– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

There's an English proverb that goes, "When  the cat's away, the mice will play." When  

the cat's away, the mice will play. Do you  know this one? Have you heard it before? It  

simply means that when an authority figure, or  someone who enforces the rules, isn't around,  

then people will often break the rules and do what  they like and have fun. Think about a boss who's  

away on a business trip. Maybe the employees won't  work as hard when the boss isn't around. Or when a  

teacher leaves the classroom, then maybe students  are more likely to have some fun and play some  

games and not really study hard in the classroom.  That's what this proverb is all about. And today,  

in this episode, I'm gonna tell you a story  that's a little bit, at least a little bit,  

related to this proverb, "When the cat's away, the  mice will play." So we'll get started with that  

story in just a second. But before we do, let me  introduce myself. My name is Andrew. I'm the host  

of the Culips English Podcast, and this is bonus  episode number 161. Here in the bonus episode  

series, what I do is I tell you some stories from  my everyday life. I'm a Canadian guy, but I live  

abroad in Seoul, South Korea, and I hope that by  listening to these stories you will be able to  

improve your fluency. That's what I'm here to help  you do and help you achieve. So, if you want to be  

a better and clearer and more confident English  speaker, then I think you're in the right place.  

To accompany each and every episode, there's a  100% free, no strings attached at all interactive  

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a huge thank you, massive thank you, to all of  our members out there. Guys, we really couldn't  

do Culips without your support, so thank you so  much. And now let's get started with this week's  

story. When the cat's away, the mice will play.  So how does my story relate to this proverb? Well,  

I don't really think that my wife is the authority  figure in my home. I don't really think she's the  

boss, but she is away for the weekend, and that  means I'm alone for the weekend here at my house.  

My wife went on a trip with her mom and they  went to Fukuoka in Japan and they're gonna have  

a mother-daughter away time for the weekend, which  is awesome. I gotta say I'm a little jealous. I  

wish I could go on that trip as well. It sounds  like they've got some really cool activities  

planned. But that means I'm on my own and alone  for the weekend for the first time in a long  

time. I can't even remember the last time I was  on my own for a full weekend at home. Of course,  

I've been on trips myself and my wife has been  in this situation where she was home alone, but I  

think this is the first time that I've been home  alone for a full weekend without my wife, maybe  

since we've been married. It's been, yeah, a long  time. So it's a little different, and she's away,  

and so I'm here and I'm allowed to play. I was  thinking that this could be a cool topic for me,  

to talk about what I'm gonna do different while  my wife is away. And I had this idea and I thought  

it connected to the English proverb that I wanted  to introduce to you and teach you about. But then  

I was actually brainstorming and making a little  list of the things that I was gonna do different  

now that I have all the freedom in the world, like  I'm totally by myself. I can live like a bachelor  

again if I want to, here at home for this weekend,  and nobody's gonna say anything. Nobody can stop  

me. However, when I was doing the brainstorming  and putting together my little list, I really  

didn't think of anything else that I wanted to do  too differently alone this weekend than I would  

if my wife were normally here. So, I guess that's  a good thing. I think that means that we have a  

strong relationship and we really see eye to eye  on most things. "See eye to eye" is an idiomatic  

expression that means that you agree on things  and you see things the same way. And I think  

my wife and I have a pretty healthy relationship  because we're really perfectly aligned on almost  

everything. We see eye to eye, we have similar  tastes and preferences, and although our habits  

and our lifestyles, of course, are different,  we're different people, but we really do align  

on so many things so well, and so I think that's  why we have a good relationship. But nonetheless  

I did some brainstorming and I made a short list.  Three things. I could only think of three things  

that I'm gonna do differently this weekend when  I go nuts while my wife's out of town. And so,  

let's get to the list. I'll talk to you about  them here now. So, let's see. Where should we  

start? OK, I'll start with number one because  maybe this is the one that, yeah, I guess is  

maybe where my wife and I don't see eye to eye all  the time. And frankly, I don't think anybody would  

see eye to eye on this all the time. It is about  music. And music taste and music preferences are  

so different from person to person to person, and  that's fine. That's totally cool. People can like  

whatever they like. I tend to be one of these  people who has, I think, pretty varied music  

taste. I like lots of different genres and I like  listening to lots of different styles of music.  

