Tonight’s singer is confused. Day after day, the world makes less sense to him. So what does he do?
Learn from Songs · Unit 7: Past habits and memories · B1–B2
Drift Away
A soul song about music as an escape when life is confusing: used to vs be used to vs get used to (I used to…, I’m used to…, I’m getting used to…), and verb + -ing after prepositions, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
He goes running.
SOPHIA
He asks for music. He wants the band to play, so he can drift away with the rock and roll. Music frees his soul.
PHILO
Like David playing the harp for King Saul.
Before you listen: the song
Nashville and Los Angeles, 1973
The song was written by Mentor Williams, a songwriter and producer. Dobie Gray, a soul singer from Texas, recorded it in Nashville in 1973, and it became the biggest hit of his life, reaching number five in America.
The song has been recorded by many other artists, from Rod Stewart to Uncle Kracker, whose version (with Dobie Gray himself) was a hit again in 2003, thirty years later.
In the song, the singer is confused and tired. He is getting older, and he isn’t used to the way the world is changing. When the music starts, he can drift away, and his soul feels free.
What frees your soul?
Listen: the music
PHILO
Listen once. How does he feel at the start? What does he ask for? What happens to him when the music plays?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
🎶 Listen to the song: “Drift Away” (Mentor Williams, 1972), sung by Dobie Gray.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Drift Away”, Dobie Gray.Read the lyrics →
Used to: the past
MARCOS
I used to understand the world. (Not any more.)
SOPHIA
used to + verb = a past habit or state that has stopped: I used to live in Cairo.
Be used to: familiar
DEMETRIA
I’m used to working late. I’m not used to the noise of the city.
SOPHIA
be used to + noun / verb-ing = it is normal and familiar for me: She’s used to the cold. He isn’t used to getting up early. Careful: -ing, not the infinitive.
Get used to: becoming familiar
PHILO
I’m getting used to the new library. You’ll get used to it.
SOPHIA
get used to + noun / verb-ing = the process of becoming familiar: It took me a year to get used to living in Alexandria.
Sophia’s comparison: David and Orpheus
PHILO
When King Saul was troubled, David played the harp for him, and Saul felt better, and the dark spirit left him.
SOPHIA
And Orpheus played so beautifully that trees moved and rivers stopped to listen, and even the dead in Hades wept.
DEMETRIA
So music has always helped people drift away.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to + verb | past habits that stopped | I used to understand the world. |
| be used to + noun / -ing | familiar, normal for me | I’m used to working late. |
| get used to + noun / -ing | becoming familiar | I’m getting used to the city. |
| not be used to | still strange | He isn’t used to the noise. |
| preposition + -ing | to is a preposition here | used to getting up (NOT used to get up) |
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. How does the singer feel at the start?
2. What does he ask for?
3. What does music do for him?
4. Who wrote the song?
5. Where was it recorded?
6. Who sang it again with Dobie Gray in 2003?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I to live in Cairo. (past)
8. She’s used to late. (work)
9. I’m getting used to in a big city. (live)
10. He isn’t to the noise.
11. You’ll used to it. Don’t worry!
12. Are you used to getting early? (up)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I’m used to get up early.”
14. “I used to live in Cairo.”
15. “She’s getting used to the new job.”
16. “He is used to work at night.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
New and old. Think of a change in your life (a new school, house, job, country). Tell a partner: I used to… Now I’m used to… I’m still getting used to…
Discuss. 1. What music do you listen to when you feel confused? 2. Why does music help us? 3. What is difficult to get used to when you move to a new place?
Write (120–150 words). Getting used to it. Write about a change you lived through. Use used to, be used to and get used to at least twice each.
Now play the gamebook: a lyre that has gone silent.Play the gamebook →