Song: Adventurous Girl
Artist: Patti Spinner
Year: 2013
Album: L-Pop ESL Music collection
Language Feature: Present Perfect vs Simple Past
Episode Description
Have you ever climbed a mountain? Have you ever flown in a plane? What kinds of adventures have you had? There is something extra special about the song featured in this episode. This song was written and sung by a friend of the podcast, and it is part of a series of songs that were created specifically to practice different grammar points in English! In this episode, we’re talking about the adventures that we have or haven’t had using the present perfect tense.
The song in this episode, “Adventurous Girl,” by our friend, Patti Spinner, is full of examples of the present perfect verb tense. You may not have heard this song on the radio before, but we’re sure you’re going to enjoy listening to it and singing along!
Episode Transcript
<Intro>
E: Hi! I’m Ece.
H: And I’m Heather.
E: Welcome to another episode of our podcast, “English as a Singing Language.”
H: In each episode of the podcast, we discuss the language features of a song.
E: We choose different songs from different time periods and different styles of music.
H: So, whose song are we talking about in this episode? The Beatles? The Supremes? Wait, wait, is it… Taylor Swift?
E: Nope. None of those, but the song in this episode is really special.
H: Oh yeah? Why is it special?
E: This song was written and sung by a friend of ours! It is a song written especially to show an English grammar point.
H: Wow! That’s amazing. I can’t wait to hear it!
E: You’re going to love it. Let’s get started.
<end intro>
E: (humming Adventurous Girl) Hey Heather! Guess what?
H: Hi Ece! What’s up? You seem pretty excited. Are you reading the emails sent to the podcast account?
E: Yes! Remember when we talked to Patti Spinner? The woman who wrote and sang all of those great grammar songs?
H: Of course I remember! We have met so many cool people since we started doing the podcast, and we had a great chat with her.
E: We did! We just received an email from Patti about our recent interview with her. And listeners, we are releasing that interview as a bonus episode. So, after you listen and sing this song, be sure to check out our entire interview with Patti Spinner.
H: We have had so much fun working on this podcast, but we always choose songs that other people have written. You and I are neither singers nor songwriters.
E: Right. That is very true. And sometimes, it’s hard to find a song that is really suitable for language learning.
H: Patti talked to us about having some of the same problems that we do when using music to learn English. But, she found an amazing solution to the problem of finding appropriate songs for language learning.
E: That’s right! She decided to write and sing a variety of songs herself, each one with a different grammar focus.
H: In our interview with Patti, this is what she had to say about that. “I wanted to create my own songs that would solve some of those problems and also give lots of different kinds of examples so that the students could enjoy listening to the music, but also hear lots of different uses of tricky or difficult grammar points.”
E: We’ll include a link to the website where you can find all of the songs Patti recorded for the L-pop series.
H: There are songs that focus on real conditionals, past perfect, verbs with infinitives, and many others.
E: That’s really great. And in this episode we’re going to be talking about the song, “Adventurous Girl,” a song that focuses on the present perfect tense.
H: We have done an episode that included the present perfect before, haven’t we?
E: Yes, we have! If you haven’t heard it yet, listeners, you should check out Season 1, Episode 3. In that episode, we talk about the use of the present perfect in Queen’s 1977 rock anthem, “We are the Champions.”
H: Even if we have talked about it before, the present perfect is a new tense for many learners, and it is easy to confuse it with the simple past tense.
E: It is, and you’ll notice in Patti’s lyrics that she includes examples of both present perfect and simple past.
H: So, in general, we form the present perfect by using have or has plus the past participle of the verb, also known as the third form of the verb.
E: Right. So I can say, “I have visited the pyramids in Egypt.”
H: Or, I could say, “My son has traveled to many countries.”
E: Yep. And you can see in both of these examples, and in the examples in Patti’s song, “Adventurous Girl,” that the present perfect tense is used to show that something has happened in the past.
H: But the time it happened isn’t important. The focus is on the event, not on the time it happened.
E: So, in Adventurous Girl, Patti is singing about all of the great adventures she has had in her life so far.
H: I’m curious, Ece, would you say you are an adventurous person?
E: Hmm, I suppose it depends on the situation, but yes, I do consider myself an adventurous person. I find two things to be helpful. The first one is listening to inspiring and uplifting songs like the ones we talk about in our podcast and then also having a network of supportive people who encourage me - both of those things help me to step outside my comfort zone.
H: Having supportive friends and family is really important.
E: And how about you, Heather? Are you adventurous?
H: Well, I try to push myself to be brave and try new things, but it’s not easy for me. Do you remember in Season 2, Episode 1 how you helped me overcome my anxiety about an upcoming adventure? That was a big challenge for me, and Shakira’s song, “Try Everything,” helped me to face my fears and enjoy the adventure.
