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A2.1·rock·7:29

You Can't Always Get What You Want

The Rolling Stones · 1969

You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones (1969) — 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

  • You can't always get what you want
  • You can't always get what you want
  • But if you try sometimes you find
  • You get what you need

Echo the hook

  • I saw her today at the reception
  • A glass of wine in her hand
  • I knew she would meet her connection
  • At her feet was her footloose man
can'talwayswant

Definitions: Cambridge Dictionary · Translation: MyMemory

Exercises

Exercise 1

Fill the blank in this line:

I saw herat the reception

Exercise 2

Fill the blank in this line:

No, you can'tget what you want

Exercise 3

Fill the blank in this line:

But if you try sometimes youfind

Exercise 4

Fill the blank in this line:

To get yourfilled

Exercise 5

Fill the blank in this line:

Wethat we would have a soda

Exercise 6

Fill the blank in this line:

In her glass was aman

Exercise 7

Translate this line to Portuguese:

I saw her today at the reception

Exercise 8

Translate this line to Portuguese:

No, you can't always get what you want

Exercise 9

Translate this line to Portuguese:

But if you try sometimes you find

Exercise 10

Translate this line to Portuguese:

I knew she was gonna meet her connection

Exercise 11

Translate this line to Portuguese:

And I went down to the demonstration

Exercise 12

Choose the missing word:

I saw her ? at the reception

Exercise 13

Choose the missing word:

You can't ? get what you want

Exercise 14

Choose the missing word:

But if you try sometimes you ? find

Exercise 15

Choose the missing word:

I was ? in line with Mr. Jimmy

Exercise 16

Choose the missing word:

You can't always get what you ? Lord

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 "can't" in the whole song?

"can't"

Exercise 23

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

"always"

Exercise 24

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

  • I saw her today at the reception
  • I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy, yeah
  • You get what you need

Exercise 25

And these three — put them in the order they appear in the song:

  • A glass of wine in her hand
  • You can't always get what you want
  • You can't always get what you want, Lord

Exercise 26

What kind of person do you imagine the narrator of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is? Describe their age, mood, and situation using at least three details from the lyrics.

can'talwayswantfind

Exercise 27

If you could ask The Rolling Stones one question about "You Can't Always Get What You Want", what would it be and why?

can'talwayswantfind

Exercise 28

Rewrite the chorus of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in your own words — keep the meaning but change the style (formal, slang, poetic, whatever you like).

can'talwayswantfind

Exercise 29

Write the full form of each contraction:

  • can't→
  • gonna→
  • we're→
  • don't→

Exercise 30

If you could change the ending of the story told in "You Can't Always Get What You Want", what would happen instead?

can'talwayswantfind