57 Channels (And Nothin' On) – English Lyrics

• By: Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

...

I bought a bourgeois house in the Hollywood hills

With a trunkload of hundred thousand dollar bills

Man came by to hook up my cable TV

We settled in for the night my baby and me

We switched 'round and 'round 'til half-past dawn

There was fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

...

Well now home entertainment was my baby's wish

So I hopped into town for a satellite dish

I tied it to the top of my Japanese car

I came home and I pointed it out into the stars

A message came back from the great beyond

There's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

...

Well we might'a made some friends with some billionaires

We might'a got all nice and friendly

If we'd made it upstairs

All I got was a note that said "Bye-bye John

Our love is fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"

(Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on)

So I bought a .44 magnum it was solid steel cast

And in the blessed name of Elvis well I just let it blast

'Til my TV lay in pieces there at my feet

And they busted me for disturbin' the almighty peace

Judge said "What you got in your defense son?"

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

I can see by your eyes friend you're just about gone

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Fifty-seven channels and... nothin' on

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
bills /bɪlz/ A1	noun - paper money
cable /ˈkeɪbəl/ A2	noun - a wire or rope used for transmitting signals or support
settled /ˈsɛtld/ B1	verb - to become comfortable or established
bourgeois /ˌbʊrʒwɑːˈziː/ C1	adjective - relating to the middle class, typically with connotations of materialism
trunkload /ˈtrʌŋkloʊd/ B2	noun - the amount that can be carried in a trunk
satellite /ˈsætəlaɪt/ B1	noun - an artificial body placed in orbit around a planet
dish /dɪʃ/ A2	noun - a bowl-shaped receiver for satellite signals
pointed /ˈpɔɪntɪd/ A2	verb - to direct or aim something
billionaires /ˈbɪljəˌnɛrz/ B1	noun - people who possess one billion units of currency
magnum /ˈmæɡnəm/ B2	noun - a large handgun, especially a .44 caliber
blessed /blɛst/ B1	adjective - hallowed or sacred
blast /blæst/ A2	verb - to destroy or damage with an explosion
pieces /ˈpiːsɪz/ A1	noun - fragments or parts of something broken
defense /dɪˈfɛns/ B1	noun - the action of defending oneself in a court of law

Key Grammar Structures

• I bought a bourgeois house in the Hollywood hills

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ The verb 'bought' is in the simple past tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• We settled in for the night my baby and me

  ➔ Pronoun Case (Objective Pronoun)

  ➔ The pronoun 'me' is used as an objective pronoun, following the preposition 'for' and indicating the recipient of the action.

• There was fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

  ➔ Contraction ('nothin')

  ➔ The word 'nothin'' is a contraction of 'nothing,' commonly used in informal speech.

• So I hopped into town for a satellite dish

  ➔ Simple Past Tense with Adverb ('hopped')

  ➔ The verb 'hopped' is in the simple past tense and is modified by the manner adverb 'into,' describing how the action was performed.

• A message came back from the great beyond

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase ('from the great beyond')

  ➔ The prepositional phrase 'from the great beyond' indicates the source or origin of the message, adding context to the sentence.

• Our love is fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

  ➔ Metaphorical Comparison

  ➔ The phrase 'fifty-seven channels and nothin' on' is used metaphorically to describe the emptiness or lack of substance in the relationship.

• Judge said 'What you got in your defense son?'

  ➔ Direct Speech

  ➔ The judge's words are presented in direct speech, enclosed in quotation marks to indicate the exact words spoken.

• I can see by your eyes friend you're just about gone

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'you're just about gone' uses the present continuous tense to describe an action that is currently happening or in progress.