– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

It's October 1599. Shakespeare has finished writing his history play Julius Caesar, and

is visiting a fair in his home town of Stratford, with his daughter. She has just had her fortune told...

Now, dear daughter, what did Old Mother Howard say? What does the future hold for us, I wonder?

Oh father, Mother Howard talked a lot, but she had such a strange accent - I couldn't

understand a word she said!

You're just like Casca in my play Julius Caesar.

Casca? He's one of the men that kills Caesar, the Roman general! How can you say that, father?

I'm not a murderer!!!

Dear daughter... Casca was in a group of people who were listening to the great Roman speaker, Cicero.

But Cicero was speaking Greek, so Casca couldn't understand him.

Oh! why was Cicero speaking Greek?

That's what educated people spoke in Roman times. Casca says that some of the people

listening to Cicero could actually understand him. Here are the lines: Those that understood

him smiled at one another...

Those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for

mine own part, it was Greek to me.

So Casca had no idea what Cicero was talking about. Just like me and Mother Howard!

We'll leave them there for now.

I'll never understand the rules of cricket: out for a duck, silly mid-off, googlies...

it's all Greek to me!

Now tell me, daughter, did you understand anything Old Mother Howard said?

Yes! She talked about you, father. She said that you're going to be the most famous Englishman

of all time! ...but I think she was making it up.

Oh no, no, no! I'm sure she's absolutely right about that! She's obviously a very gifted woman.

What shall we look at now, daughter?

Can we go to the gold stall father? Pleeeeeease???

I didn't need a fortune teller to predict that! To gold, or not to gold: that is the question.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
finished /ˈfɪnɪʃt/ B2	verb - to bring to an end; to complete.
fortune /ˈfɔːrtʃuːn/ B1	noun - luck or fate.
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ A2	verb - to perceive the intended meaning of words, a language, or a speaker.
murderer /ˈmɜːrdərər/ B2	noun - a person who commits murder.
listening /ˈlɪsnɪŋ/ A2	verb - to give one's attention to a sound.
educated /ˈedʒʊkeɪtɪd/ B1	adjective - having received an education.
actually /ˈæktʃuəli/ B1	adverb - in fact; really.
predict /prɪˈdɪkt/ B2	verb - to say or estimate that a specified thing will happen in the future.
gifted /ˈɡɪftɪd/ B2	adjective - having exceptional talent or natural ability.
stall /stɔːl/ A2	noun - a booth or stand for selling goods.
predict /prɪˈdɪkt/ B2	verb - to say or estimate that a specified thing will happen in the future.
famous /ˈfeɪməs/ B1	adjective - known and regarded with high opinion.
absolutely /ˈæbsəluːtli/ B1	adverb - completely; totally.
question /ˈkwɛstʃən/ A2	noun - a sentence worded or expressed to elicit information.
cricket /ˈkrɪkɪt/ B1	noun - a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players.
rules /ruːlz/ A2	noun - a set of principles governing conduct.

Key Grammar Structures

• Now, dear daughter, what did Old Mother Howard say? What does the future hold for us, I wonder?

  ➔ Indirect Question

  ➔ The sentence uses 'what did...say?' and 'what does...hold?' which are indirect questions embedded within a statement. Notice the change in word order compared to direct questions.

• You're just like Casca in my play Julius Caesar.

  ➔ Simile with 'like'

  ➔ The sentence establishes a comparison between the daughter and the character Casca using the preposition 'like'. This is a common way to form similes.

• I'm not a murderer!!!

  ➔ Emphatic Negative

  ➔ The use of multiple exclamation marks ('!!!') and the strong denial ('I'm not...') emphasizes the speaker's protest and disbelief.

• Casca? He's one of the men that kills Caesar, the Roman general!

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'that'

  ➔ The phrase 'that kills Caesar' is a defining relative clause modifying 'the men'. It provides essential information about which men are being referred to.

• Oh! why was Cicero speaking Greek?

  ➔ Past Continuous Tense

  ➔ "was speaking" indicates an action in progress at a specific time in the past. It describes an ongoing activity.

• I'll never understand the rules of cricket: out for a duck, silly mid-off, googlies... it's all Greek to me!

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ The phrase 'it's all Greek to me' is an idiom meaning something is incomprehensible. It doesn't literally mean the speaker is hearing Greek.