HI!
Today we are going to listen to a Metallica´s song from their most famous album, the so called black album released almost 20 years ago, in 1991.
Although this album includes hits like Enter Sandman, Sad but True or Nothing Else Matters, I have chosen another song called Wherever I May Roam for two reasons.
On the one hand, it´s a song that talks about roaming, that is not exactly the same thing as travelling. When you travel you have a purpose, a goal, which might be relaxing on the beach, visiting a city or a touristic spot, gathering with friends and family, and so on. But when you roam you don´t have a specific purpose or goal, you travel without an idea of what you are going to do; therefore you are not a traveler or a tourist but a nomad, wanderer, rover or vagabond.
On the other hand I have always loved this song so it was about time to make an English lesson based on it.
At last, but not least, it also includes some common expressions that are quite useful in spoken English, like take my time or speak my mind. Both expressions are explained below so you can fully understand them.
As usual, follow these steps to take the lesson:
1- Download the lyrics sheet, and go to pages 1-2 where you will find the song´s lyrics with some missing words (gaps).
2- Click this video and listen to the song while you try to fill the gaps with the words that you hear. I recommend listening at least twice to the song.
3- Check your results going to page 3 where you will find the whole lyrics of the song.
4- Take a look at the vocabulary below to understand every word of the song.
5- Listen again to the song,
without reading the lyrics and try to understand most of it.
WORKSHEET Wherever I May Roam Worksheet
VOCABULARY
Bride: a woman who is getting married or has just been married.
To strip: to remove, pull, or tear the covering or outer layer from something.
Pride: your feelings of your own worth and respect for yourself.
To confide: to tell something secret or personal to someone whom
you trust not to tell anyone else.
Dust:
very small pieces of sand, earth and other substances.
To crave: to desire something strongly.
Slave: a person who is legally owned by someone else and has no personal
freedom.
Rover, wanderer, nomad or vagabond: a person who spends their time travelling from place
to place.
To take your time: expression that means that you can spend as much time
as you need in doing something.
To speak your mind: to say what you think about something very directly.
To roam: to travel without a clear idea of what you are going to do.
Throne: a special chair used by a ruler, like a king or a queen.
Tie: a
connection or relationship between people, or between a person and a place,
interest or activity.
To sever: to end a connection with someone or something.
Off the beaten path: away from people and not known.
To reign: to be the king or queen of a country.
To carve: to cut into the surface of stone, wood, etc. In the song they use the
expression carved upon my stone that means that something can´t be changed
(for example a plan or a way of life).
To wander: to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or
direction.
