Learn English with the News: “Born to Run”

Bonjour!

(that’s hello in French).

Remember the other day we learnt some English with Bruce Springsteen and his hit Born to Run? Well, a draft of those lyrics is now being auctioned for sale… find out more about this news piece below!

1. Read the text
2. Understand the vocabulary
3. Watch the news

Text

Alongside centuries old books and historic documents, an original draft of Bruce Springsteen’s smash hit “Born to Run” will be offered at Sotheby’s next books and manuscripts auction.

Handwritten in blue ink on binder paper in 1974 – this working draft of the iconic song – reveals unpublished and unrecorded lyrics.

– There is a story he tells about sitting on the edge of his bed with his guitar and the phrase born to run comes into his head. And what you are actually looking at is the process he goes through to get to the finished song. And what’s really fun about this is you have the lyrics that we all recognize like ‘Tramps like us, baby we were born to run’. But you also have a lot of lyrics that are unfamiliar certainly to the average Springsteen fan and probably even some very serious Springsteen fans.

It took Springsteen six months to complete “Born to Run”. The song was released in 1975 and helped him become one of the greatest rock stars of all time.

– This song is, it’s a narrative as much as anything else and there is real poetry to it.

The draft of the famous lyrics will go up for sale December 5th with a pre-sale price tag ranging from $70,000 to $100,000 (USD) dollars.

Vocabulary

Alongside – along or close at the side.

Draft – a version of something (such as a document) that you make before you make the final version.

Auction – a public sale at which things are sold to the people who offer to pay the most.

Binder – a cover for holding together sheets of paper.

Reveals – to show (something) plainly or clearly : to make (something that was hidden) able to be seen.

Edge – the line or part where an object or area begins or ends.

Released – to allow (a person or animal) to leave a jail, cage, prison, etc. : to set (someone or something) free.

Narrative – a story that is told or written.

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