– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Influence.

I think it's a very interesting word

and also an interesting situation that can arise quite often in life.

Influence.

You might be surprised to find out just how often influence takes place,

and also how many people have influence as well.

It is possible for one person to have influence or to influence another person.

So as you can already tell,

the word influence can be used as both a noun and also a verb as well.

We can also describe a person as influential.

You are showing that that  person has influence as a noun.

The word influence names the capacity or power of persons or things

to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behaviour, opinions of others.

So it means that one person or one thing is able to change the outcome,

or even the situation that is taking place.

Some people have that ability.

They have influence.

One thing has the ability to alter or impel another to do, think,

feel or commit to a certain mode or belief.

The influence is a persuasive thing.

So I think when we talk about persuasive,

we are talking about a person who has influence in some way.

And as I said, the thing is influence as a noun,

you can also influence other people as a verb.

Quite often a person with power has influence

and they can influence other people around them.

Even though it seems like a very simple word, it actually affects many parts of our lives.

One thing can have an influence on another thing.

A powerful person might  have influence over others.

The influence is the thing, and as a verb,

it is the action of persuading  or using one's influence.

So in that sense, in that situation, you are changing something.

You are making something change because of your own power or personality.

You have influence.

One thing can have an influence on something else.

A person might be described as influential.

That person has the ability to  persuade others to do things.

Here's an interesting phrase.

We often describe someone  with influence as having pull.

You have pull.

That means that you can get things done.

You can get things change.

You can help another person in a certain way because of your influence.

We often say that person has pull.

It's an interesting phrase  and it is used quite often.

Sometimes in business there is an advantage to knowing a person with influence,

and I think this is a very interesting area,

because if there's one thing  people complain about a lot,

it is influence being used to  get something for another person.

So there is an advantage to  knowing a person with influence.

That person might be a friend, a relative, or even a lover.

It is possible.

It is possible to get help  from an influential person 

if you need some sort of  help with a particular thing,

especially if that person is a friend, a relative, or a lover.

Perhaps it does happen, and it does happen a lot.

In any situation where there is a lot of power,

one person might ask for help from another person who has lots of power and influence.

A person with power and authority might be at risk

of being blackmailed or forced to give favours.

Someone might try to exploit that  influence for their own gain.

This situation is interesting and yes,

it does happen a lot in business  and also in politics as well.

And also, I suppose it's fair to say in other occupations, show business.

How often has someone become famous because their mother or father is also famous?

I'm sure you can think of somebody and right now

I'm sure straight away you will think of someone who appears to have become successful,

because maybe their parents  are also famous and successful.

It can happen.

Someone might try to exploit that influence in an evil way as well.

It is possible for that to happen.

Do you know anyone with influence?

Have you ever been helped by someone with authority and influence?

Maybe a person who you know, who... I don't know might be a manager of a company.

Or maybe they are in a situation where they can help you in some way.

They have influence, they have the power.

And maybe you ask them for help.

You want them to use their  influence to help you in some way.

One thing I do remember,

I do remember in China when I lived in China,

and I know what you're going to say,

Mr. Duncan. Everybody's talking  about China at the moment.

Well, I can talk about it very freely because I used to live there.

I spent a few years living in China, so I know what I'm talking about.

Influence and power is  incredibly valuable in China.

If you have power, if you  have a certain profession

or a certain position,

you can use that as something we call leverage.

It actually has value, just like money.

So yes, it does happen.

I've seen it happen.

I quite often saw influence being used all around me during my time in China.

But that, as they say, is a  conversation for another time.

So what about you?

Have you ever had help from anyone with influence?

Maybe something you wanted?

I can safely say that I've never really had help from anyone with influence directly.

However, once again, during my time in China,

I know that there were certain things that the owner of the school I was working at,

he wanted things.

He wanted to allow me to go to other schools and visit other places.

And because the owner of  my school was very wealthy,

he also had influence.

So so I was sometimes involved  but not directly involved.

There is an interesting word in English and this is what I'm finishing with today.

There is an interesting word in English nepotism.

Have you ever heard of that word before?

Nepotism? Mr. Duncan, I have to say I've never heard of that word.

Nepotism is a very interesting word.

It means the helping of  someone by a related person 

with power to get something they want,

maybe help a relative to get a job or some other benefit.

We often use the word nepotism.

It can happen in any situation where there is a person with some sort of power.

Maybe someone in your family wants a job and you are the boss of that company,

so you give that relative a favour.

You do that for them because they are a relative.

We describe this as nepotism.

It is often viewed as a negative thing.

Also in show business as well.  There is a lot of nepotism.

One person helps, another person in their family 

or in their family group  to get a certain position,

a certain job, or maybe a certain role in a movie.

Perhaps. Maybe.

So we do hear a lot about this  particular word, nepotism.

There is another word as  well that I haven't got here,

but it's a word that I should mention cronyism,

cronyism is when you give favours to people who do things for you.

So you have favourite people, favourite employees,

someone you like for a certain  reason and they like you.

Cronyism. It's almost like belonging to a club

or a group, and all of those  people will help each other.

I'm starting to sound like one  of those conspiracy theorists.

Trust me, I am not one of those people.

So nepotism, giving favours to family members.

And then we have cronyism,

which means giving favours to people who you like or you associate with.

Very interesting words

and that is it

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
influence /ˈɪnfluːəns/ B2	noun - the capacity to have an effect on the character or behavior of someone. verb - to affect the character or behavior of someone.
interesting /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/ A2	adjective - arousing curiosity or interest; holding or catching the attention.
situation /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/ A2	noun - a set of circumstances in which one finds oneself; a state of affairs.
possible /ˈpɒsəbl/ A2	adjective - capable of happening or being done.
person /ˈpɜːrsn/ A1	noun - a human being.
power /ˈpaʊər/ B1	noun - the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially the capacity to influence or direct the behavior of others.
ability /əˈbɪləti/ B1	noun - the power or skill to do something.
alter /ˈɔːltər/ B2	verb - change or modify.
persuasive /pərˈsweɪsɪv/ B2	adjective - good at persuading someone to do or believe something.
advantage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ B1	noun - a condition or circumstance that puts one in a favorable or advantageous position.
relative /ˈrelətɪv/ A2	noun - a person connected by blood or marriage.
authority /ɔːˈθɒrəti/ B2	noun - the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
blackmailed /blækmeɪld/ C1	verb - extort money from (someone) by threatening to reveal embarrassing or damaging information about them.
exploit /ɪkˈsplɔɪt/ B2	verb - make full use of a situation or resource to one's own advantage.
nepotism /ˈnepətɪzəm/ C1	noun - the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
cronyism /ˈkroʊnɪzəm/ C1	noun - the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without regard to their qualifications.
leverage /ˈlevərɪdʒ/ B2	noun - the power to influence people or events.