بیتلز - Let it Be

Hey guys, what’s up?

Ethan here from RealLife English with another kick-ass learn English with music lesson for you. I think you’re really going to dig this week’s lesson you’re going to love it because it is here by popular request.

Are you ready?

Let it be.

Let it be.

Let it be.

Let it be.

That’s right, this week’s song is a classic from the Beatles and although the Beatles are British this song actually is a really great way for you to practice your “American T” and “glottal stop T”.

I’m not exactly sure why the Beatles song sounds quite American, but there you go, and the song was a little bit hard to explain at times because it is very full of metaphors.

That are quite open to interpretation by the listener, so I tried to bring you some good insight by doing some research online and also just from some of my own interpretations based on the lyrics.

And I would love to hear what do you think this song is about?

Just comment below.

After listening to this lesson.

Alright guys without any further ado let’s jump in.

Aww Yeah!!

To find oneself

This expression means to suddenly encounter oneself in a certain state or situation that was probably unexpected.

Example : Tina found herself responsible for planning two weddings!

Tina found herself responsible for planning two weddings!

Tina found herself responsible for planning two weddings!

Times of trouble:

Means, a periods of emotional stress or hardship.

Example: The depression was a time of trouble for most.

The depression was a time of trouble for most.

The depression was a time of trouble for most.

Wisdom

This is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement. Much like Gundy

Example : You should read this book, it’s full of wisdom.

You should read this book, it’s full of wisdom.

You should read this book, it’s full of wisdom.

Let it be:

Although this can mean to not interfere with something or what someone is doing.

In this case it is used more as a slang expression which would probably be more common in British English than American English.

Meaning to relax, don’t worry.

Example : You’ll do fine on your exam, let it be.

You’ll do fine on your exam, let it be.

You’ll do fine on your exam, let it be.

Hour of darkness:

This expression is not very common, but for the sake of the song it means a period of depression or suffering.

This could also be considered nighttime.

Example : Her time battling cancer felt like her darkness hour.

Her time battling cancer felt like her darkness hour.

Her time battling cancer felt like her darkness hour.

Whisper.

This is to speak softly or secretly, in this song it probably refers more to speaking quietly.

Example : I don’t want them to hear; whisper it in my ear!

I don’t want them to hear; whisper it in my ear!

I don’t want them to hear; whisper it in my ear!

Brokenhearted:

This means to be overwhelmed by grief or disappointment.

Example : I felt brokenhearted when she left me.

I felt brokenhearted when she left me.

I felt brokenhearted when she left me.

Part:

So when you are doing something with someone, and then you leave them, you could also say that you are parting them.

But it can also refer to someone dying.

It’s up to discussion which definition would be correct in the song.

Example : They parted shortly after midnight.

They parted shortly after midnight.

They parted shortly after midnight.

Chance:

This has several definitions, but in the song it means probability.

Example : What are the chances of rain this weekend?

What are the chances of rain this weekend?

What are the chances of rain this weekend?

Cloudy

This can mean covered with clouds; or methaphorcly it can also mean uncertain.

This is another definition which is up for interpretation in the song.

Example : My knowledge of neurology is still cloudy.

My knowledge of neurology is still cloudy.

My knowledge of neurology is still cloudy.

Shine:

To glow or give out bright light.

Example : It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining!

It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining!

It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining!

Wake up:

This is a phrasal verb meaning to stop sleeping

Example : Wake up or you’ll be late!

Wake up or you’ll be late!

Wake up or you’ll be late!

Mother Mary:

although many people interpret this as being the Virgin Mary Jesus’s mother from Christianity.

Paul McCartney is actually referring to his own mother whose name was Mary.

She died when he was a young child so much of this song is about her.

Right in front of me.

When you use right plus a preposition it emphasizes the proximity.

So when you say something is right in front of you it means it is directly in front of you in contrast to being somewhere in the general direction in front of you.

Similarly you could say right behind you, right next to you, etc.

For though they may be parted there’s still a chance that they will be, there will be an answer:

This means that Even though someone close to you may have died, they can still hear your prayers and might answer you.

And when the Night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me, shine until tomorrow.

This could mean that one should be optimistic even during difficult times.

It is similar to the expression every cloud has a silver lining.

I wake up to the sound of music:

This most likely is Paul McCartney saying that he is able to arise with inspiration because he is a musician, so he is able to come out of a dark time and still create music about it.

Hey guys, just a short interruption from the lesson before we jump into pronunciation.

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So now let’s jump back into the lesson and learn all about the pronunciation from let it be.

When I find sounds like, weh-ny find. weh-ny find. When I find.

Comes to me sounds like cuhmz-tuh me. cuhmz-tuh me. Comes to me.

Right in front of me sound like ri-din frunna me. ri-din frunna me. Right in front of me.

Let it be sounds like leh-dih be. leh-dih be. Let it be.

Brokenhearted sounds like bro-kin har-did. bro-kin har-did. Brokenhearted.

Parted sounds like par-did. par-did. Parted.

Shines on me sounds like shine-zon me. shine-zon me. Shines on me

Wake up sounds like wei-kup. wei-kup. Wake up.

Hey guys, I’m back. I hope that you enjoyed learning with the Beatles. I know a lot of you had wanted to see something that was not new, so there you go.

And I just wanted to wrap this up to end this video by actually sharing with you a bit more of the meaning from what I found online.

But first what I would like you to do is press pause and go down in the comments and write what do you think that this song is about?

Before I actually tell you what I found online.

Are you ready?

Alright are you back? did you write what you think below?

So what I found through my research was that this song is actually based on a dream that Paul McCartney had, where his mother came to him and told him the words let it be.

This was very meaningful to Paul because his mother died when he was very young and some other insights that I saw about it was that it may have perhaps come at a difficult period in Paul McCartney’s life when the Beatles were actually breaking up.

So only Paul knows for sure, but I hope that helps you to understand the lyrics a little bit better.

If you want more videos like this let me know by liking and subscribing to us.

And that way you won’t miss a single one, and if you do like this method for learning English then remember you’re really going to love our three-part course that is going to teach you English with the TV series “Friends”.

It will really help you to understand native speakers, and you’re gonna have a lot of fun while doing it.

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Alright guys. I look forward to seeing you soon now go out there and kick ass with your English. Aww Yeah