Hello and welcome to my podcast My Life and Other Funny Stories. My name is Dagmar Tomášková, I am an English tutor and coach and I created this podcast for English students who want to improve their oral comprehension. As always you can find the transcription of this episode and vocabulary list in the notes of the podcast. 

Today we will talk again about phrasal verbs. I want to share with you some of them and show you how you can learn them through songs. I chose 7 of them.

Before we get into the songs, let’s quickly review what phrasal verbs are. A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a preposition or an adverb (or both) that creates a new meaning. For example, „give up“ means to quit or stop trying, which is quite different from the meanings of „give“ and „up“ when used separately.

Now let’s look at some songs that use these phrasal verbs. I will always explain the phrasal verb and then show you an example from a song. I will also leave all the names of the songs in the description so you can go and listen to them and you can learn those phrasal verbs easily.

1. Shake off

“Shake off” means to get rid of something that is bothering you.

In Taylor Swift’s hit song „Shake it Off,“ she sings about how she’s going to shake off all the negative things people say about her. In the lyrics – lyrics is the text of a song- you can hear:

Haters gonna hate, hate, hate

And I am just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake it off.

♩♪♫♬

 So she says that even if there is someone who continuously criticizes her and hates her, she will just forget it and will continue

This verb is perfect for when you want to tell someone to not let criticism or negative comments affect them. It’s like shaking off dust from your clothes—simple, quick, and effective.

2. Go on 

The phrasal verb “Go on” means to continue. And we can hear it in many songs but some of the most famous are  The Show Must Go On by Queen and My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

Listen for yourself. 

♩♪♫♬

In Queen’s song, the phrase emphasizes determination, pushing through tough times no matter what. So whatever happens to you in your life, you just have to continue with the show.

♩♪♫♬

 Similarly, in Celine Dion’s song from the Titanic soundtrack, it signifies the nature of love and life even after a tragedy. This phrasal verb is all about not giving up. So even after a tragedy and losing someone, your heart will still continue beating.

We use it very often when we talk to someone, they are speaking but they stop and you want to say “continue”- so instead we say “go on”.

3. Give up

To give up means to stop trying. You can hear it in many songs but I chose one that even has it in the name

You can hear this phrasal verb In Jason Mraz’s touching song „I Won’t Give Up,“ he reassures that he’s not going to give up on someone he loves.

Listen to a short part of the song:

♩♪♫♬

This phrasal verb is all about determination and commitment. Jason Mraz uses it to express support and persistence and that he won’t stop fighting for his love.

It is one of the most commonly used phrasal verbs I would say.

4. Mess Around

„Mess around” means to play or do things just for fun, not think about them too much.

You can hear this phrasal verb in a song made by Cage the Elephant and the phrasal verb is its name – it is called “Mess Around. It is all about not taking things too seriously and just having fun.

♩♪♫♬

This phrasal verb is perfect for those carefree moments when you’re not worried about responsibilities and just want to have a good time. It’s about being playful and enjoying life without any specific goals or outcomes in mind.

5. Mess Up

Another phrasal variation with the verb “mess” it to “mess up”. It means to make a mistake or do something poorly.

We can hear this phrasal verb in Gracie Abrams’ song „Mess It Up,“. She talks there about making mistakes and dealing with the consequences.

♩♪♫♬

As I said, this phrasal verb is all about making errors and dealing with imperfections. Gracie’s song reflects the frustration that comes with messing up, but also the growth and learning that can come from those experiences.

6. Lock up

Another phrasal verb that we will talk about is “Lock up” and it means to imprison someone or close them somewhere. Usually, we use this word in the context of prison.

You can hear it in a song from The Cab’s that is called „Lock Me Up“ and it talks about intense emotions and feeling trapped in a relationship.

♩♪♫♬

This phrasal verb is quite literal, often used in the context of prison. In the song, it metaphorically describes feeling imprisoned or restricted by emotions, highlighting the intensity and sometimes complicated nature of relationships.

7. Go out

“Go out” can mean more things but here I want to show you the meaning expressing that something stops shining or that the electricity goes out. When electricity goes out, it means that there was some problem and now nothing in your house works. You can’t turn on the lights and for example, your fridge doesn’t work. But it is often used also metaphorically to signify the end of something.

This phrasal verb is used in the song “Lights Go Out” by Autumn Kings where the band talks about fighting until the lights go out, meaning until the end or until they can’t fight anymore.

Let’s listen to a short part:

♩♪♫♬

As I said, this phrasal verb is used metaphorically in the song to describe giving it your all until the very end. It shows a sense of determination, highlighting the idea of not giving up until you can’t continue anymore. It’s about fighting until the very last moment, just as a light continues to shine until it finally goes out. 

And if you listen to the whole song, you will hear also the phrasal verb “shake off” that we discussed as a number one in this episode.

Alright, that is all I have for you today. If you liked this format, definitely let me know because I can make more episodes if I know that you enjoy it!

Thank you for listening! If you liked this episode, please leave a five-star rating and share it with your friends. Don’t forget, you can find the transcript and vocabulary list in the podcast notes. See you next time.