Song: Unwritten Artist: Natasha Bedingfield Year: 2004 Album: Unwritten Language Feature: Figurative Language
Episode Description
Hosts Ece and Heather are staying in the 2000’s for this episode. Ece is trying to finish an exciting book, and that leads to an interesting discussion about Natasha Beddingfield’s 2004 song, Unwritten. There is a mountain of useful and descriptive vocabulary in this song. After you listen to the podcast, make sure that you listen to the song and sing out loud.
Episode Transcript
<intro>
H: Hi! I’m Heather. E: And I’m Ece. And we’re here for another episode of the podcast, “English as a Singing Language.” H: So, Ece, are you ready for another great song from the 2000s? E: I sure am. I can’t wait! H: Neither can I. E: OK! Let’s get started. <end intro> H: (Humming Natasha Beddingfield, “Unwritten”) E: <ahem> Sorry, Heather, but do you mind? I’m in the middle of a book and - H: - you don’t want to be interrupted? E: <sigh> Exactly. H: I totally get it. I love to get lost in a good book. I forget where I am and what’s going on around me and I just become part of the story. E: I’m almost at the end of this book and it’s so exciting. I don’t know how it will end. There are so many possibilities. H: This is making me think of the song I was just listening to. E: Yes. I heard you humming. What song was that? It sounds so familiar. H: It’s Natasha Bedingfield’s 2004 hit song, Unwritten. E: I knew I’d heard it before. I love that song. And, ok, even though my book is incredibly interesting, I’m also very interested in this song. What do we know about this song, Heather? H: Well, it was written and recorded by British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield for her debut album, Unwritten, in 2004. When she was asked about her songs, Bedingfield said, “A lot of my songs are about taking whatever life throws at you and making the most of it.” E: That’s a very positive message. And the phrase “take whatever life throws at you” is very interesting. It’s like “life” can be a person that is able to throw something. That’s very descriptive. H: It is. That’s an example of figurative language. Figurative language is when we use words in a way that is different from their literal, actual meaning. We do this to make something easier to understand, to make a joke, to exaggerate or make the content more interesting. We use it all the time, actually. E: Like just now when you said you, “get lost in a book.” You can’t literally get lost in a book like you can get lost in a forest or a new city, but by using that phrase, it creates an emotion in the listener, and they can easily imagine the feeling you are describing. It’s a lot more powerful than just saying, “I like reading.” H: Exactly. And this song is full of interesting figurative language. E: She starts off singing, “I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined. I’m just beginning. The pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned.” That really does catch my attention. Like, how can a person be “unwritten” or “undefined”? Those sound like words that would be used to describe a word or a text. H: It’s like she’s comparing herself or her life to a book or words on the page. And, just like the book you’re reading, we don’t know the ending. E: It’s true that we don’t know the ending to our own story, but she does sing, “the pen’s in my hand,” though. Like, she’s the one who will decide what happens in her life and write the ending for herself. H: She continues the comparison when she sings, “Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window.” That’s a great comparison, right? E: It sure is. She is still comparing our lives to an unwritten book, and I think we all know the feeling of “staring at a blank page.” It is full of possibility, but it is also pretty scary sometimes, especially when you don’t know what to do. H: I definitely have experienced that feeling before. But then when she sings, “Open up the dirty window,” what do you think that represents? E: I think the “dirty window” is all of those negative things that keep you from doing something. Like for me it’s fear of failure. H: Ugh, yeah, and for me it’s my negative thinking. I always believe the worst thing will happen. I need to work on that for sure and try to be more positive. E: You should listen to the part where she sings, “Let the sun illuminate the words that you cannot find.” H: Ooooooh “illuminate” – That’s a great word. So, the sun will shine down or will give light so that you can clearly see what you need to do. Ok, so how about when she sings, “release your inhibitions”? E: An inhibition is something that makes you feel self-conscious, like you can’t relax or act in a normal or natural way. Remember how you felt about dancing in the last episode? H: I do. I was afraid to just have fun and dance. So, I should “release my inhibitions” and just relax and be myself. She has some other great advice, and it’s expressed using some exceptional figurative language. “Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel if for you.” E: That’s so true. You can’t really experience something through someone else, can you? Like, you can’t watch a travel show or a cooking show on TV and really say you have experienced it. You have to actually go and do it yourself. H: It’s not the same if I ask you to run out into the rain and then tell me what it feels like. I have to go out and feel it for myself. That is really fantastic advice. E: She gives the same advice about the things we don’t say to people in our lives. “No one else can speak the words on your lips.” H: “Drench yourself in words unspoken.” Wow! great vocabulary choice there. She’s going back to the “feel the rain” theme with the word “drench.” E: “Drench” is a really useful word. It means totally and completely wet. For example, if you forget your umbrella in a rainstorm, you’re going to be drenched. H: I think the way she’s using it to describe words is really interesting. We should take all of the things we feel in our heart and say them out loud, drench ourselves in them. I’m going to start right now, “Ece you’re a wonderful friend and colleague and I love doing this podcast with you! You’re an amazing person.” E: Aww, thanks! I also greatly enjoy our collaboration on this podcast, and I am grateful to also call you my friend. H: Wow! That does feel good. Starting today, I’m going to tell everyone I know how important they are to me. E: Me too! And finally, she sings about how her “tries are outside the lines.” What do you think that means? H: This is another excellent description. Do you remember how when you were little, the teacher always wanted you to color a picture and “stay inside the lines”? Maybe we should go a little crazy sometimes and use our imagination more. E: Not worry about being so careful and correct and “inside the lines.” H: Exactly. And I agree with her when she sings, “We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes.” We shouldn’t be afraid of failure or making mistakes. E: There is so much really interesting vocabulary and figurative language in this song. H: And some really practical and inspirational advice! Are we ready to listen? E: I think we are! You can find a link to the song in the episode notes. And also be sure to visit the English as a Singing Language website – there's a link to it in the episode notes – you can find the transcript of the episode, the lyrics and an activity to do. H: Don’t forget to release your inhibitions and sing out loud as you listen! E: Oh my gosh! That was really fun, but I’d better get back to my book. I can’t wait to see how it ends. H: And I’ve got a mountain of things to do today. I’m definitely going to try to use descriptive, figurative language in my conversation. E: If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to give us 5 stars and subscribe to, “English as a Singing Language” so that you’ll know whenever a new episode comes out. H: Make sure to follow us on Instagram. Until next time, have fun and …
H and E: just keep singing!
Official YouTube Video
Activity
Listen to the song and complete the lyrics with key vocabulary discussed in the podcast.
I am ______________________ Can't read my mind I'm ______________________ I'm just beginning The pen's in my hand Ending ______________________
Staring at the ______________________ ______________________ before you
Open up the ______________________ ______________________
Let the sun ______________________ the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your ______________________
Feel the ______________________ on your ______________________ No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can ______________________ the words on your ______________________ ______________________ yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still ______________________ Oh, oh, oh
I break tradition
Sometimes my ______________________ are outside the ______________________
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes
But I can't live that way
Staring at the ______________________ ______________________ before you
Open up the ______________________ ______________________
Let the sun ______________________ the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your ______________________
Feel the ______________________ on your ______________________ No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can ______________________ the words on your ______________________ ______________________ yourself in words ______________________ Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still ______________________
Song Lyrics
I am unwritten Can't read my mind I'm undefined I'm just beginning The pen's in my hand Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten Oh, oh, oh
I break tradition
Sometimes my tries are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes
But I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Danielle A. Brisebois / Natasha Anne Bedingfield / Wayne Steven Jr Rodrigues Unwritten lyrics © Domino Publishing Company, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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