Listening exercise
Popular song: It's a Mad World
Written by Roland Orzabal of the British rock group Tears for Fears
Sung by Gary Jules
YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiHZ73LskaM

Vocabulary:
all around s.o.
familiar
worn-out
bright and early
daily races
going nowhere
tears
to fill glasses
expression
to hide
to drown one's sorrow(s)
to be hard to take
to run in circles
nervous
to look right through s.o.
to enlarge

Exercise:
1. Transcribe the lyrics to "It's a Mad World". After doing the best you can, find the lyrics online and circle all the words you got wrong and correct them. Count the number of errors and write it in the upper right hand corner of your paper.
2. Orzabal was only 18 years old when he wrote this song. What kinds of things does the narrator in the song seem to be feeling and going through at this time in his life? Is there anything you personally can identify with?
3. Why do you think he is feeling the things expressed in the song lyrics? Look for evidence in the song itself.

In case you are interested, here is the original Tears for Fears version sung by Roland Orzabal, for comparison; Orzabal himself has said he actually likes the Gary Jules version better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZRS4b8kHvg

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