Tonight’s song is a promise: whenever you need me, I’ll be there, again and again, time after time.
Learn from Songs · Unit 9a: Zero and first conditionals · A2–B1
Time After Time
A promise to always be there: the first conditional for promises and instructions (If you get lost, I’ll find you), unless and as long as, if + imperative, and if or when, with Demetria, six small children, and the busy harbour of Pharos.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
That’s a lovely promise.
SOPHIA
And promises about the future, with a condition, are exactly what the first conditional is for.
MARCOS
Cyndi Lauper! With the crazy hair!
Before you listen: the song
New York, 1983
Cyndi Lauper is an American singer famous in the 1980s for her colourful style and powerful voice. She wrote “Time After Time” with the keyboard player Rob Hyman, near the end of the recording of her first album, She’s So Unusual.
The title came from a TV listings magazine: a 1979 film called Time After Time. In 1984 the song became her first number one in the USA. The great jazz trumpeter Miles Davis loved it so much that he played it at his concerts for years.
In the song, the singer remembers an old love, and makes a promise: if the other person is ever lost or falls, she will be there to help, again and again.
If you need me, I’ll be there.
Listen: the promise
PHILO
Listen once. What does the singer promise? When will she be there?
SOPHIA
Then listen for if. Answer Section A.
⏳ Listen to the song: “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman, 1983).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Time After Time”, Cyndi Lauper.Read the lyrics →
First conditional: promises and warnings
DEMETRIA
If you get lost, I’ll find you. If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the boat.
SOPHIA
If + present simple, will + verb for promises (If you need me, I’ll come), warnings (If you touch that, you’ll burn yourself) and offers (If you like, I’ll help you).
Unless, as long as
MARCOS
Don’t move unless I call you. You’ll be safe as long as you hold hands.
SOPHIA
unless = if… not: I won’t go unless you come (= if you don’t come). as long as / provided that = only if: You can borrow it as long as you bring it back.
If + imperative; if or when
PHILO
If you see a guard, tell him my name. When we arrive, we’ll count everyone.
SOPHIA
If + present, imperative is perfect for instructions: If you feel ill, call me. And remember: when for things that will certainly happen, if for things that might.
Sophia’s comparison: Ariadne’s thread
SOPHIA
When Theseus went into the Labyrinth, Ariadne gave him a ball of thread. Her promise was a condition: if you hold the thread, you’ll find your way back.
PHILO
And our prophet Ezekiel: I myself will search for my sheep, and I will seek out the lost and bring back those who have strayed.
DEMETRIA
So the best promises are about finding people who are lost.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| If + present, will + verb | promises, warnings, offers | If you get lost, I’ll find you. |
| unless | if… not | I won’t go unless you come. |
| as long as / provided that | only if | You can go as long as you’re back by ten. |
| If + present, imperative | instructions | If you see a guard, tell him. |
| when / if | certain / possible | When we arrive, we’ll eat. |
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 does the singer promise?
2. What is she remembering?
3. Where did the title come from?
4. Who wrote the song?
5. Which great jazz musician played it?
6. How does the song sound?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. If you get lost, I find you.
8. If you lost, stay where you are. (get)
9. Don’t move I call you. (if not)
10. You can borrow it as long you bring it back.
11. If you see a guard, him my name. (instruction)
12. If you don’t hurry, you’ll the boat. (lose the chance to catch)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “If you will need me, I’ll come.”
14. “I won’t go unless you come with me.”
15. “Unless you don’t study, you’ll fail.”
16. “If you feel ill, call me.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Promises. Make five promises to a friend, family member or classmate: If you need help with…, I’ll…
Discuss. 1. What makes a promise important? 2. Who would you call if you were lost? 3. Why do you think Miles Davis loved this song?
Write (80–100 words). Rules for a school trip. Write instructions and promises with if, unless and as long as: If you get lost…, Unless the teacher says…
Now play the gamebook: Demetria, six children, and the lighthouse.Play the gamebook →