And to be honest with you, my wife and I really  do like a lot of the same styles of music. We  

really enjoy listening to music together. We enjoy  going to record stores together, and she's very  

open-minded about the music that I like to play as  well. I think she would probably say that I listen  

to a bit more music than she does. The different  styles and genres that I listen to, there's maybe  

a wider variety than what she likes to listen to.  However, we really do agree on so many different  

styles. However, there is some music that I like  to listen to that I just don't think is maybe too  

enjoyable to listen to for many people. So I  want to call this kind of music quote unquote,  

"difficult music." This includes genres like maybe  drone music or IDM electronic music that can be  

very glitchy and mechanical sounding, electric  sounding. I like some styles of heavy music with  

very heavy guitars and drums. Think metal or death  metal. I'm not, like, huge fans of these genres,  

but from time to time I do enjoy listening  to them. Rap is another genre that I like,  

hip hop, maybe some gangster rap even. And some  of these genres my wife will enjoy as well,  

but others, it's not that she tells me not to  play it, but at the same time, I feel almost  

guilty about listening to them because I think  you really have to be in the right mindset and  

the right mood to listen to them. So, like I said,  these are not my go-to genres that I'm a really  

big fan of all the time, but I go through phases  with my music listening. And sometimes I get into,  

like, a zone where I'll really listen to a  lot of, like, really heavy music for a week or  

two and then I don't listen to it anymore. And  usually when I go through one of these phases,  

it's totally fine because I can just listen with  my headphones. I can listen to music when I'm  

going on the subway or the bus or walking around,  walking the dog, even in the home, and yeah,  

it's amazing these days. You know, we have AirPods  and Bluetooth headphones and we can just listen  

to whatever we want and we don't bother anyone.  However, I've got a pretty sweet stereo setup. I  

got some nice speakers, and from time to time I do  like to turn up the volume a little bit and really  

get the full experience of listening to the music.  I wouldn't say loudly, but at a good volume,  

and really just getting the most out of it and  enjoying my stereo that way, which, like I said,  

sometimes I can feel just a little bit guilty  about if the music is, like I said, quote unquote  

“difficult music.” So these days I've been  listening to some drone music by this artist  

named Kali Malone, and it's like, it's actually  very beautiful music, but she makes it just on,  

I believe, a pipe organ, this record that I've  been listening to. And if you're into this style  

of music and you want to know more, just send me  a DM or leave a comment on our Discord community  

and I can send you some YouTube links so you can  check this out for yourself as well. But she makes  

this really amazing, beautiful, drony music with  pipe organs, and so the music is just like long  

sustained chords and with slight changes.  And I'm not the person that can really talk  

elegantly about music, so I apologize for that.  However, although it is beautiful, I think it's  

very hypnotic and almost meditative, and when you  start listening to it, you really have to be in  

the right mindset to interact with the music in a  certain way. You have to be in a mindset to listen  

to it really carefully. And I could imagine if my  wife were listening to this style of music and I  

was just trying to get some work done around the  house or do the dishes or something, I'd be like,  

“Ah, can we change it to something different?”  Like, it's not really that household chore  

soundtrack that you want to listen to. It's more  something that you have to sit down and listen  

to carefully. And so I've been enjoying this music  while I've been out on walks. I think it's because  

the seasons are changing, and when the seasons  change, then I start, yeah, my music taste changes  

with the seasons and this sort of dark, eerie,  beautiful, drony organ music seems to be a great  

fit for the fall. So, I've been listening to it  in my headphones for the last week or two. But  

now that my wife is out of town, I'm gonna play it  loudly through my stereo and enjoy the full beauty  

of that pipe organ, and maybe some other music as  well. The musician that I mentioned, Kali Malone,  

she's actually married to a famous guitarist  who has this band called Sunn O))), and he  

makes similar music. Interestingly enough, maybe  this is why they're together because he makes like  

similar drony style music, but it's with a very  heavy, distorted guitar. And so I also wanted  

to listen to his band, Sunn O))). They're called  Sunn O))). I've been like kind of in this drony  

heavy music phase the last couple of weeks.  So I'm gonna pump up the volume on my stereo  

while my wife's away and enjoy listening to some  music. And yeah, looking forward to doing that.  

