“You can hear with ‘If I Were A Boy’, it’s not a traditional R&B song,” Beyonce explains. “It’s difficult to grow and to break out and do new things because people have strong expectations. I feel like at this point, I wanted people to hear songs with stronger lyrics and songs that made you feel. I love singing ballads because I feel like the music and the emotion in the story is told so much better. It’s a better connection because you can hear it and it’s not all these other distractions. I really wanted people to hear my voice.”
Listen to the song.
If I were a boy even just for a day
I’d roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted
And go drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it
‘Cause they stick up for me
CHORUS
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man
I’d listen to her
‘Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
‘Cause he’s taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleeping alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
‘Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waiting for me to come home, to come home
CHORUS
It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say it’s just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
And you don’t understand, oh
How it feels to love a girl
Someday you wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
‘Cause you’re taking her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
But you’re just a boy
VOCABULARY
| kick it | relax, hang out; a low-key gathering (slang) |
| stick up | to support somone when they are being criticized |
| faithful | adhering firmly and devotedly to someone, loyal |
| take it for granted | to expect something to be always available to serve without thanks or recognition |
| throw on | quickly put on something |
| chase after | pursue someone sexually or romantically |
GRAMMAR
There are several structures in English that are called conditionals.
“Condition” means “situation or circumstance”. If a particular condition is true, then a particular result happens. There are three basic conditionals that are often used in English.
Conditional Sentence Type Zero
→ Automatic things that are generally or always true.
Form: if + Simple Present, Simple Present
e.g.: If I have time, I read the book.
Conditional Sentence Type 1
→ It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Present, will-Future
e.g.: If I have time, I’ll read the book.
Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Past, would* + Infinitive
e.g.: If I had time, I would read the book.
Conditional Sentence Type 3
→ It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.
Form: if + Past Perfect, would* + have + Past Participle
e.g.: If I had had time, I would have read the book.
<span >NB<span > For the second conditional, were replaces was:
e.g.: If I were a boy.
Conditional Sentence Type Mixed
→ Unreal conditionals (Type 2 + 3) sometimes can be mixed, that is, the time of the if clause is different from the one of the main clause.
Form: if + Past Perfect, would* + Infinitive
e.g.: If I had bought the book, I would read it now
* We can substitute could or might for would (should, may or must are sometimes possible, too).
| If I were a boy | I’d roll out of bed in the morning |
| I’d throw on what I wanted | |
| I’d go drink beer with the guys | |
| I’d chase after girls | |
| I’d kick it with who I wanted | |
| I’d never get confronted | |
| I could understand | |
| I’d be a better man | |
| I’d listen to her | |
| I would turn off my phone | |
| I would tell everyone it’s broken | |
| I’d put myself first | |
| I’d make the rules as I go |
Which Conditional can you recognize in the song?
a) First
b) Second
c) Third
d) Mixed
The statements in the song are used to:
a) talk about hypothetical situations
b) express criticism
c) talk about events that are likely to happen
d) make suggestions
| zero | 1 | 2 | 3 | mixed | |
| If I had taken French in high school, I would have more job opportunities. | x | x | x | x | x |
|
If I were you, I wouldn’t have done that. |
x | x | x | x | x |
| I read if there is nothing on TV. | x | x | x | x | x |
| If I studied, I could pass the exams. | x | x | x | x | x |
| If I were you, I wouldn’t do that. | x | x | x | x | x |
| If I study, I will pass the exams. | x | x | x | x | x |
| If we have a day off from work, we usually go to the beach. | x | x | x | x | x |
| If you won a million pounds, would you stop teaching? | x | x | x | x | x |
| I would have some money now if I hadn’t bought a new car. | x | x | x | x | x |
| If he had got the job, he would be moving to New York soon. | x | x | x | x | x |
Song with lyrics:
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