I recently used a song, The Logical Song by Supertramp, in my Intermediate Level English class to highlight excellent English expression and in particular an impressive use of Adjectives. Individually, the adjectives are all wonderfully descriptive, but read the song lyrics and just see what happens to them when they are woven together into a story….. Magic!!

The Logical Song is about the biggest question of all: the meaning of life.

Roger Hodgson, songwriter: “The song was born out of my questions about what really mattered in life. Throughout childhood we’re taught how to behave, yet we‘re very rarely told anything about the deeper purpose of life. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence, and that often ends up in disillusionment in adulthood. And many of us spend our lives trying to get back to that innocence.”

The Logical Song  by  Supertramp

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash    

When I was young,
it seemed that life was so wonderful, a miracle; oh it was beautiful, magical. 

And all the birds in the trees, well they’d be singing so happily, oh joyfully, playfully watching me.

Photo by Rafael Barquero on Unsplash

But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible, logical,
responsible, practical and they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, clinical, oh intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world’s asleep, the questions run too deep for such a simple man.

Won’t you please, please
tell me what we’ve learned?
I know it sounds absurd.  Please tell me who I am.

I said, watch what you say or they’ll be calling you a *radical, a *liberal, oh  fanatical  *criminal.
Won’t you sign up your name?
We’d like to feel you’re acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!

∧ ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧  ∧ 

* Radical, liberal, and criminal can be nouns or adjectives. They are used as nouns here. Did you notice the colourful adverbs: happily, joyfully, and playfully describing how the birds were singing and watching?

Click here for the YouTube video. Incidentally, the music is phenomenal! I hope you enjoy the music as well as the lyrics.