Two Scottish twins, with glasses and very strong accents, sing that they would walk five hundred miles for the person they love. And then five hundred more.
Learn from Songs · Unit 4: The future · B1
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
A joyful Scottish song about devotion: going to / gonna and will for the future, would for what you are willing to do (I would walk 500 miles), and time clauses (When I wake up, I’ll…), with Philo, and a very long walk to Canopus.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
A thousand miles? On foot?
SOPHIA
That’s the point. Love makes people do impossible things.
PHILO
Or at least promise them.
Before you listen: the song
Edinburgh, 1988
The Proclaimers are twin brothers from Scotland, Charlie and Craig Reid. They are famous for singing in their own strong Scottish accent, instead of copying American singers.
“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” appeared in 1988. It was a hit in Britain, and five years later it became a hit in America too, after it appeared in a Hollywood film. Today it’s sung at football matches, weddings and parties all over the world.
In the song, the singer tells the person he loves what he is going to do: when he wakes up, he will be the man who wakes up next to them; when he goes out, he will go out with them; when he earns money, he will spend it on them. And he would walk five hundred miles, and five hundred more, just to arrive at their door.
I would walk five hundred miles.
Listen: the plans
PHILO
Listen once. What will he do when he wakes up, when he goes out, when he works? How far would he walk?
SOPHIA
Listen to the Scottish accent: how do they say miles and more? Then answer Section A.
🥾 Listen to the song: “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” (Charlie and Craig Reid, The Proclaimers, 1988).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, The Proclaimers.Read the lyrics →
Going to and will
DEMETRIA
He’s going to be the man who wakes up next to you. He will go out with you.
SOPHIA
Both talk about the future. going to often sounds more certain or planned; will is a promise or a prediction. Spoken English often says gonna, and Scottish speakers sometimes say I’m gonnae!
Would: what you would do
MARCOS
He would walk five hundred miles. I would walk… maybe five.
SOPHIA
would + verb for what you are willing to do in an imagined situation: I would do anything for you. I would never leave you. Short form: I’d.
Time clauses: when, as soon as
PHILO
When I wake up, I’ll… When I go out, I’ll…
SOPHIA
After when, as soon as, before, after, until about the future, use the present simple, not will: When I arrive, I’ll call you (not When I will arrive).
Sophia’s comparison: journeys for love
SOPHIA
Orpheus went all the way down to the underworld to bring back Eurydice. That is further than five hundred miles.
PHILO
And Jacob worked fourteen years for Rachel, and the Torah says they seemed to him only a few days, because he loved her.
DEMETRIA
Fourteen years, five hundred miles… Love is very bad at mathematics.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| going to / gonna | plans and certain predictions | I’m going to be there. |
| will / ’ll | promises and predictions | I’ll go with you. |
| would / ’d + verb | what you are willing to do (imagined) | I would walk 500 miles. |
| when / as soon as + present simple | time clauses about the future | When I wake up, I’ll call you. |
| I’d do anything for you | would for devotion | I’d never leave. |
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 are The Proclaimers from?
2. What is special about how they sing?
3. How far would he walk?
4. Why would he walk so far?
5. How does the song sound?
6. Where do people often sing it today?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. When I wake up, I be with you. (will)
8. He’s to be the man next to you. (going)
9. I walk 500 miles for you. (willing)
10. When I , I’ll call you. (arrive)
11. As soon as I get paid, I’ll you dinner. (buy)
12. “Gonna” means to.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “When I will arrive, I’ll call you.”
14. “I would do anything for you.”
15. “She’s going be a doctor.”
16. “As soon as he gets home, he’ll cook dinner.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
How far would you go? In pairs: How far would you walk for your best friend? What would you do for your family? What would you never do?
Discuss. 1. Why do you think this song is so popular at parties and football matches? 2. Is it good to sing in your own accent? 3. What is the longest journey you have made?
Write (80–100 words). When I…, I’ll… Write about your future: when you finish school, when you get your first job, when you are 30. Use time clauses and will / going to, and finish with one thing you would do for someone you love.
Now play the gamebook: Philo walks twenty miles to Canopus.Play the gamebook →