"Winter In My Heart" by The Avett Brothers

It must be winter in my heart
There's nothing warm in there at all
I miss the summer and the spring
The floating, yellow leaves of fall

A million colors fill my eyes
The roman candles and the stars
Calendar says July 4th
But it's still winter in my heart

They say flowers bloom in spring
Red and golden, blue and pink
They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing, why won't mine?

It must be winter in my heart
There's nothing warm in there at all
I miss the summer and spring
The floating, yellow leaves of fall

The air in there is frigid cold
I don't know what the reasons are
The calendar says August one
But it's still winter in my heart

They say flowers bloom in spring
Red and golden, blue and pink
They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing, why won't…

This wonderful song by Avett Brothers has struck me by its mood and beauty. It can be good for teaching seasons and calendar, but also for some cultural phenomena (explaining holiday of the fourth of July), modals of certainty (must), opposite adjectives (frigid cold - warm), colours, the use of my and mine, and, of course, discussion of the singer's message, metaphors (what does winter represent? why does he miss summer and spring? what do they mean?) and repetitions.

Step 1.
Discussion: How can songs help you learn English?

Step 2.
Let your student read the lyrics.
Question: What music would you write for this song - slow or fast, what musical instruments would play, a male or female singer?

Step 3.
Listen to the song. Pay special attention to the musical instruments. Which ones can you hear?

Step 4.
Look at the lyrics again.
Does the singer have a conversation with somebody?
How would the meaning change if instead of "I' there was 'you'?
What national holiday is mentioned in the song?
What metaphors are used?
The song tells about four different seasons. What feelings do you associate with each season?