Songs in the Classroom : It's a Beautiful Day

Oh man ! It's pouring with rain ! But we have to be optimistic and think that it is a beautiful day today.  Indeed ! Now, it's time for singing ! What better option than completing this song by Michael Bublé with modal verbs and then try to identify the meaning of the phrasal verbs in bold ?:
Click on the first video and try to do the exercise. Then click on the second video to check your answers. Good luck ! 

1. Complete the song with modal verb :
2. Try to infer the meaning of the phrasal verbs in bold. The answers are below.
3. Correct the conditional underlined in the penultimate stanza.

"It's A Beautiful Day"

I don't know why

You think that you __________ (1) hold me.

When you ____________ (2)  get by by yourself

And I don't know who

Would ever want to tear the seam of someone's dream.

Baby, it's fine, you said that we _________ (3)  just be friends.

Well, I came up with that line and I'm sure

That it's for the best

If you ever change your mind, don't hold your breath.

'Cause you __________ (4)  not believe, mmm mmm mmm

That baby, I'm relieved, mmm

When you said goodbye, my whole world shined.

Hey hey hey

It's a beautiful day and I _______ (5)  stop myself from smiling

If we're drinking, then I'm buying

And I know there's no denying.

It's a beautiful day, the sun is up, the music's playing

And even if it started raining

You won't hear this boy complaining

'Cause I'm glad that you're the one who got away.

It's a beautiful day.

It's my turn to fly, so girls, get in line

'Cause I'm easy, no playing this guy like a fool.

Now I'm alright

________ (6) 've had me caged before, but not tonight.

And you ______ (7) not believe, mmm mmm

That baby, I'm relieved

This fire inside, it burns too bright

I don't want to say "so long," I just want to say "goodbye."

It's a beautiful day and I ________ stop myself from smiling

If we're drinking, then I'm buying

And I know there's no denying.

It's a beautiful day, the sun is up, the music's playing

And even if it started raining

You won't hear this boy complaining

'Cause I'm glad that you're the one who got away, mmm mmm

'Cause if you ever think I'll take up

My time with thinking of our break-up

Then you've got another thing coming your way

'Cause it's a beautiful day, mmm mmm.

Beautiful day, oh, baby, any day that you're gone away.

It's a beautiful day.

Answers to exercises 2 and 3:
a) Get by = manage to do something; do something with a bit of effort and struggle. e.g. 'a lot of families get by with just 500 euros a month.'

b) Come up with : Find and suggest and idea, as you can see in the sentence : 'after some time thinking, he came up with the best idea to save him company from bankruptcy.'

c) Get away : Escape. 'The police couldn't catch the burglar. He got away.'

d) Take up : This context is negative. It means to 'occupy' or in a wider sense, 'to lose', as in 'don't worry. I don't want to take up your time and bother you.'

e) Break up : Split up with someone; end a relationship; finish a relationship with someone. 'My girlfriend broke up with me yesterday and I'm really sad.'

f) Go away : 'Leave', 'go far'. It is clear in the sentence. 'Go away, I don't ever want to see you again.'

The conditional can be corrected in two ways : 
a) Even if it starts raining, you won't hear this boy complaining (conditional 1)
b) Even if it started raining, you wouldn't hear this boy complaining (conditional 2)

Did you like this extremely positive song ? I hope so. Remember, if you want to keep practising with songs, you can click on the following links: songs about peace; Paradise; Christmas carols; Fast Car;  Somebody I Used to Know.