E: Yes. Listeners should definitely go back and check out that episode if they haven’t done that yet. So, what adventures does Patti sing about in this song?
H: She starts off with, “Oh, I’ve flown in fancy planes, ridden ‘round on high-speed trains.”
E: Oooh. That sounds exciting. Have you done either of those things, Heather?
H: I guess I have. I have flown business class on a plane, and I have taken a high-speed train in Taiwan and in Japan. How about you?
E: Yes, I was lucky enough to be upgraded to business class on a plane once, and I’ve also taken a high-speed train in Japan. And how about, “Oh, I’ve driven classic cars, eaten steak and caviar.”
H: A classic car is an old, expensive car, like a 1967 Ford Mustang. I have never driven a classic car.
E: Me neither.
H: And I stopped eating beef a few years ago, but I have eaten steak before. Ece, what is “caviar”?
E: Caviar is a very expensive food. It is the eggs from a specific kind of fish, a sturgeon. I have not tried it.
H: That sounds interesting. I will have to try it one day.
E: Next, she sings, “Oh, I’ve scaled the highest cliffs, sailed the sea in rugged ships.” I like that she uses the verb “to scale” here.
H: Yes! It’s a very specific verb that means, “to climb to the top of something very high and steep,” something like a cliff.
E: And a cliff is an extremely steep wall of rock, usually facing the sea.
H: I have seen a cliff, but I have never scaled one.
E: I haven’t either. I also haven’t sailed the sea in a rugged ship.
H: I like that she uses the adjective “rugged” to describe the ship. When we use “rugged” to describe a thing, it means that it is built to withstand or be used in very rough conditions.
E: Ok, then she sings, “I’ve climbed the highest mountains, drunk my fill from natural fountains.”
H: I’ve climbed a few mountains, but not the highest ones, and I have never drunk from a natural fountain.
E: The highest mountain I’ve climbed is Mt. Fuji in Japan, but I haven’t drunk from a natural fountain.
H: In the next verse, she is talking about places she has visited. She starts in China and says, “Oh, I’ve stood upon the Great Wall.” I have visited the Great Wall. It’s really impressive.
E: I have been to the Great Wall too! Next, Patti sings that she’s, “seen the domes of the Taj Mahal,” and the Taj Mahal is a beautiful palace in India. I haven’t visited India yet.
H: I have never been to India either, but I really want to see the Taj Mahal. How about, “Oh, I’ve crossed the polar ice caps.” As you remember from Season 1, Episode 11, I do not like the cold! I do not want to go to the North Pole or the South Pole.
E: How about another place Patti has been? She’s “trekked across the arid Outback.” An “arid” place doesn’t get enough rain to grow plants. And the Outback in Australia is known for being hot and dry.
H: Hmmmm… that might be too hot for me, but “trekking” sounds interesting. What does the verb, “to trek” mean?
E: A trek is a long hike. I have gone on many treks in my life so far, but not in the Australian Outback.
H: There’s a great rhyme in the next line, “Oh, I’ve seen the cliffs of Dover, walked through fields of Irish clover,” where “Dover” and “clover” rhyme.
E: The cliffs of Dover are in England, and obviously Irish clover, which is a kind of grass that has three round leaves, is found in Ireland.
H: Well, lucky clover has 4 leaves. I have found a lucky clover before. I was very excited about it.
E: How about the next line, “Oh, I’ve swum across the Nile, gazed at Mona Lisa’s smile.”
H: I’ve gone swimming many times in my life, but I’ve never swum across the Nile River, have you?
E: I’ve sailed across the Nile, but I haven’t swum in it. And you can see Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting, the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre Museum in France. It has been on display there since 1804.
H: Wow! That’s a long time. And she uses the verb, “to gaze at,” rather than, “to look at.”
E: What is the difference between “gaze at” and “look at”?
H: “Gaze at” means that you are looking at something for a long time, often with admiration, like whatever you are gazing at is very impressive.
E: That’s a useful word. In fact, I have gazed at the Mona Lisa.
H: Ok. Let’s talk about the use of past tense verbs before we discuss the refrain.
E: Sounds good. Patti sings, “When I was very young, I was scared, held my tongue, ‘cause I thought I’d get laughed at.” Did you notice the verbs are all past tense?
H: Yes! Since she’s talking about a specific time, when she was very young, she has to use simple past tense here. And Ece, what does it mean, “to hold your tongue”? (holding tongue) Is it like this?
E: No! If you “hold your tongue,” it means that there’s something you really want to say, but you decide it is better not to say it. Like in Patti’s case, she was afraid if she said what she was thinking, other people would laugh at her.
