Learning English with the Wizard
of Oz
“If I Only Had a Brain" is a song from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Scarecrow meets Dorothy and sings to her about his wish to have a brain, meaning, to be more intelligent. (Since Scarecrow is made of straw, he does not have a brain.)
A scarecrow is a large doll, used by farmers to keep birds away from crops such as corn.
This song uses the second conditional:
If I had a brain, I could think. OR
I could think if I had a brain.
Scarecrow is imagining something that he thinks is not likely to happen: to have a brain. Later, he begins to hope that the magical Wizard of Oz can give him a brain.
Learning through songs is a great way to learn English! This song contains a good example of a conditional sentence:
If I had ....., I could ....
If I had ....., I could ....
LYRICS (words to the song)
[SCARECROW]
I could while away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain
And my head, I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain
I'd unravel every riddle
For any individ'le
In trouble or in pain
[DOROTHY]
With the thoughts you'd be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain
[SCARECROW]
Oh, I would tell you why
The ocean's near the shore
I could think of things I never thunk before
And then I'd sit and think some more
I would not be just a nuffin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry
If I only had a brain
Gosh, it would be awful pleasin'
To while away the hours = to use time,
to spend time
To confer = to meet, to discuss
To consult = to get advice,
to think with another person
To scratch (one's) head = to show that
one is puzzled, doubtful, or uncertain
To hatch thoughts = to create ideas
To unravel = to make something clear
A riddle = something that is confusing
An individ’le = an individual, a person
Lincoln=a great president of the U.S., considered to be very intelligent
thunk=a joking form of the verb to think;
the correct form is “had thought of.”
A nuffin’= a nothing, someone who is worth nothing
stuffin’ = stuffing; Scarecrow’s head is filled, or stuffed, with straw
Ding-a-derry - this is not a real word or phrase in modern English, and was probably meant as a joke, and a way to rhyme with the word “merry.”
Gosh=interjection, similar to “golly” or “gee”
It would be awful pleasin’= it would be very pleasing to me
To reason out the reason= to find the reason
ya = you
Writing practice: Can you write a paragraph that begins with a sentence like this?
If I had a million dollars, I could __________________________________________________________
If I had wings, I could _________________________________________________________________
If I were a better person, I would _________________________________________________________