Shadowing Practice: Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Michael, they don't call us.
2
Michael!
3
Michael!
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They don't call us!
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All I want to say is that they don't really care about us.
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Weep me, hate me, you can never break me Will me, thrill me, you can never kill me Sue me, everybody do me Kick me,
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kill me, don't you block away All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us
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All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us
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Tell me what has become of my life How the way
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that you children will love me I'm the victim of police through quarantine
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I'm tired of being the victim of fate It ripping me
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up my product for God's sake I'd like to come to fulfill this prophecy Set me free Skinhead,
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deadhead, everybody call back Trouble inches, speculation, everybody allegation In the city, on the news, everybody, dog food, black men, black men, throw the breath the angels,
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all I wanna say is that they don't really care about us, all I wanna say is that they don't really care about us,
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all I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.
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I'm tired of being the victim of shame You're throwing me
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in the class with a bad game I can't believe this is the lamp from the witch I came
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You know I really hate to see it The government don't want to see it
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But it rose about what he was living He bought the life, he's a queen of the Skinhead dead,
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had everybody gone Situation, speculation, everybody litigation Beat me, bash me, you can never trash me Kick me,
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kick me, you can never get me All I'm gonna say is that they don't really care about us
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All I'm gonna say is that they don't really care about us
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Some things in life they just don't want to see
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But if Martin Luther was living Came back and left He'd no longer live It's game for dead Everybody's gone Situation,
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segregation Everybody's allocation In the city, on the coast Everybody's gone You're the wrong or right I don't wanna see them,
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they don't really care about us I'm dead,
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you're alive I don't wanna see them, they don't really care about us Don't be so sad, I can't let the parts of the mirror I don't wanna see them,
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they don't really care about us Oh, my God.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: everybody, victim, kick, michael, gone. This video has 28 sentences and 407 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 97 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| speculation noun | /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ | The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject. |
| deadhead noun | /ˈdɛdhɛd/ | A person either admitted to a theatrical or musical performance without charge, or paid to attend. |
| allegation noun | /ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/ | An assertion, especially an accusation, not necessarily based on facts. |
| segregation noun | /sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/ | The act of setting apart and organizing things based upon their characteristics. |
| quarantine noun | /ˈkwɔɹ.ən.tin/ | A period of 40 days, particularly |
| prophecy noun | /ˈpɹɑfɪsi/ | A prediction, especially one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration. |
| thrill verb | /θɹɪl/ | To suddenly excite someone, or to give someone great pleasure; to (figuratively) electrify; to experience such a sensation. |
| allocation noun | /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ | The process or procedure for allocating things, especially money or other resources. |
| bash verb | /bæʃ/ | To strike heavily; to beat. |
| fulfill verb | /fʊlˈfɪl/ | To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.). |
| litigation noun | /ˌlɪtɪˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/ | The conduct of a lawsuit. |
| lamp noun | /ˈlæ̝mp/ | A device that generates light, heat, or other electromagnetic radiation. Especially an electric light bulb. |
| rip verb | /ɹɪp/ | To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was living |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna say |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | Will me · will love |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 43 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, wanna, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thrill /θɹɪl/, breathe /bɹiːð/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: speculation /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, allegation /ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/, segregation /sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/, allocation /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/, bash /bæʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: speculation /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, allegation /ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/, segregation /sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/, allocation /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/, litigation /ˌlɪtɪˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like speculation, deadhead, allegation.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.