Tonight’s song was written on a railway platform in the north of England by a young American, very far from home.
Learn from Songs · Unit 7: Past habits and memories · B1
Homeward Bound
A song about being far from home: be used to + -ing (accustomed), get used to (becoming accustomed), and how they differ from used to + verb (past habits), plus I wish I was / were…, with Philo, sent to Rome for three months.
SOPHIA
PHILO
Homesick?
SOPHIA
Very homesick. Every town on his tour looked the same, and all he wanted was to go home.
MARCOS
I’d be homesick without my mother’s cooking.
Before you listen: the song
Widnes, England, 1965
In 1965, the young American singer Paul Simon was living in England, playing small folk clubs. One night, after a concert in the north, he was waiting for a train at Widnes station, missing his girlfriend Kathy, who was in London. He started writing this song on a scrap of paper. Today there is a plaque on the platform.
He recorded it with his school friend Art Garfunkel, and in 1966 it became one of Simon & Garfunkel’s first hits.
In the song, the singer describes the life of a travelling musician: another town, another stage, the same songs every night, people he doesn’t know. He isn’t used to it, and he can’t get used to it. He wishes he were going home, where someone is waiting for him.
Home is where someone is waiting.
Listen: far from home
PHILO
Listen once. Where is the singer? How does he feel about his life on tour? Where does he want to be?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
🚉 Listen to the song: “Homeward Bound” (Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, 1966).Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Homeward Bound”, Simon & Garfunkel.Read the lyrics →
Be used to: accustomed
DEMETRIA
Philo isn’t used to living in a noisy city. Romans are used to the noise.
SOPHIA
be used to + -ing / noun = it’s normal for you, you are accustomed: I’m used to getting up early. She’s used to the cold. Here to is a preposition, so it’s followed by -ing, not the base verb!
Get used to: becoming accustomed
MARCOS
He’ll get used to it. He’s getting used to eating porridge.
SOPHIA
get used to + -ing / noun = slowly become accustomed: It’s hard at first, but you’ll get used to it. I’m getting used to my new school.
Three different things!
PHILO
I used to walk by the sea. I’m used to walking. I’m getting used to walking in Rome.
SOPHIA
used to + base verb = a past habit (not now). be used to + -ing = accustomed (now). get used to + -ing = becoming accustomed. And I wish I were / was + place for a wish about now: I wish I were at home.
Sophia’s comparison: by the rivers of Babylon
PHILO
Our psalm: by the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
SOPHIA
And Odysseus, on Calypso’s beautiful island, where he could have lived for ever, sat every day on the shore, looking at the sea, longing for the smoke rising from the chimneys of Ithaca.
DEMETRIA
So being homesick is the oldest feeling in the world.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to + base verb | past habit, not now | I used to live in Rome. |
| be used to + -ing / noun | accustomed (normal for you) | I’m used to getting up early. |
| get used to + -ing / noun | becoming accustomed | You’ll get used to it. |
| I wish I were / was… | a wish about now | I wish I were at home. |
| homesick, on tour, homeward bound | vocabulary | He was homesick on tour. |
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 was the song written?
2. How does the singer feel?
3. What is his life like?
4. Where does he want to be?
5. What is “homeward bound”?
6. Who sings with Paul Simon?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I’m not used to up early. (get)
8. You’ll soon get used it.
9. I to walk by the sea every evening. (past habit)
10. He’s getting used to in Rome. (live)
11. I wish I at home now. (be)
12. Romans are used to the . (loud sound)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I’m used to get up early.”
14. “She used to live in Paris, but now she lives in Rome.”
15. “I can’t get used to drive on the left.”
16. “You’ll get used to the weather.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Getting used to it. Imagine you move to a new country. Tell your partner what you are used to, what you’re not used to, and what you think you’ll get used to.
Discuss. 1. Have you ever been homesick? When? 2. What helps when you’re far from home? 3. What is “home” for you: a place, or people?
Write (100–120 words). A letter from far away. Write home from a new city: what you used to do at home, what you’re not used to yet, and what you’re getting used to.
Now play the gamebook: Philo, homesick in Rome.Play the gamebook →