesting. 

This city’s only claim to fame is the old brewery. 

You can seek fame and eventually find fame. If you’re at the height of your fame you’re in the best place, but be careful not to fall down. Some people only get their 15 minutes of fame, it’s a short period of being famous. Some artists become famous suddenly, almost overnight. We might wanna say that they shot to fame or shot to stardom. 

Some people live for the power –  power is the ability to control people or things. Power to do something, power over something.

He has the power to change his future.

He is convinced he has no power over his life.

If you’re able to do what you like with someone you have that person in your power.

She had him in her power. 

To take power, to lose power, to come to power, to return to power, to be in power.

I’m not a person in power to help you with these documents.

That’s all from this verse, please stay with me and let’s continue with the next one:

Some people think 

That the physical things

Define what’s within

And I’ve been there before

That life’s a bore

So full of the superficial

Define what’s within – to define to give definition, to explain the meaning of something. Some people think that physical things, physical objects, possessions, houses and cars can define what’s within. Can explain the meaning of what’s within. Within means inside. What you have in you, what you have within cannot be explained through things you have. Possessions do not define you.

Another meaning of ‘within’ is before a particular period of time has passed; during a particular period of time

You should receive a confirmation within an hour. 

Also, not further than a particular distance from something, for instance:

I think it’s within walking distance. 

A bore – That life’s a bore. A bore is a situation or thing that is boring or that annoys you. It can also refer to a person who is very boring, usually because they talk too much. 

It’s such a bore having to go to family parties.

He’s such a bore!

The superficial – that kind of life, a life defined by physical things is superficial. Shallow.  Not serious or important and not having any depth of understanding or feeling. Shallow life. We have an episode about ‘Shallow’ by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. It’s episode 7, still the most popular episode among those based on songs. Check it out. Episode 7. It also explains how to learn English with song lyrics. 

Yees! Let’s go on with the lyrics from Alicia Keys:

Some people want it all

But I don’t want nothing at all

If it ain’t you, baby

If I ain’t got you, baby

Some people want diamond rings

Some just want everything

But everything means nothing

If I ain’t got you, yeah

Nothing at all – I don’t want nothing at all. It is a double negation that is in fact incorrect, but you know, for the sake of emphasis we can do such things. It’s not a crime. Grammar police? Stay away! I really really really don’t want nothing from you. If we wanted to correct Alicia we could say: I don’t want anything, or I want nothing. Nothing at all. At all. 

Here, let me draw your attention to a common phrase: not at all. Especially to its pronunciation. The meaning first though. Not at all is used as a polite reply after someone has thanked you: 

‘Thanks for helping me’. Not at all’. 

You can use it instead of ‘you’re welcome’. These are three words, but in fact, they sound like one word. In American English, the /t/ sound, both of them are softened into /d/ sound. Nodadall. There’s no sharp /t/. In British English, the /t/ sound is clearly pronounced. Not at all. Not at all.

If it ain’t you – If it isn’t you. On this podcast we’ve talked a lot about ‘ain’t’, but let me remind you. Ain’t is a negation. What is ain’t used for? It’s not standard English but used a lot, because it’s a perfectly valid word.

The word ‘ain’t’ is a contraction for am not, is not, are not, has not, and have not. In some dialects ain’t is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not.

If I ain’t got you – Another example of what we’ve just had. If I ain’t got you if I don’t have you. Everything means nothing If I don’t have you. 

Everything – The pronunciation of this word is /ˈevriθɪŋ/, but in the song, Alicia sings it differently. /ˈeveriθɪŋ/, so she makes four syllables because that’s what needs for the purpose of the rhythm. Don’t mispronounce this word, don’t freak out when people don’t pronounce it this way, it’s just Alicia, ok? /ˈeveriθɪŋ/, /ˈeveriθɪŋ/.

Some people search for a fountain

Promises forever young

Some people need three dozen roses

And that’s the only way to prove you love them

A fountain – ​ a fountain is a structure from which water is sent up into the air by a pump, used to decorate parks and gardens. BUt. It’s also ​a rich source or supply of something. 

A fountain of wealth. 

A fountain of youth. 

This business must be a fountain of wealth for the whole family. 

Three dozen roses – a dozen is twelve. Three dozen roses is 12 times three which equals thirty-six. Dozen as you may have noticed has an irregular plural form. One dozen, three dozen. Don’t add ‘s’. 

To prove you love them – to prove. Some people need gifts, they need to be assured of your love by flowers for instance. Some people need three dozen of them! To prove, to show it is true. 

I want to prove my point. 

I don’t have to prove anything!

What are you trying to prove?

You’re determined to prove me wrong. 

You don’t have to prove your worth. 

Eventually, we’ve come to the last verse. Please repeat out loud. Hear yourself:

Hand me the world on a silver platter

And what good would it be

With no one to share, with no one who truly cares for me

To hand – this time ‘hand’ doesn’t serve as a noun, it’s a verb. To hand something to someone. To pass, to give something to somebody. 

Hand me the documents. 

Additionally, we have to mention an idiom. To hand something to somebody on a plate, or to hand something to someone on a silver platter. The person who receives something on a plate, or on a silver plate doesn’t have to put in any effort. They get it easily, effortlessly. It’s handed to them. Even if you hand me the whole world on a silver plate I will not enjoy it if I am alone and have no one to share it with. 

What good would it be – here ‘good’ isn’t an adjective but rather a noun. Good means something helpful. 

What’s the good of all the money you have if you have no time to enjoy them?

Prepare yourself for your own good. 

With no one who truly cares for me – without anyone who cares for me, who loves me or likes me. 

Here we are, we’ve just arrived at the practical part. It’s when you speak English out loud. Listen, keep the sentence in your short-term memory and let it out, speak up, say it out loud. 

He made a fortune on pharmaceuticals. 

She spends a fortune on her hobby. 

Often in our lives, things happen by a stroke of fortune.

A fortune-teller is a person who tells you what the future holds. 

This city’s only claim to fame is the old brewery.

You can seek fame and eventually find fame.

He has the power to change his future.

He is convinced he has no power over his life.

She had him in her power. 

I’m not a person in power to help you with these documents.

This is difficult to define.

Despite her grief, she found a hidden strength within herself.

You should receive a confirmation within an hour.

I think it’s within walking distance.

It’s such a bore having to go to family parties.

He’s such a bore!

Not at all.

This business must be a fountain of wealth for the whole family. 

Please buy two dozen eggs on your way home. 

What’s the good of all the money you have if you have no time to enjoy them?

Prepare yourself for your own good. 

She did no work at all, expecting to have everything handed to her on a silver platter

Well done, it’s just great you’re still here. But, you’re not done yet. Go to your inbox and grab the worksheet. If you’re not a member of TOPeople, download it from teacherola.com/118. Being a member of TOPeople is free and beneficial because every week I send an email with exclusive content along with a fresh worksheet. 

This is all I have prepared for you. I hope you liked the episode, if you did, as always, please leave your rating in iTunes if you can.  Share, comment, like, do whatever you can to help this podcast stay afloat! If you want to hear more from me please show some support. Tell someone about this podcast and help me spread the message. All I want to do here is really just reach as many people with speaking English issues as possible and make them believe speaking fluently is o everyone.  

Be here next Wednesday, same time, same place we’ll talk about vocabulary. We’ll look at the vocabulary connected with tv series. Thanks for listening,  take care. Happy learning. Stay fearless and say it out loud. Bye-bye!