H: I think most people feel that way sometimes. Then she sings, “But, I turned things around, spoke my mind, held my ground, and I never have looked back.” So, if you “turn things around,” it means that you took a bad situation and turned it into something positive, right?
E: Right. I noticed that she uses, “I never have looked back” instead of the usual word order of, “I have never looked back.” Why is that?
H: The word order that is used most of the time is, “I have never,” but sometimes, usually for emphasis, we will switch the word order to “I never have.”
E: Oh, so she wants to really emphasize that she “never has looked back.” Never.
H: Yep.
E: That’s right. And she uses another expression with, “hold,” too. We just talked about “hold my tongue,” and here she uses “hold my ground.”
H: That’s an interesting expression. What does it mean to, “hold your ground”?
E: It means you won’t give up; you won’t change your mind; you will fight for your ideas.
H: That’s very useful. So, she went from being a shy child who was afraid to speak and held her tongue, to an adult who is strong and brave.
E: And she never has looked back.
H: Right! So, the refrain goes, “I am an adventurous girl; I have seen the whole world and I like it. Better not slow me down, ‘cause I have been around, and I’m not going to hide it.”
E: And the refrain continues, “Oh, I’ve been in trendy clubs, danced until the sun came up Oh, I’ve had fun with my friends, and I’d do it all again.”
H: Um, Ece, what’s a “trendy club”?
E: It’s a cool place that plays the latest popular music and lots of people like to go there to dance.
H: Ah, it has been a long time since I danced at a trendy club until the sun came up.
E: Me too. But I have had fun with my friends, and I would do it all again, especially this podcast!
H: Agree! Are we ready to sing?
E: I am ready for that adventure!
H: Great! Before we sing, did Patti have anything else to say about being an adventurous girl?
E: Actually, she did. This is what she said about that. “In terms of actually being an adventurous girl, I should say that I have not done probably most of these things. I have never swum in the Nile. I can’t actually really swim very well, and I haven’t been to Australia and things like that but I do think, as I have gotten older, I have gotten braver and more adventurous so in a way, I guess I like to think of myself as an adventurous girl, maybe not a girl anymore, but adventurous woman I guess. Yeah, so hopefully this song will inspire other people too, a little bit.”
H: Wow! I feel really inspired.
E: Me too! Ok listeners! It’s time to sing! We are going to include the audio for this song at the end of the episode, so keep listening!
H: There’s also a link to, “Adventurous Girl” and all the other songs Patti has written in the episode notes.
E: For our listeners who are English teachers, there are also lesson plans and activities available on the website.
H: Don’t forget to pay attention to all of the simple past and present perfect verbs in the song.
E + H: “I am an adventurous girl; I have seen the whole world and I like it.
Better not slow me down, ‘cause I have been around, and I’m not going to hide it.”
<outro>
E: I have enjoyed this episode so much. It has been really fun doing an episode about a song that was written by someone we know.
H: And she wrote it especially for English language learners.
E: Right! We will be releasing the entire interview we had with Patti as a special Connections Episode.
H: She has a lot of interesting ideas about using songs to learn English.
E: She also describes how she writes and records songs.
H: It’s really fascinating. We encourage you to check it out!
E: It will be available wherever you regularly listen to, “English as a Singing Language.”
H: And that now includes our YouTube channel!
E: Yes, it does! You can now listen to the podcast on YouTube!
H: Also, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen.
E: And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, @singinglanguages.
H: Until next time, have fun and…
E + H: just keep singing!
Official YouTube Video
Complete Lyrics
Oh, I’ve flown in fancy planes, ridden ‘round on high speed trains Oh, I’ve driven classic cars, eaten steak and caviar, Oh, I’ve scaled the highest cliffs, sailed the sea in rugged ships,
I’ve climbed the highest mountains, drunk my fill from natural fountains
I am an adventurous girl; I have seen the whole world and I like it
Better not slow me down, ‘cause I have been around, and I’m not going to hide it
Oh, I’ve stood upon the Great Wall, seen the domes of the Taj Mahal
Oh, I’ve crossed the polar ice caps, trekked across the arid Outback,
Oh, I’ve seen the cliffs of Dover, walked through fields of Irish clover
Oh, I’ve swum across the Nile, gazed at Mona Lisa’s smile
I am an adventurous girl; I have seen the whole world and I like it
Better not slow me down, ‘cause I have been around, and I’m not going to hide it
Oh, I’ve been in trendy clubs, danced until the sun came up Oh, I’ve had fun with my friends, and I’d do it all again
When I was very young, I was scared, held my tongue, ‘cause I thought I’d get laughed at But, I turned things around, spoke my mind, held my ground, and I never have looked back
I am an adventurous girl; I have seen the whole world and I like it
Better not slow me down, ‘cause I have been around, and I’m not going to hide it
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