Tonight’s song is a phone call. A man is calling his girlfriend. She is somewhere noisy, and another man is sitting with her.
Learn from Songs · Unit 4: The future · B1
He’ll Have to Go
Jim Reeves’s velvet-voiced phone call: will have to for future obligation, will you…? for requests, shall I…? for offers and suggestions, and telephone phrasal verbs (hang up, speak up, hold on), with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
Oh no. What does he say?
SOPHIA
He asks her to come close to the phone, and he asks the music to play more quietly. Then he asks the big question: shall I hang up, or will you tell him he’ll have to go?
MARCOS
Good question.
Before you listen: the song
Nashville, 1959
Jim Reeves was a country singer from Texas who was nicknamed “Gentleman Jim” because of his soft, warm voice and his smart suits. He sang very close to the microphone, almost whispering, which was new at the time.
“He’ll Have to Go” was written by the husband and wife Joe and Audrey Allison. Jim Reeves recorded it in 1959, and in 1960 it was number one on the country chart for many weeks and number two on the pop chart. Jeanne Black quickly recorded an answer song, “He’ll Have to Stay”, from the girl’s side! Later the soul singer Solomon Burke recorded his own version.
In the song, the man is calling from far away. He asks her to put her lips close to the phone. He asks the man at the jukebox to turn the music down. Then he asks her to decide: shall he hang up, or will she tell the other man that he’ll have to go?
Some questions need a clear answer.
Listen: the phone call
PHILO
Listen once. Where is she? What does he ask her to do? What does he ask the man at the jukebox?
SOPHIA
Listen to how quietly he sings. Then answer Section A.
☎️ Listen to the song: “He’ll Have to Go” (Joe and Audrey Allison, 1959), sung by Jim Reeves.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “He’ll Have to Go”, Jim Reeves.Read the lyrics →
Will have to: future obligation
MARCOS
He’ll have to go. You’ll have to choose. We’ll have to wait and see.
SOPHIA
must has no future form, so we use will have to + infinitive: Tomorrow I’ll have to get up early. Negative: won’t have to = it won’t be necessary.
Will you…? Requests
DEMETRIA
Will you tell him to go? Will you speak a little louder? Would you turn the music down?
SOPHIA
Will you…? is a direct request; Would you…? / Could you…? are more polite. Would you mind + -ing? is the most polite: Would you mind closing the door?
Shall I…? Shall we…? Offers and suggestions
PHILO
Shall I hang up? Shall I call you back? Shall we meet tomorrow?
SOPHIA
Shall I…? offers to do something or asks what the other person wants. Shall we…? makes a suggestion. In American English, Should I…? is also common.
On the phone
MARCOS
Hold on, please. Can you speak up? I’ll call you back. Don’t hang up!
SOPHIA
hold on = wait; speak up = speak louder; call back = return a call; hang up = end the call; turn down the music = make it quieter.
Sophia’s comparison: Penelope’s suitors
SOPHIA
For twenty years Odysseus was away, and a hundred suitors sat in his house, eating his food and asking Penelope to marry them. When he came home, he didn’t telephone. But the message was the same: they’ll have to go.
PHILO
And the Song of Songs: My beloved is mine, and I am his. Some questions have only one good answer.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will have to + infinitive | future obligation | He’ll have to go. |
| won’t have to | no future obligation | You won’t have to wait. |
| Will you / Would you / Could you…? | requests | Will you tell him? |
| Shall I…? / Shall we…? | offers / suggestions | Shall I hang up? |
| hold on, speak up, call back, hang up | phone phrasal verbs | Don’t hang 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 is the man talking to his girlfriend?
2. Who is with her?
3. What does he ask about the music?
4. What is the big question?
5. Why was Jim Reeves called “Gentleman Jim”?
6. What was the answer song?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. He’ll have go.
8. Tomorrow I’ll to get up early.
9. I call you back? (offer)
10. you speak a little louder? (request)
11. Hold , please. I’ll get him.
12. Don’t hang ! I haven’t finished.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He will must go.”
14. “Shall I open the window?”
15. “Would you mind to turn the music down?”
16. “You won’t have to wait long.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Phone role-play. A calls B, but B is somewhere very noisy. Use hold on, speak up, call back, Shall I…?, Will you…? and at least one will have to.
Discuss. 1. Is it better to talk about something important on the phone or face to face? 2. Why do people write “answer songs”? 3. What will you have to do next week?
Write (100–120 words). Write the girl’s answer to the phone call, as a short letter. Use will have to, won’t have to, Shall I…? and Will you…?
Now play the gamebook: messages at the festival, and a question that needs an answer.Play the gamebook →