Learn English with Songs – Shake it off by Taylor Swift

Welcome!

This song has been taking the world by storm. “To take something by storm” is an English expression that means to quickly become very successful or popular in a particular place or among a particular group of people.

The artist who sings this song is, of course, the famous Taylor Swift. Most of her songs have had a country feel to them, but “Shake it off” is a fun, pop song that has us all dancing.

The song is about “shaking off” people who try to bring you down.

To shake off – to free yourself from (someone or something) : to get away from or get rid of (someone or something).

Ready to learn some English with Taylor Swift? Excellent! This is what you have to do:

1. Read the lyrics
2. Understand the vocabulary
3. SING!

Lyrics

I stay out too late
Got nothing in my brain
That’s what people say, mmm-mmm
That’s what people say, mmm-mmm

I go on too many dates [chuckle]
But I can’t make ’em stay
At least that’s what people say, mmm-mmm
That’s what people say, mmm-mmm

But I keep cruising
Can’t stop, won’t stop moving
It’s like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, “It’s gonna be alright.”

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

I never miss a beat
I’m lightning on my feet
And that’s what they don’t see, mmm-mmm
that’s what they don’t see, mmm-mmm

I’m dancing on my own (dancing on my own)
I make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)
And that’s what they don’t know, mmm-mmm
that’s what they don’t know, mmm-mmm

But I keep cruising
Can’t stop, won’t stop grooving
It’s like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, “It’s gonna be alright.”

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Hey, hey, hey
Just think while you’ve been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world,
You could’ve been getting down to this sick beat.

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She’s like “Oh, my god!” but I’m just gonna shake.
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won’t you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake

Yeah ohhh

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate)
I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmmm)
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (and fake, and fake, and fake)
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Vocabulary

Stay out – to spend time away from home.

Dates – an occasion when two people who have or might have a romantic relationship do an activity together.

Chuckes – to laugh in a quiet way.

Cruising – to do something easily : to easily succeed at something.

Haters – people who hate.

Hate – a very strong feeling of dislike.

Fakers – people who fake. A fake person is someone who pretends to have some special knowledge or ability or pretends to be someone else.

Lightning – very quickly.

Grooving – to enjoy listening to or dancing to music.

Liars – people who lie, who do not tell the truth.

Cheats – a person who cheats, who breaks rules or the law usually to gain an advantage at something.

Fella – a way of saying “fellows”, men.

Music Video