So that is the number one thing. The number two  thing, what did I write? Ah, I also want to watch  

a movie while my wife is away. I love watching  movies. Unfortunately, I don't watch them too  

often just because they take up a lot of time,  and it's really hard to watch a movie these days.  

I feel like, I don't know. For whatever reason, I  do it less and less and less than I used to. Maybe  

it's just I have less time in my life, or maybe  it's just that my attention span isn't what it  

used to be. I'm not sure, but I find it harder to  watch films than ever before. But I really feel,  

again, maybe it's now that the season is changing  and it's the fall. I feel like watching a movie  

and this is a great time to do it while I have  the place to myself. Because when I watch movies,  

I really try to recreate the theater experience  as best as I can. And when I say recreate the  

theater experience, what I mean is have like a  dark room, only the TV on, and have the sound  

a little bit louder, or sometimes I even wear my  Bluetooth headphones so I can get like a fuller  

sound experience and I can hear the dialogue  clearly. Because for whatever reason these days,  

I find it hard to hear the dialogue and the spoken  words in films. I don't know if that's just me or  

if that's a thing that everybody experiences,  I'm not sure. But when I wear my headphones and  

then watch films or movies or TV, it's easier for  me to hear, especially if I'm doing it in Korean,  

my second language, which I'll probably try  and watch a Korean movie tonight as well. So,  

I'm looking forward to doing that. And like I  said, recreating a theater experience is going  

to be totally possible because when my wife and  I watch TV or the movies, she likes to have a  

little light on in the room. She doesn't like to  have it pitch black. I'm the opposite. I want to  

be as immersed in the film or as immersed in the  TV show as I can, and having other distractions  

around like doesn't work for me. I like to have  it dark and like I'm in a movie theater as much  

as possible, like I said. So, I don't have to  compromise on this this weekend. I can just  

turn off the lights and enjoy the film. My wife  says it's not great for your eyes. I don't care.  

I'm not gonna do it forever. I'm just gonna do it  for the one time while she's away. And so yeah,  

I'm looking forward to watching a movie with the  lights off tonight or maybe tomorrow night before  

she gets back, anyways. I'm not sure when I'll do  it and I'm not sure what I'll watch. If you have  

a good movie recommendation, something that you've  seen recently that you think I would enjoy, again,  

drop me a comment on our Discord community, and  I would love to hear about your recommendations.  

OK, let's get to the third and final thing on my  list, which is something that I'm excited about  

for tonight, and that is sleeping alone in my bed.  Sleeping alone in my bed. I know it sounds crazy  

that I'm looking forward to this. But my absolute  favorite sleeping position is the starfish  

position. I don't know, for whatever reason, when  I starfish in the bed, I can sleep just so much  

better and so much more deeply and so much more  comfortably than I can when I have to sleep on my  

side or on my back or on my stomach, any other  position which requires me to be more like in  

a pencil shape rather than a starfish shape. So,  I usually don't get to starfish on the bed very  

often. Maybe if I take a nap, but I haven't even  been taking too many naps lately, so it doesn't  

really happen very often. But now that my wife's  away, that means the bed's all mine. So I'm gonna  

starfish away tonight and for the next two nights  while she's away. And I'm really looking forward  

to it. I think as I get older, I'm starting to  prioritize sleep more than anything in my life.  

I feel like for me, and probably for most people,  but I've really noticed for me, I feel like sleep  

is the cheat code for doing almost everything well  in my life. Like it's more important, I think,  

than exercising or eating well. Sleep is like the  number one thing that I can do to make myself feel  

good. And then as a result, when you feel good  and you're rested, then I can be successful at  

the other things that I want to do well in life.  So, I've been prioritizing sleep more and more and  

more and just trying to go to bed early. Like,  put myself in a situation where I'm sleeping  

earlier and then waking up later as well so that  I can maximize the sleep. And you know, I used  

to be for the last like, well, through my 30s, I  was really always trying to like, OK, gotta wake  

up early and get the day started and grind and do  the things that you need to do. And now I'm like,  

if I can push it back 15-30 minutes and get some  extra sleep, that's just gonna result in, like,  

me feeling better and being more productive in  the day. So, huge focus on sleep these days in  

my life, trying to get as much of it as I can  so that my hours where I am awake are enjoyable  

and productive and less stressful. All of that  starts with a good night's sleep. And so, yeah,  

