A Guy Walks Into a Bar – English Lyrics

• By: Tyler Farr

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic journey, and "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" by Tyler Farr is a great place to start with English. The song's clear, narrative-driven lyrics offer a wonderful opportunity to learn vocabulary related to love, relationships, and emotions. What makes this song special is its clever use of a classic joke's opening line to tell a complete and emotional story, showcasing the power of storytelling in country music.

[English]

("A Guy Walks into a Bar")

♪ The joke's on me and it ain't funny ♪

♪ Everybody but me could see ♪

♪ The punch line coming a mile away ♪

♪ I've heard it so many times I can tell it to the T ♪

♪ Believe me I could sell it all day ♪

♪ It goes, a guy walks into a bar, orders a drink ♪

♪ Sees a girl that catches his eye ♪

♪ Asks her if she wants another ♪

♪ They fall for each other and end up lovers ♪

♪ They laugh, cry, hold on tight ♪

♪ Make it work for a little while ♪

♪ Then one night her taillights fade out into the dark ♪

♪ And a guy walks into a bar ♪

♪ I'd laugh too if my heart would let me ♪

♪ Keeping it light will probably help to get me over you ♪

♪ I'm walking, talking, drinking proof ♪

♪ A cliche in a corner booth ♪

♪ Ain't nothing new ♪

♪ A guy walks into a bar, orders a drink ♪

♪ Sees a girl that catches his eye ♪

♪ Asks her if she wants another ♪

♪ They fall for each other and end up lovers ♪

♪ They laugh, cry, hold on tight ♪

♪ Make it work for a little while ♪

♪ Then one night her taillights fade out into the dark ♪

♪ And a guy walks into a bar ♪

♪ A guy walks into a bar, orders a drink ♪

♪ Sees a girl that catches his eye ♪

♪ Asks her if she wants another ♪

♪ They fall for each other and end up lovers ♪

♪ They laugh, cry, hold on tight ♪

♪ Make it work for a little while ♪

♪ Then one night her taillights fade out into the dark ♪

♪ And a guy walks into a bar ♪

♪ A guy walks into a bar ♪

♪ A guy walks into a bar ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
joke /dʒoʊk/ A2	noun - something said or done to cause amusement or laughter
laugh /læf/ A2	verb - to make sounds with voice showing happiness or amusement
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to produce tears from eyes because of emotion or pain
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp or support with hands
light /laɪt/ B1	adjective - not heavy, easy to carry
over /ˈoʊ.vər/ B1	adverb - from one side to the other side
end /ɛnd/ A2	noun - final part; last point
dark /dɑːrk/ B2	adjective - having little or no light
walk /wɔːk/ A2	verb - to move on foot at a moderate pace
walks /wɔːks/ A2	verb (third person singular) - he or she moves on foot
drink /drɪŋk/ A2	noun - a liquid to be drunk verb - to swallow a liquid
see /siː/ A1	verb - to perceive with eyes

Key Grammar Structures

• The joke's on me and it ain't funny

  ➔ Contraction ('s) and double negative (ain't funny)

  ➔ 'The joke's' is a contraction of 'The joke is'. 'Ain't funny' uses 'ain't', a non-standard form of 'is not' or 'are not', in combination with 'funny' to create a double negative, although in colloquial English, it often just functions as a simple negative.

• Everybody but me could see

  ➔ Use of 'but' as a preposition (except)

  ➔ Here, 'but' means 'except'. So the sentence means 'Everybody except me could see'. This usage is common but can be confusing for learners.

• The punch line coming a mile away

  ➔ Present participle as an adjective (coming)

  ➔ 'Coming' modifies 'punch line,' describing the punch line. It's acting as an adjective. This implies the punch line was easily predictable.

• Believe me I could sell it all day

  ➔ Modal verb 'could' (potential/ability)

  ➔ 'Could' expresses the speaker's ability to 'sell it all day', meaning they are confident they could successfully explain or promote something repeatedly. Here it implies a deep understanding of the cliché.

• Sees a girl that catches his eye

  ➔ Relative pronoun 'that' (defining relative clause)

  ➔ 'That catches his eye' is a defining relative clause, providing essential information about the girl. The pronoun 'that' connects the clause to the noun 'girl'.

• Asks her if she wants another

  ➔ Indirect question using 'if'

  ➔ The phrase 'if she wants another' is an indirect question embedded within the main clause 'Asks her'. 'If' introduces a yes/no question indirectly.

• Make it work for a little while

  ➔ Idiomatic use of 'make it work'

  ➔ 'Make it work' is an idiom meaning to try hard to keep a relationship going, even when it's difficult.

• Keeping it light will probably help to get me over you

  ➔ Gerund as a subject ('Keeping')

  ➔ The gerund phrase 'Keeping it light' functions as the subject of the sentence. It refers to the act of keeping things casual and not getting too emotionally involved.