John Lennon - Stand By Me (Learn English with Songs)

Lyrics

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid
No I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darling, darling stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darling, darling stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Oh, stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Darling, darling stand by me
Stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Difficult Phrases and Words

1. darling

   1. Context: And darling, darling stand by me

   2. Definition: a dearly loved person

   3. Additional sentence: Darling, could you clean the dishes?

2. tumble

   1. Context: If the sky that we look upon / Should tumble and fall

   2. Definition: to fall suddenly and helplessly

   3. Additional sentence: The two boys tumbled to the ground as they wrestled.

3. crumble

   1. Context: And the mountain should crumble to the sea

   2. Definition: to break into small pieces

   3. Additional sentence: The cookie fell onto the ground and crumbled into many pieces.

4. shed

   1. Context: I won't cry, I won't cry / No I won't shed a tear / Just as long as you stand, stand by me

   2. Definition: to pour out, spill

   3. Additional sentence: A lot of blood was shed during World War I and World War II.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think this song is about?

2. Can you relate to anything in this song? Do you have a loyal, good friend who you can always stand beside?

3. The singer called his loved one “darling”. What is a slang term loved ones are called in your language?

4. The singer says that he and his darling will stand beside each other even “If the sky that we look upon
   Should tumble and fall
   And the mountain should crumble to the sea”

   Do you remember a time when you or your friend remained together even during hard times?

5. Was there a time when you faced some difficulty and shed some tears, but your friend stood by you and helped?