Short Courses

2025-02-18 Adam in Ipswich – My Song, My Home

In this episode we meet musician Adam in Ipswich. Adam tells us about busking in the town and perform his song Missing Chemicals.

Vocabulary

Note: The words below can have multiple meanings. Here, our definitions reflect the meanings of the vocabulary in the song and podcast interview.

eye level
at the same height as your eyes

not know what’s around the corner
be uncertain about the future

upbeat song
a song that sounds fast and happy 

have a lot to get off your chest
have a lot of worries you want to talk about

down days
days where you feel sad

paint a smile on your face
pretend to be happy

a hurricane in your head
your mind feels chaotic

fade away
gradually disappear

Lyrics

It’s cold and dark
It’s that time of the year
When it gets hard
Just hold me near
So I’ll paint a smile on my face
Am I crazy? Just a headcase?
Why is everyone looking at me?
I don’t wanna get out of my bed
It’s like a hurricane in my head

And it’s alright to cry sometimes
And I’m sorry but I can’t help that
I’m missing chemicals
If you could see what I can see
Missing chemicals
And every day I fade away again
I’m sorry, but I can’t help that
I’m missing chemicals

It’s late again
It’s that time of the night
I’m losing sleep and it’s getting light
So I’ll close my eyes and try to rest
I’m always trying to do my best
What is this doing to me?
You gotta know you’re not alone
I’m just on the other side of the phone

And it’s alright to cry sometimes
And I’m sorry, but I can’t help that
I’m missing chemicals
If you could see what I can see
Missing chemicals
And every day I fade away again
I’m sorry, but I can’t help that
I’m missing chemicals

And it’s alright to cry sometimes
I’m sorry, but I can’t help that
I’m missing chemicals
If you could see what I can see
Missing chemicals
And every day I fade away again
I’m sorry, but I can’t help that
I’m missing chemicals
And I wish that I could live a life
With all the chemicals

Missing Chemicals by Adam Thomas

BBC Learning English

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