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B1.1·rock·5:58

Bitter Sweet Symphony

The Verve · 1997

Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve (1997) — selected for the English-through-music catalog. Use the sing-along prompts and exercises to drill pronunciation, vocabulary, and listening comprehension.

💡 Click the CC button on the player for synced captions.

⏱ Timestamps may not be synchronized — edit them via Personalize on the Songs menu.

Lyrics + translation · letras.mus.br

🎤 Sing along

Sing with the chorus

  • (Have you ever been down?)
  • Well, I've never prayed, but tonight I'm on my knees, yeah
  • I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah

Echo the hook

  • Ever been down
  • Ever been down
  • Ever been down
  • Have you ever been down?
changeevermold

Definitions: Cambridge Dictionary · Translation: MyMemory

Exercises

Exercise 1

Fill the blank in this line:

'Cause it's asweet symphony, that's life

Exercise 2

Fill the blank in this line:

I can'tit you know

Exercise 3

Fill the blank in this line:

'Cause it's a bittersymphony, that's life

Exercise 4

Fill the blank in this line:

It's just sex andmelody and silence

Exercise 5

Translate this line to Portuguese:

Have you ever been down?

Exercise 6

Translate this line to Portuguese:

I can't change it you know

Exercise 7

Translate this line to Portuguese:

I can't change it

Exercise 8

Translate this line to Portuguese:

'Cause it's a bitter sweet symphony, that's life

Exercise 9

Translate this line to Portuguese:

It's just sex and violence, melody and silence

Exercise 10

Choose the missing word:

'Cause it's a ? sweet symphony, that's life

Exercise 11

Choose the missing word:

(Have you ? been down?)

Exercise 12

Choose the missing word:

I ? change it you know

Exercise 13

Choose the missing word:

I can't ? it

Exercise 14

Choose the missing word:

'Cause it's a bitter ? symphony, that's life

Exercise 15

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 16

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 17

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 18

How many times do you hear the word "change" in the whole song?

"change"

Exercise 19

How many times do you hear the word "ever" in the whole song?

"ever"

Exercise 20

Put these three lines in the order they appear in the song:

  • 'Cause it's a bitter sweet symphony, that's life
  • Ever been down
  • I can't change it

Exercise 21

Which single word from this song do you think carries the most emotional weight, and why?

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Exercise 22

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" was released in 1997. Do you think the themes in the song are timeless, or do they feel dated? Give one example from the lyrics.

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Exercise 23

Imagine you are making a short film with "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the soundtrack. What scene would you show while the chorus plays?

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Exercise 24

Write the full form of each contraction:

  • it's→
  • that's→
  • you're→
  • i'll→
  • i've→
  • i'm→

Exercise 25

What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.

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Exercise 26

If you could change the ending of the story told in "Bitter Sweet Symphony", what would happen instead?

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Exercise 27

If you could ask The Verve one question about "Bitter Sweet Symphony", what would it be and why?

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Exercise 28

Describe the mood of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in three adjectives. What part of the song makes you feel that way?

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Exercise 29

Rewrite the chorus of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in your own words — keep the meaning but change the style (formal, slang, poetic, whatever you like).

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Exercise 30

Who in your life would you dedicate "Bitter Sweet Symphony" to, and what line captures what you want to say to them?

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