Shadowing Practice: Sam Smith - Fire On Fire (From "Watership Down") - Learn English Speaking with Video

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54 sentences
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1
My mother said I'm too romantic
2
She said you're dancing in the movies I almost started to believe her Then I saw you and I knew
3
Maybe it's cause I got a little bit older
4
Maybe it's all that I've been through I'd like to think it's how you lean on my shoulder
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And now I see myself with you I don't say a word
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But still you take my breath
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And still the things I know
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There you go
9
Saving me from out of the crowd
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Fire on fire
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We'll normally kiss
12
With this much desire
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Together we're winners
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They say that we're out of control
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And some say we're sinners
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But don't let them ruin
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Our beautiful rhythms
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Cause when you unfold me
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And tell me you love me
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And look in my eyes
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You are perfection
22
My only direction
23
It's fire on fire
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It's fire on fire
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When we fight, we fight like lions
26
But then we love and feel the truth
27
We lose our minds in a city of roses
28
We won't abide by any rules I don't say a word
29
But still you take my breath
30
And still the things I know
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There you go, saving me from out of the cold
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Fire on fire, we're normally kids
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With this much desire, together we're winners
34
They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners
35
But don't let them ruin our beautiful rhythms
36
Cause when you unfold me and tell me you love me
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And look in my eyes
38
You are perfection, my only direction
39
It's fire on fire
40
It's fire on fire
41
Fire on fire, would normally kill us
42
With this much desire, together we're winners
43
They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners
44
But don't let them ruin our beautiful rhythms
45
Fire on fire, we're normally kids
46
With this much desire, together we're winners
47
They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners
48
But don't let them ruin our beautiful rhythms
49
Cause when you unfold me and tell me you love me
50
And look in my eyes
51
You are perfection, my only direction
52
It's fire on fire
53
You are perfection, my only direction
54
It's fire on fire

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Sam Smith - Fire On Fire”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: rhythms, sinners, perfection, ruin, winners. This video has 54 sentences and 373 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:49. The speaker talks slowly, about 98 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

13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
ruin noun/ˈɹuː.ɪn/The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
rhythm noun/ˈɹɪð.əm/The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
perfection noun/pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/The quality or state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing substandard remains; the highest attainable state or degree of excellence.
breathe verb/bɹiːð/To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
romantic adjective/ɹoʊˈmæn(t)ɪk/Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person).
lion noun/ˈlaɪən/A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe.
lean verb/ˈliːn/To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
abide verb/əˈbaɪd/To endure without yielding; to withstand.
sinner noun/ˈsɪnɚ/A person who, by one particular action, has sinned.
unfold verb/ʌnˈfoʊld/To undo a folding.
desire noun/dɪˈzaɪɹ/The feeling of desiring; an eager longing for something.
normally adverb/ˈnɔː.mə.li/Under normal conditions or circumstances; usually; most of the time
shoulder noun/ˈʃoʊldɚ/The part of the human torso forming a relatively horizontal surface running away from the neck.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, don't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • The “th” sounds: rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, breathe /bɹiːð/
  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/, shoulder /ˈʃoʊldɚ/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like ruin, rhythm, perfection.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →