Tonight, a darker song. A boy asks his mother questions about the frightening world outside, and she promises to protect him from everything.
Learn from Songs · Unit 3: Questions · B1–B2
Mother
A haunting song of questions from a son to an over-protective mother: questions asking for advice (Should I…?), opinion questions (Do you think they will…?), and indirect questions (Can you tell me why…? I wonder if…), with Marcos, a ship to Rhodes, and a very worried mother.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
That sounds kind.
SOPHIA
It does, at first. But listen to how she protects him.
MARCOS
I think I know a mother like that.
Before you listen: the song
London, 1979
Pink Floyd were one of the most famous British rock bands. In 1979 they released The Wall, a double album that tells the story of a rock star called Pink, who slowly builds an imaginary wall around himself, brick by brick, to keep the world out.
The bass player, Roger Waters, wrote most of it from his own life. His father was killed in the Second World War when Roger was a baby, and he grew up with his mother.
In “Mother”, the boy Pink asks his mother anxious questions: whether people will like his songs, whether he should trust the government, whether the world will hurt him. His mother, sung by a different voice, answers that she will keep him safe and close, and that she will help him build his wall.
The song shows how love can protect, and also how too much protection can become a prison.
Can love become a wall?
Listen: two voices
PHILO
Listen once. There are two voices: the son and the mother. Who asks, and who answers?
SOPHIA
Then listen for Should I…? and Do you think…? questions. Answer Section A.
🧱 Listen to the song: “Mother” (Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, 1979).Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Mother”, Pink Floyd.Read the lyrics →
Asking for advice and opinions
MARCOS
Should I go to sea? Do you think they will like me?
SOPHIA
Should I + verb? asks for advice. Do you think + statement? asks for an opinion: Do you think it will rain? (not Do you think will it rain?). What if…? asks about a possible danger.
Indirect questions
DEMETRIA
Can you tell me why you are so worried? I wonder if the captain is honest.
SOPHIA
Indirect questions are more polite or more thoughtful, and they use statement order: Where is he? → Do you know where he is? For yes/no questions, use if / whether: Is it safe? → I wonder if it’s safe.
Sophia’s comparison: Thetis and Achilles
SOPHIA
In our stories, the goddess Thetis knew her son Achilles would die at Troy. So she hid him on an island, dressed as a girl, among the king’s daughters.
PHILO
And it didn’t work. Odysseus found him, and he went to war anyway.
DEMETRIA
So a mother can’t build a wall around her child for ever. Not even a goddess.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Should I + verb? | asking for advice | Should I trust him? |
| Do you think + statement? | asking for an opinion | Do you think they will like it? |
| What if…? | asking about a possible problem | What if there’s a storm? |
| Can you tell me / Do you know + wh- + statement | indirect wh- questions | Do you know where he is? |
| I wonder if / whether… | indirect yes/no questions | I wonder if it’s safe. |
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. Who are the two voices in the song?
2. What is the son like?
3. What does the mother promise?
4. What is “the wall” on the album?
5. What happened to Roger Waters’s father?
6. What is the song’s warning?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I trust the government? (advice)
8. Do you think it rain tomorrow? (future)
9. Can you tell me why you so worried? (be)
10. I wonder the captain is honest.
11. What there’s a storm?
12. Do you know where the ship going? (be)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “Do you think will they like my song?”
14. “Should I tell her the truth?”
15. “Can you tell me where is the station?”
16. “I wonder whether she’s happy.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Advice circle. Each student writes a real or invented problem as a Should I…? question. The class answers with I think you should… / If I were you…
Discuss. 1. Can parents protect their children too much? 2. What walls do people build around themselves? 3. When is it right to say no to your parents?
Write (100–120 words). A letter to my mother (or father). Ask for advice about a big decision, using Should I…? Do you think…? I wonder if…
Now play the gamebook: Marcos, his mother, and a ship to Rhodes.Play the gamebook →