If It Hadn't Been for Love by Adele — ESL Song Worksheet | English Plans

IFITHADN'TBEENFORLOVE

★ Adele · 2011 ★

Listen carefully and fill in the missing words.

    Verse 1
Never woulda (1) to Birmingham
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda caught the train to Louisian'
If it hadn't been for love

Never woulda hitch-hiked to (2)
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda caught the (3) to Louisian'
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda run through the blindin' rain
Without one dollar to my name
If it hadn't been, if it hadn't been for love

Verse 2
Never woulda caught the train to (4)
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda run through the (5) rain
Without one (6) to my name
If it hadn't been, if it hadn't been for love

Never woulda seen the (7) that I'm in
If it hadn't been for love
Woulda been gone like a (8) wind
If it hadn't been for love
Nobody knows it better than me
I wouldn't be wishing I was (9)
If it hadn't been, if it hadn't been for love

Chorus
Four cold (10) against my will
At least I know he's lying still
Four cold walls without (11)
Lord have mercy on my soul

Verse 3
Never woulda gone to that side of (12)
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda took a mind to track him down
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda (13) up a forty-four
And put myself behind a (14) door
If it hadn't been, if it hadn't been for love

[Chorus]

[Final Chorus]
  

If It Hadn't Been for Love

Adele · 2011

ClassPlan.ai

Song Worksheets

Antonym Attack

Write the opposite of each word from the song.

1. blindin' →

2. cold →

3. free →

4. mercy →

5. lying →

6. wayward →

Finish the Lyric

Complete these lines in the style of the song. Think about the story and emotions.

1. Never woulda picked up that phone call...

2. Never woulda stayed up all night cryin'...

3. Never woulda felt this kind of...

4. Woulda walked away and never...

5. Four cold walls and endless...

Did you know?

Read these facts about the song. Which one surprises you most?

🎵This song is actually a cover of a bluegrass song by The Steeldrivers, showing Adele's love for American folk music.
⭐The song tells the story of a crime of passion, where love drives someone to murder and imprisonment.
🎸Adele recorded this as a bonus track, demonstrating her ability to cross musical genres beyond soul and pop.
📀The lyrics reference a 'forty-four', which is slang for a .44 caliber gun, commonly mentioned in blues and country music.
🎤The phrase 'four cold walls' is a classic prison metaphor used throughout American folk and blues traditions.

Discussion & analysis

Discuss each question with your partner.

1Do you think love can make people do terrible things? Why or why not?
2What does the phrase 'four cold walls' represent in the song's story?

3Have you ever made a bad decision because of strong emotions? What happened?
4Is the narrator in this song a victim or a criminal? Can someone be both?

🎭 Play It! — Charades

A student (or teacher) secretly picks a song title or artist from the board. They act it out — no speaking, no miming letters. First person to guess correctly takes the next turn.

If It Hadn’t Been for Love