Zadanie 0. Wydrukuj plik PDF, który znajdziesz pod tym linkiem, lub kontynuuj on-line.

Pobierz plik z darmową lekcją w PDF: Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are (1977)

Zadanie 1. Wysłuchaj piosenki z youtube jednocześnie czytając tekst. O czym mówią słowa?

Don’t go changing to try and __________  me

You never ________ me _________ before

Don’t imagine you’re too __________

And I don’t see you ____________

 

I wouldn’t _______ you in times of_____________

We never could have come this far

I took the ________ times; I’ll take the ______ times

I’ll _________ you just the way you are

 

Don’t go trying some new ___________

Don’t __________ the color of your hair

You always have my ____________ passion

Although I might not seem to ___________

 

I don’t want ________  conversation

I never want to __________ that hard

I just want _________ that I can talk to

I ____________ you just the way you are

 

I _________to know that you will always be

The same old ___________ that I knew

What will it take till you ________ in me

The way that I _________ in you?

 

I said I love you and that’s _________

And this I _________ from the heart

I could not love you any ___________

I ___________you just the way you are

Zadanie 2. Uzupełnij luki w piosence słowami poniżej.

promise , trouble, bad , please, let (…)down, anymore, familiar, good, better, fashion, unspoken, clever, someone (2x), forever, leave, take, change, care, work, want, need, believe (2x), love

Zadanie 3. Przeczytaj komentarze. Czy zgadzasz się z nimi?

  1. Joel wrote this song about his first wife, Elizabeth. A pure expression of unconditional love, he gave it to her as a birthday present. Sadly, after nine years of marriage, Joel and Elizabeth divorced in 1982. Joel’s next two marriages didn’t work out either: he was married to Christie Brinkley from 1985-1994, and to Katie Lee from 2004-2010. “Every time I wrote a song for a person I was in a relationship with, it didn’t last,” Joel said. “It was kind of like the curse. Here’s your song – we might as well say goodbye now.”
  2. This song is about the ideal someone. The person you fall so deeply in love with. The person you want to stay up all night with just talking and getting to know. The person you know who may not be the prettiest or most handsome but it is their inner beauty that make them your special someone. So, you don’t want them to think they need to change and in fact you don’t want them to change a thing. This love will stand the test of time as you both grow old. They will still be the person you want to share your life with.
  3. I love ole Billy as much as the next middle-aged guy, but this song is hilariously douchey and passive-aggressive. It speaks volumes about how much gender relations have evolved since the seventies. Back when it was released, it probably meant “Hey babe, I’m so easygoing and awesome, let’s have sex”. Nowadays it sounds more like “I’m an abulic slob who hates change, so don’t bother trying to improve one bit because I sure as hell won’t. Oh, and don’t you even THINK of freaking AGING on me.”
  4. The Need For Acceptance In Relationships: The word ‘acceptance’ can have so many different connotations when used in terms of human behaviour and experience. No matter how important we know it to be in almost every aspect of relationships, there still remains that strong part of our nature that is loathed to settle for anything less than perfect. We strive to get exactly what we want, to be exactly who we want and we like to only involve people who we deem worthy of our time and efforts.  Acceptance and perfection can reside at completely different ends of the needs spectrum and this is why we have to be really clear on which we value most and the impact that it has on our lives. Whilst it’s crucial to accept that nobody is perfect, including yourself, there is another end of the spectrum to stay alert to and that’s ‘over acceptance’, otherwise known as settling.  Knowing what your end goal is for any situation or relationship, will make you way more savvy in reaching your full potential, so be ultra mindful to not play fast and loose with the things that really are significant to you.  For example, you may indeed find that you’re able to balance your active lifestyle with a partner’s who is more of a homebody.  Ultimately however, if you want a life filled with trekking holidays and cycling tours then you need to double check your choices.  Is accepting someone who’s so different to your dream of a passionate and adventurous life really such a good option for you? 

Zadanie 4. Uzupełnij definicje słowami, które są wyróżnione (na grubo). Słowa mogą być w tekście piosenki, lub w komentarzach.

1._______________ not expressed in speech; tacit.
2.________________ obnoxious or contemptible (typically used of a man or his behaviour).
3.____________ suffering from abulia; showing abnormal inability to act or make decisions; neurotic, psychoneurotic. affected with emotional disorder.
4.__________________ a person who is lazy and has low standards of cleanliness.
5._______________ ________________ of or denoting a type of behaviour or personality characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others and an avoidance of direct confrontation.
6.______________ a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.
7._____________ not subject to any conditions.
8._____________ a popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behaviour.
9.____________ feel intense dislike or disgust for.
10._____________ be situated.
11._______________ shrewdness and practical knowledge; the ability to make good judgements.
12. ___________________ a person who likes to stay at home, especially one who is perceived as unadventurous.

Zadanie 5. Posłuchaj piosenki jeszcze raz zastanawiając się: o czym ona jest? Możesz teraz zauważyć, na ile twoje pierwsze wrażenie po odsłuchaniu piosenki były słuszne.