Video lesson

Welcome

Welcome to English lesson with Lady Gaga’s hit song, ‘Abracadabra’. It’s mysterious, magical, and full of interesting words and phrases. Let’s watch and learn.

Learn new words and phrases

Pay the toll to the angels

’toll’ usually means a small amount of money you pay to use something - like a road or a bridge. Imagine you’re driving and there’s a little booth: ‘Hey, pay the toll!’ Here, it’s poetic - like giving something to the angels to move forward in this mystical journey.

Fun fact: ’toll’ can also mean ringing a big bell slowly - like in a church, all serious and dramatic. It fits the spooky vibe, but I think Lady Gaga is mostly talking about that payment idea here.

Drawin’ circles in the clouds

This feels dreamy, like creating magic, or feeling you give all your attention to what you are thinking about, and do not notice what is going on around you.

Keep your mind on the distance

‘Keep your mind on the distance’ - focus on what’s far ahead, not just what’s here.

When the devil turns around

The devil’s that bad guy from stories, right? Here it’s symbolizes temptation or danger. So, the line warns: stay focused (keep your mind on the distance) when challenges appear.

hold me in your heart

This part feels emotional! ‘Hold me in your heart’: A beautiful way to say ‘remember me’ or ‘care for me.’

dark moonlight

Moonlight is the light from the moon, and ‘dark moonlight’ makes it feel strange, like a frightening and mysterious night.

empty fight

’empty’ here means something that feels pointless, like a battle with no meaning, or arguing about something that doesn’t matter.

game of life

is a metaphor for life’s challenges, like a competition, or puzzle.

Like a poem said by a lady in red

Imagine a mysterious woman in a red dress saying something beautiful. Red often symbolizes passion or danger. A ‘poem’ is a short, creative piece of writing with rhythm.

haunting

‘haunting’ means staying in the mind; something hard to forget, or sticks with you; often beautiful, but in a sad way.

trance

A ’trance’ is when you’re so focused you’re almost hypnotized—like when you’re lost in music!

cast your spell

‘cast’ here means to throw something. ‘spell’ means spoken words that are thought to have magical power. ‘cast a spell’ is what witches do in stories, like making magic happen. They say words and take control with magic.

abracadabra, amor, morta

‘abracadabra’ is a magic word! It’s what magicians say when they do a trick. But here, it’s mixed with playful sounds. ‘amor’ sounds like ’love’ in Spanish or Italian, and ‘morta’ sounds like ‘death’ - like ‘mortal,’ meaning something that can die. These made-up sounds make it feel playful but deep.

in her tongue

‘in her tongue’ means in her language. She’s giving a big choice: love or death. What would you pick?

choose the road

‘choose the road’ — this sounds like picking a path in life, maybe a risky one.

dust flies, watch it burn

‘dust’ means very small dry pieces of soil or sand. Imagine dust in the air, like in a desert, and something burning. Very cinematic!

don’t waste time on a feeling

“Don’t waste time on a feeling” - don’t spend too long just feeling something, do something about it!

Use your passion, no return

‘passion’ is that strong energy you feel for something you love. ‘No return’ means no going back—full commitment! Say it: ‘Use your passion.’

Great job! Songs like this help you learn idioms, metaphors, and pronunciation. Try singing along - it’s fun! See you next lesson!