Pick Yourself Up

From the Film: Swing Time 1936 (Lyrics by: Dorothy Fields / Music by: Jerome Kern)

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
[She: I can’t teach you anything.]
(He)
Please teacher, teach me something,
Nice teacher, teach me something.
I'm as awkward as a camel, that's not the worst,
My two feet haven't met yet,
But I'll be teacher's pet yet,
'Cause I'm gonna learn to dance or burst.

(She)
Nothing's impossible I have found,
For when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up,
Dust myself off,
Start All over again.

Don't lose your confidence if you slip,
Be grateful for a pleasant trip,
And pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

Work like a soul inspired,
Till the battle of the day is won.
You may be sick and tired,
But you'll be a man, my son!

Will you remember the famous men,
Who had to fall to rise again?
So take a deep breath,
Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.




(He)
I'll get some self-assurance
If your endurance is great.
I'll learn by easy stages
If you're courageous and wait.

To feel the strength I want to,
I must hang on to your hand,
Maybe by the time I'm fifty
I'll get up and do a nifty.
[All right I’ll show you again.
Remember, three steps to the left, three steps to the right and turn.[
Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.
[No one can teach you to dance in a million years.]

VOCABULARY

1. From the song, fill in the words that have the same or similar meanings.
I’m as awkward as a camel.
a. I can’t dance very well. I’m clumsy and unable to move like a dancer.
I’m ________________.

I’m awkward, and that’s not the worst (of it).
I am MORE THAN awkward. My left foot doesn’t know what my right foot is doing.
(My two feet haven’t met yet.)



2. Superlatives as nouns.

1. the worst the fattest the heaviest the most expensive
the best
the farthest

Examples: a. He is the worst driver I know. (adjective + noun)
aa. He’s the worst and I’m the best. (noun)

b. This is the heaviest backpack I have ever carried. (adjective + noun)
bb. Mine is the lightest and yours is the heaviest. (noun)

From the song:

3. teacher’s pet noun But I’ll be the teacher’s pet
a. The teacher like James the best. He is the _________________________ .

4. I’m going to dance or burst. verb
a. He was chewing bubble gum. He blew a big bubble and then it burst. (boom!)
b. The balloon burst.
c. I’m going to learn English or _______. (fall down, collapse without any strength),

5. Don’t lose your confidence. Noun also self-assurance
a. She believes in herself and her abilities. She has _________________________.
b. I have ___________________ in myself.

c. Adjectives: confident and self-assured.
She feels ______________ and she is _______________________ .
d. I feel ________________ and I ______________________________ .

6. If you slip, you might hurt yourself. verb
a. The floor was wet and I ___________________________ .

7. a pleasant trip trip has two meanings here:
a. a journey (noun) and
b. a fall (noun) to fall (verb)
c. It was an awful __________. I _____________ on the sidewalk.

8. to fall: to fall down; to fall from power (like a King or politician)
a. George Bush was once a powerful man, but he ______________ from power.

9. Work like a soul (noun) / inspired (adjective).
A soul = a person
a. Every person has rights. Every living _______________ can live a good live.
b. He made me feel enthused, thrilled, exhilarated. I was ________________ .

10. Take a deep breath.
a. The doctor told me to _____________________________________.
b. When you are nervous and worried, stop and __________________________

11. If your endurance is great, you can continue for a long time.
a. I have a lot of ____________________. I can walk five miles and not get tired.

12. I’ll learn by easy stages. (noun)
a. English is difficult, so I must learn it step by step. Little by little I will learn it.
b. When you learn to dance, you also learn it ___________________________ .

13. strength (noun)
a. The quality of being mentally and physically strong is to have strength.
b. He has ________________ in his arms.

14. I’ll get up and do a nifty [first-rate, very good move, turn, dance step]. (adjective)
a. You look quite ________________________________
b. She did a _________________ dance step.

15. NOUNS ADJECTIVES

Confidence confident
Self-assurance self-assured
Strength strong
The worst bad worse than
Courage courageous
Inspiration inspired

YOUR TURN:
Write a sentence using each of these words:
1. Confidence
____________________________________________________________________
2. confident
____________________________________________________________________
3. self-assurance
____________________________________________________________________
4. self-assured
___________________________________________________________________
5. strength

6. strong
____________________________________________________________________

7. the worst
____________________________________________________________________
8. worse than

____________________________________________________________________
9. courage
____________________________________________________________________
10. courageous

____________________________________________________________________

IDIOMS
1. Sick and tired You’ll be sick and tired.
a. I don’t want to answer the telephone during dinner. I’m _____________________
of those bothersome phone calls.
b. I’m __________________________ of waiting for late busses. I’m going to call
the MUNI office and complain.

2.You’ll be a man, my son.
a. I know it is difficult when things go wrong, but you will learn a lot.from difficult circumstances. These difficult things will help you grow up. _______________________________________________

2. What words rhyme with what?

a. worst rhymes with burst
b. _________________ rhymes with __________________
c. _________________ rhymes with __________________
d. _________________ rhymes with __________________
e. _________________ rhymes with __________________
f. _________________ rhymes with __________________
g. _________________ rhymes with __________________
h. _________________ rhymes with __________________

GRAMMAR
1. Find all the verb commands. Circle them within the song. Then write them in a list.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

CONVERSATION

1. Who is teaching whom to do what?

____________________________________________________________________

2. What advice does the woman give the man? (Use an infinitive in your answer.)
She tells him
___a._________________________________________________________________

___b._________________________________________________________________

___c._________________________________________________________________

___d._________________________________________________________________

___e._________________________________________________________________

___f._________________________________________________________________

___g._________________________________________________________________

3.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again is an English proverb.
The meaning is similar to the refrain of the song:
Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

What does it mean to you?