Tonight’s song asks a question that is as old as laws: why is the same thing legal for some people and illegal for others? Why does a poor man go to prison for something a rich man does openly?
Learn from Songs · Specials: Civil rights and hardship · B1–B2
Legal Illegal
Ewan MacColl’s sharp song about fairness and the law, as sung by Frances Black: negative prefixes (il-, im-, in-, ir-, un-, dis-), it’s legal / illegal to…, allowed to / not allowed to, and how to argue about fairness, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
Is that true?
SOPHIA
That’s what the song says, and what we will discuss, fairly. It’s also a perfect lesson in opposites: legal, illegal; fair, unfair; honest, dishonest.
MARCOS
I like opposites. I’m the opposite of tidy.
Before you listen: the song
London, 1978, and Dublin, 1990s
Ewan MacColl (1915–1989), born in Salford in England to Scottish parents, was one of the great figures of the British folk revival. He wrote “Dirty Old Town” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, and many songs about working people. He recorded “Legal Illegal” with his wife, the American singer Peggy Seeger, on their album Hot Blast (1978).
Frances Black, from a famous Dublin musical family, became one of Ireland’s best-loved singers in the 1990s. She is especially known for her version of “Legal Illegal”. In 2016 she was elected to the Irish Senate.
In the song, the singer lists things that are legal when the powerful do them, and illegal when ordinary people do them. The song asks the listener: who makes the laws, and who do they protect?
A fair law is the same for everyone.
Listen: legal or illegal?
PHILO
Listen once. What things are legal, and for whom? What is the song’s question?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
⚖️ Listen to the song: “Legal Illegal” (Ewan MacColl, 1978), sung by Frances Black.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Legal Illegal”, Frances Black.Read the lyrics →
Negative prefixes
MARCOS
illegal, impossible, incorrect, irregular, unfair, dishonest.
SOPHIA
il- before l (illegal, illogical); im- before m and p (immoral, impolite); ir- before r (irresponsible); in-, un-, dis- elsewhere (learn them with the word): inexpensive, unhappy, dishonest, disagree.
It’s legal / illegal to…
DEMETRIA
It’s illegal to steal. It’s legal to fish here. It’s against the law to drive without a licence.
SOPHIA
It’s + adjective + to + infinitive: It’s dangerous to swim here. It’s polite to say thank you. against the law = illegal.
Allowed to, not allowed to
PHILO
You are allowed to fish here. You aren’t allowed to camp. Were they allowed to vote?
SOPHIA
be allowed to + infinitive = have permission. Past: was / were allowed to. let + person + infinitive: They let the rich man go.
Sophia’s comparison: Naboth’s vineyard and Solon
PHILO
King Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth said no: it was his family’s land. So Queen Jezebel arranged false witnesses, and Naboth was killed “legally”. And the prophet Elijah met Ahab in the vineyard and said: have you murdered and also taken possession?
SOPHIA
And the Scythian Anacharsis told Solon that laws are like spiders’ webs: they catch the weak and the poor, but the rich and powerful break through them. Solon answered that people keep agreements when both sides gain by keeping them.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il- / im- / ir- / in- / un- / dis- | negative prefixes | illegal, impossible, unfair |
| It’s + adjective + to… | general statements | It’s illegal to steal. |
| against the law | illegal | It’s against the law. |
| be allowed to / not allowed to | permission | You aren’t allowed to camp here. |
| let + person + infinitive | give permission | They let him go. |
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. What is the song about?
2. Who wrote the song?
3. Which famous songs did he also write?
4. Who did he record it with?
5. Where is Frances Black from?
6. What happened to Frances Black in 2016?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. Stealing is . (not legal)
8. That’s ! You can’t do that. (not possible)
9. It’s to drive without a licence. (against the law)
10. You aren’t to camp here.
11. They the rich man go. (permitted)
12. He’s so . He never tells the truth. (not honest)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “That’s unlegal.”
14. “It’s polite to say thank you.”
15. “They didn’t let him to leave.”
16. “We weren’t allowed to talk.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Opposites race. In teams, make the opposite of: possible, legal, responsible, honest, fair, correct, polite, regular, agree, kind. The fastest correct team wins.
Discuss (fairly). 1. Is the law really the same for everyone? Give examples on both sides. 2. What makes a law fair? 3. Should a song criticise the law, or should people change it through voting?
Write (120–150 words). A fair law. Invent a new law for your town. Explain who is allowed to do what, and why it is fair. Use it’s… to, allowed to, let and three negative prefixes.
Now play the gamebook: a poor woman fined, and a rich man who wasn’t.Play the gamebook →