Tonight’s singer describes herself in a very strange way: everything she says, she says the opposite next.
Learn from Songs · Unit 1: Present time · A2–B1
Hand in My Pocket
A list of contradictions that adds up to a happy person: I’m… but I’m…, the present simple and continuous side by side, have got, and one… the other…, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
That sounds like Philo deciding what to eat.
SOPHIA
She is poor but kind, sad but laughing, lost but hopeful. And in the end, she says, everything is going to be fine.
DEMETRIA
I like her already.
Before you listen: the song
Ottawa and Los Angeles, 1995
Alanis Morissette is from Ottawa, Canada. As a teenager she made pop records in Canada, but in 1995, at twenty-one, she released Jagged Little Pill, written with the producer Glen Ballard. It became one of the best-selling albums in history.
“Hand in My Pocket” was the second single from the album. The video is in black and white, filmed from the back of a car as she drives through a city parade.
In the song, she is young and poor, but she is happy. She is sad, but she’s laughing. She’s got one hand in her pocket, and the other one is doing something else. She doesn’t know everything, but she feels that everything is going to be fine.
You can be two things at once.
Listen: the contradictions
PHILO
Listen once. Write down three pairs of opposites. What does she say about the future?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
✋ Listen to the song: “Hand in My Pocket” (Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, 1995), sung by Alanis Morissette.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Hand in My Pocket”, Alanis Morissette.Read the lyrics →
I’m… but I’m…
DEMETRIA
I’m poor but I’m kind. I’m lost but I’m hopeful.
SOPHIA
to be + adjective, and but to join two opposite ideas: It’s small but it’s beautiful. Use a comma before but in longer sentences.
Simple and continuous together
MARCOS
I’m sad, but I’m laughing. I don’t know, but I’m learning.
SOPHIA
Present simple for how things are (states): I’m sad, I don’t know. Present continuous for what is happening now: I’m laughing, I’m learning.
Have got; one… the other…
PHILO
I’ve got one hand in my pocket, and the other one is waving.
SOPHIA
have got = have (possession). one… the other (one) for two things: I’ve got two brothers. One lives in Madrid, the other lives in Málaga.
Sophia’s comparison: Diogenes in his barrel
SOPHIA
The philosopher Diogenes lived in a big jar in Athens and owned almost nothing. When Alexander the Great asked what he could do for him, Diogenes answered: “Move a little. You’re standing in my sun.”
PHILO
And Proverbs says: better a dry piece of bread with peace than a house full of feasting with quarrels.
MARCOS
I’d still like the feast.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I’m… but I’m… | opposites with be | I’m poor but I’m kind. |
| present simple | states: how things are | I don’t know. |
| present continuous | what is happening now | I’m learning. |
| have got | possession | I’ve got one hand in my pocket. |
| one… the other (one) | two things | One hand is in my pocket, the other is waving. |
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 describe herself?
2. Where is one of her hands?
3. What does she feel about the future?
4. Where is Alanis Morissette from?
5. What is the album?
6. What is special about the video?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I’m poor I’m kind.
8. I’m sad, but I’m . (laugh)
9. I know, but I’m learning.
10. I’ve one hand in my pocket.
11. One hand is in my pocket, the one is waving.
12. She young, but she’s wise.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I’m poor but I’m happy.”
14. “I’m knowing nothing, but I learn.”
15. “One brother lives in Madrid, the another lives in Málaga.”
16. “I’ve got two cats.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Me in opposites. Write six sentences about yourself with but: I’m tired but I’m happy. I don’t understand everything, but I’m trying.
Discuss. 1. Can you be poor and happy? 2. Why do you think so many people loved this album? 3. Who is the most optimistic person you know?
Write (80–100 words). Hand in my pocket. Write a short poem or paragraph about yourself, full of opposites, ending with how you feel about the future.
Now play the gamebook: a poor, happy street singer and a stolen purse.Play the gamebook →