I'm definitely, definitely gonna get some good  night's sleep here while I can starfish in my  

favorite sleeping position while my wife is away.  That is the wild and crazy bachelor weekend that  

I've got myself planned while my wife is away.  I'm gonna pump up the organ music, I'm going to  

watch a movie in the dark, and I'm going to sleep  in the starfish position in my bed for the next  

three days until my wife and my mother-in-law  return from Japan. So, I guess that'll bring me  

to the end of this week's story. I'm curious about  you. I know that some of our listeners definitely  

are in relationships with your partner or husband  or wife or whatever. And maybe from time to time  

you get to spend some time alone. And yeah,  it's just like a different kind of situation,  

right? Being alone, and I guess I imagine I  don't have children, so I could imagine that  

if you were alone after living with your partner  and children, and then you had some time alone,  

that would be a massive change, probably a  real big break from your routine. For me, it's  

not quite that big, but if you ever find yourself  alone for some time, like I am alone this weekend,  

let me know what you like to do. How do you like  to go crazy? How do you like to play when the cat  

is away? I'll be waiting for your comments on our  Discord and I'm looking forward to hearing what  

you have to say. So that's gonna be it for this  week's story, everyone. Pat yourself on the back,  

OK? You did a good job doing some English  listening today. And keep going, don't forget  

we've got hundreds of other episodes over on our  website, Culips.com, to help you with your English  

learning journey. And please check those out.  And also don't forget about the Culips classes  

upcoming this week. We've got three of them and  we'd love to have you join us there. Just click  

the link in the description to see the schedule.  And yeah, we'll see you in the classes. Guys, have  

a great week. Please take care, and I'll catch  you in the next episode. Until then, bye-bye.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
proverb /ˈprɒv.ərb/ B2	noun - a short, popular saying, usually with some advice
authority /əˈθɒr.ɪ.ti/ B2	noun - the power or right to give orders and make decisions
employees /ɪmˈplɔɪ.iːz/ A2	noun - people who work for a company or organization
classroom /ˈklæs.ruːm/ A1	noun - a room where students are taught
episode /ˈep.ɪ.soʊd/ B1	noun - a part of a series of broadcasts or podcasts
fluency /ˈfluː.ən.si/ B2	noun - the ability to speak a language easily and well
confident /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dənt/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing that you are sure about your abilities
interactive /ˌɪn.təˈæk.tɪv/ B2	adjective - allowing two-way communication between a person and a computer or other system
transcript /ˈtræns.krɪpt/ B2	noun - a written copy of something that has been spoken
vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jʊ.lər.i/ B1	noun - all the words that a person knows or uses
abroad /əˈbrɔːd/ A2	adverb - in a foreign country
fluent /ˈfluː.ənt/ B2	adjective - able to speak a language easily and well
achieve /əˈtʃiːv/ B1	verb - to successfully reach a desired objective or result
speaker /ˈspiː.kər/ A2	noun - a person who speaks a language
compromise /ˈkɒm.prə.maɪz/ B2	verb - to reach an agreement where each person gives up something
prioritize /praɪˈɒr.ɪ.taɪz/ B2	verb - to decide which things should be given most attention

Key Grammar Structures

• There's an English proverb that goes, "When the cat's away, the mice will play."

  ➔ Indirect Speech/Reported Speech

  ➔ The phrase "that goes" introduces a reported proverb. The entire proverb is presented as something someone *said*, not a direct quote. Note the shift in tense is not necessary here as it's a general proverb.

• Think about a boss who's away on a business trip.

  ➔ Relative Clause (Reduced)

  ➔ The phrase "who's away on a business trip" is a reduced relative clause modifying 'boss'. The full clause would be "who is away...", but 'who is' is often omitted for conciseness.

• My wife went on a trip with her mom and they're gonna have a mother-daughter away time for the weekend.

  ➔ Future with 'gonna'

  ➔ "gonna" is a colloquial contraction of "going to" used to express future intention. It's very common in spoken English.

• I think that means that we have a strong relationship and we really see eye to eye on most things.

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression ('see eye to eye')

  ➔ "See eye to eye" is an idiom meaning to agree with someone. It's a figurative way of saying that you share the same perspective.