Tonight, a story about the meanest man in town. And about what happens when you are a little too proud.
Learn from Songs · Unit 5: Comparatives and superlatives · B1
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
A funny story song about a man who was too proud: the past simple to tell a story, and comparatives and superlatives (taller than, the biggest, as strong as, bad – worse – the worst), with Marcos, and a bully in the market of Alexandria.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
I like him already.
DEMETRIA
You like everybody who fights.
SOPHIA
Listen first. Then decide if you like him.
Before you listen: the song
USA, 1973
Jim Croce was an American singer and songwriter who told stories in his songs. He said he based Leroy Brown on a man he knew in the army: a big, tough soldier who disappeared one day, and came back a month later only to collect his pay.
In the song, Leroy Brown was the tallest, toughest and most dangerous man on the South Side of Chicago. He had fancy clothes, diamond rings and expensive cars, and everybody was afraid of him. The singer compares him to a giant gorilla and a fierce dog: he was worse than both of them.
Then, one Friday night, Leroy met a pretty woman called Doris in a bar. Unfortunately for Leroy, her husband was even bigger and angrier than he was. When the fight finished, Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle with some pieces missing.
The song went to number one in the USA in July 1973. Sadly, Jim Croce died in a plane crash only two months later, at the age of thirty.
There’s always somebody bigger.
Listen: the story
PHILO
Listen once. Who was Leroy Brown? What did he have? What happened on Friday night?
SOPHIA
Then listen again for the comparisons: he was “more” and “-er” than everything. Answer Section A.
💪 Listen to the song: “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” (Jim Croce, 1973).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, Jim Croce.Read the lyrics →
Comparatives and superlatives
MARCOS
Leroy was taller than everyone. He was the biggest, the meanest, the most dangerous man in town!
SOPHIA
Short adjectives: tall → taller → the tallest; big → bigger → the biggest (double the consonant). Long adjectives: dangerous → more dangerous → the most dangerous. Irregular: good → better → the best, bad → worse → the worst.
“Baddest”?
DEMETRIA
But the song says “the baddest man”. Is that wrong?
SOPHIA
In standard English, yes: it’s the worst. But “baddest” is American slang, and in slang it means the toughest, the coolest. Songs often break the rules. You shouldn’t, in your exams!
As… as and comparisons
PHILO
He was as strong as an ox. He was meaner than a dog.
SOPHIA
as + adjective + as (equal); not as… as (less). And English loves comparing people with animals: as brave as a lion, as quiet as a mouse, as stubborn as a mule.
Sophia’s comparison: pride comes before a fall
SOPHIA
The Greeks had a word for Leroy’s problem: hubris, the pride that makes people think they can’t be beaten. And in the stories, the gods always punish it.
PHILO
And our Proverbs say: pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
MARCOS
So Leroy Brown is a Greek tragedy. With diamond rings.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -er / the -est | short adjectives | tall → taller → the tallest |
| more / the most | long adjectives | the most dangerous man |
| better, worse; the best, the worst | irregular adjectives | He was worse than a dog. |
| as… as / not as… as | equal / less | as strong as an ox |
| past simple | telling the story | He met Doris in a bar. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. Where did Leroy Brown live?
2. What was he like?
3. What did he have?
4. Who did he meet in the bar?
5. Why was that a problem?
6. What is the message of the song?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. Leroy was than everybody. (tall)
8. He was man in town. (big)
9. He was dangerous than a gorilla.
10. In standard English, the opposite of “the best” is “the ”.
11. He was as strong an ox.
12. He Doris on a Friday night. (meet)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He was more tall than his brother.”
14. “She is the most intelligent girl in the class.”
15. “This is the worse day of my life.”
16. “My brother isn’t as tall as me.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Describe a character. Invent the toughest, richest or funniest person in your town, using at least five comparatives and superlatives.
Discuss. 1. Why do people admire tough, proud characters in songs and films? 2. Is it bad to be proud? 3. Do you know a story where pride comes before a fall?
Write (80–120 words). The proudest person I ever met. A true or invented story in the past simple, with comparatives and superlatives.
Now play the gamebook: Marcos and the biggest bully in the market.Play the gamebook →