Hey there! This is TOP 346. Learn English with ‘Mystical Magical’ by Benson Boone
**You read English. You understand English. You’ve been learning for years, but when it’s time to speak your mind just freezes, and the words don’t come out. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. My name’s Ola, and this is Teacher Ola Podcast. I’m here to help you finally speak out loud. This isn’t about perfect grammar or fancy vocabulary. This is about your voice. Your words. Your real English.
In today’s episode, we’re going to learn English through the lyrics. We’ll look at some of the most interesting expressions hidden in this piece and see how to use them in everyday conversations.
But before we do just that, I have to remind you that knowing English is one thing, but being able to use it naturally when you speak is a completely different skill.
That’s exactly what we focus on in my course Say It Out Loud. It’s designed for people who already know a lot of English but still feel stuck when they want to speak. Inside the course, you’ll practise the language you actually need in real conversations: useful vocabulary, grammar that helps you communicate, pronunciation, and, most importantly, speaking. Lots of speaking. Speaking during our Speaking Clubs, voice messages, Extra Classes… plenty of opportunities to speak.
If you’re not sure what level you’re at or what you need to improve to start speaking more confidently, complete the form at teacherola.com/test. It will help you understand where you are now and what your next step could be. Maybe it’s SIOL, maybe not. I’ll let you know. Go to teacherola.com/test .
And now, let’s get back to today’s song and learn some expressions that you can start using in your own English conversations.
**There is nothing colder than your shoulder.
He’s not talking about someone’s actual shoulder being cold. He’s referring to the expression the cold shoulder, which means ignoring someone on purpose or treating them in a distant, unfriendly way. If someone suddenly stops talking to you, avoids eye contact, or acts as if you don’t exist, they’re giving you the cold shoulder. It’s a very common expression in English and often comes up after an argument, a misunderstanding, or when someone is upset but doesn’t want to say why. For example, if your friend finds out you forgot their birthday, they might give you the cold shoulder for a couple of days. Or imagine you walk into work and your colleague barely says hello after yesterday’s disagreement. You could tell someone, “I think she’s giving me the cold shoulder.” So in this lyric, Benson Boone is saying that the other person has become emotionally distant, and that feeling of being ignored hurts more than anything else.
**And then you switch up with no warning.
The phrasal verb switch up means to change something and do it differently from before. We often use it when someone changes a plan, a strategy, a routine, or an approach. The change can be positive because sometimes we switch things up to improve something or make life more interesting.
For example, a company might switch up its business strategy to compete with other companies. A restaurant might switch up its menu for the new season. Or you might say, “I want to switch things up and try a different workout routine,” meaning you want to make a change and do something new.
However, when we talk about people and their behaviour, switch up often has a slightly different meaning. If someone switches up on you, it means they suddenly change the way they treat you, usually in a surprising or negative way. Imagine someone is warm and friendly one day, but the next day they become cold and distant for no clear reason. You might say, “Why did you switch up on me?”
That’s the meaning expressed in this song. He’s saying that this person suddenly changes their behaviour or attitude towards him, and they do it with no warning. This phrase means that something happens unexpectedly, without any signs beforehand.
For example:
“The weather changed with no warning, and suddenly it started raining.”
“She left her job with no warning.”
“He stopped talking to me with no warning.”
So remember: switch up something means to change something, often by trying a new approach. But switch up on someone means to suddenly change how you behave towards that person.
**I know you’ll come around to me eventually.
Here, the key expression is ‘to come around’. When someone comes around, they change their mind or start agreeing with something they didn’t agree with before. Imagine you’re a child or a teenager and your parents don’t want you to get a dog, but after months of asking nicely, they finally say yes. You could say, “They came around.” Or maybe your partner or a friend doesn’t want to watch a particular TV series, but after everyone keeps recommending it, they eventually give it a try. They came around. In this lyric, Benson Boone believes the other person will change their mind about him one day.
There’s another very useful word here: ‘eventually’. This is a classic false friend for Polish speakers because it does not mean ‘ewentualnie’. ‘Eventually’ means ‘in the end’, ‘sooner or later’, or ‘after some time’. For example, “We got lost, but we eventually found the hotel.” Or, “She didn’t like coffee at first, but she eventually started drinking it.” If you want to say ewentualnie, English usually uses words like maybe, perhaps, possibly, alternatively.
**But I like it anyways.
You may already know the word anyway, and anyways means the same thing. The only difference is that anyways is a little more informal and is much more common in spoken English, especially in North America.
We use ‘anyway’ or ‘anyways’ in several different situations. One of the most common is to show that something doesn’t change your opinion. For example, “The movie was really long, but I enjoyed it anyway.” Another use is when you want to change the subject. Imagine you’ve been talking about work, and now you want to move on. You could simply say, “Anyway, how was your weekend?” People also use it to get back to the original topic after a distraction. For example, “Anyway, as I was saying…” And sometimes it’s used to finish a conversation or move things forward: “Anyway, I’d better get going.” In this lyric, he’s saying that despite everything that’s happened, despite all the confusion and mixed signals, he still likes the other person anyway.
**Ok, time to practice. Listen and repeat out loud:
He’s giving me the cold shoulder.
If someone suddenly stops talking to you, they might be giving you the cold shoulder.
I think we need to switch things up and try something different.
Why did you switch up on me?
She changed her attitude with no warning.
I knew you would come around eventually.
They didn’t agree at first, but they eventually came around.
We got lost, but we eventually found the hotel.
I didn’t really like the movie, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Anyway, how was your weekend?
And before you go, make sure you remember to rate my podcast. Leave a like or a comment and if you’re listening on Spotify you can leave. Also: grab your free worksheet. It’s at teacherola.com/346.
If you feel that you understand a lot of English, but speaking still doesn’t come as easily as you’d like, this course could be the next step for you. It’s designed to help you turn your knowledge into real communication and start using English with more confidence.
If you’re curious whether Say It Out Loud is the right fit for you, go to teacherola.com/test. Fill in the application form, check your level, and find out what you should focus on to improve your speaking.
Thank you so much for listening. Stay fearless, take care, and say it out loud. I love you, I believe in you, and I know you are ready to speak English. I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you’ve been listening to Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now.