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B1.2·rock · new-wave·4:48

Once in a Lifetime

Talking Heads · 1980

Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads (1980) — 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

  • Same as it ever was
  • Same as it ever was
  • Same as it ever was
  • Same as it ever was

Echo the hook

  • Letting the days go by
  • Let the water hold me down
  • Letting the days go by
  • Water flowing underground
watersameever

Definitions: Cambridge Dictionary · Translation: MyMemory

Exercises

Exercise 1

Fill the blank in this line:

Living in ashack

Exercise 2

Fill the blank in this line:

Behind theof a large automobile

Exercise 3

Fill the blank in this line:

After thegone

Exercise 4

Fill the blank in this line:

There is water at theof the ocean

Exercise 5

Fill the blank in this line:

Under theand stones

Exercise 6

Fill the blank in this line:

Time isn'tup

Exercise 7

Translate this line to Portuguese:

You may find yourself

Exercise 8

Translate this line to Portuguese:

Well, how did I get here?

Exercise 9

Translate this line to Portuguese:

And you may tell yourself

Exercise 10

Translate this line to Portuguese:

And you may say to yourself

Exercise 11

Translate this line to Portuguese:

Living in a shotgun shack

Exercise 12

Choose the missing word:

You may ? yourself

Exercise 13

Choose the missing word:

In a ? house, with a beautiful wife

Exercise 14

Choose the missing word:

How do I ? this?

Exercise 15

Choose the missing word:

Water ? and water removing

Exercise 16

Choose the missing word:

Am I ? Am I wrong?

Exercise 17

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 18

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 19

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 20

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 21

Put the words in the right order:

Click the words below in the correct order…

Exercise 22

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

"water"

Exercise 23

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

"same"

Exercise 24

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

  • My God, what have I done?
  • Water flowing underground
  • You may find yourself

Exercise 25

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

watersameeveryourself

Exercise 26

"Once in a Lifetime" was released in 1980. Do you think the themes in the song are timeless, or do they feel dated? Give one example from the lyrics.

watersameeveryourself

Exercise 27

Imagine you are making a short film with "Once in a Lifetime" as the soundtrack. What scene would you show while the chorus plays?

watersameeveryourself

Exercise 28

What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "Once in a Lifetime" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.

watersameeveryourself

Exercise 29

If you could change the ending of the story told in "Once in a Lifetime", what would happen instead?

watersameeveryourself

Exercise 30

If you could ask Talking Heads one question about "Once in a Lifetime", what would it be and why?

watersameeveryourself