Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[glorios]

from the eithies hit song called 'take on me' sung by ah-a

the lyrics says

"Talking away
I don't know what I'm to say
I'll say it anyway
today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for you love O.K.


Take on me
Take me on
I'll be gone
in a day or two


So needless to say I'm odds and ends
But that's me, stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is O.K.
Say after me
It's no better to be safe than sorry.


Take on me
Take me on
I'll be gone
in a day or two.


The things that you say
Is it live or just to play
My worries away
You're all the things I've got to remember
You shying away
I'll be coming for you anyway


Take on me
Take me on
I'll be gone
in a day or two ''

I want to know the exact meanings of 'take on me' and 'take me on'
including the difference if any.

I was taught to put always pronouns between verbs and particles of phrasal verbs as in 'give it up' not 'give up it'.

[CP]

The band's name was a-ha, not ah-a. A-ha is what we say when we discover something or realize something. A-ha, I found my missing hat.

The band was three young men from Norway who sang songs in English. They didn't necessarily run their lyrics by an English professor for comment, so if they made mistakes, they didn't know it.

Now, as with many song lyrics, the meaning may be less than perfectly clear, may be open to many interpretations. It's even more mysterious when the lyrics are not written by a native speaker and they include inverting a phrase that is itself unclear. Finally, the song was originally called "Lesson One" on the band's demo tape but was modified to "Take on Me" later.

To take on is to attempt, or to start, or to accept. I can take on a challenge to make a better pizza. I can take on a new job. I can take on cargo on my boat. If I take on a new employee, who decides to take on a new job by working for me, I might ask him to take on more work than he's capable of finishing.

I would take him on, I wouldn't take on him. Take on me is the wrong way to say it; it should be take me on. And what does it mean if I ask you to take me on? I don't know. Maybe give me a try as your boyfriend; add me to your life; accept the challenge of me.

It doesn't have to mean anything, after all. It has a good beat. You can dance to it. I'll give it an 80.
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