Achilles – English Lyrics

• By: The Divine Comedy
• Album: Rainy Sunday Afternoon

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into 'Achilles' by The Divine Comedy to experience a masterclass in English lyricism that beautifully marries classical mythology with modern contemplation on mortality. Through Neil Hannon's rich storytelling, you can explore profound English vocabulary related to war, philosophy, and existential reflection, making it a special piece for language learners interested in deep, poetic expression.

[English]

I saw a man this morning

Standing on a foreign shore

From his eyes, tears were falling

As he made ready for war

He shouted out a warning

You slew my sweetest friend

And as sure as day is dawning

His death will be avenged

Was it so hard to die, Achilles

So very hard to die?

You know and I know not, Achilles

So much the happier I

You breached the walls of Troy, Achilles

Slaughtered a thousand men

Patroclus is destroyed, Achilles

And can't come back again

I saw a man this morning

Trudging through a muddy field

From the sky, a shell was falling

With his name scratched in the steel

Lend him your shield, Achilles

Ask the gods to be his guide

All he has is 'A Shropshire Lad'

With this poem scrawled inside

Was it so hard to die, Achilles

So very hard to die?

You know and I know not, Achilles

So much the happier I

Look to the starry skies, Achilles

Look to the silver seas

They do not live or die, Achilles

And neither do we

I saw a man this morning

He was turning 53

And his pampered mind was turning

To thoughts of mortality

One day I will be nothing

Think how funny that will feel

For we, the living

Death is the Achilles heel

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
morning /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ A1	noun - the early part of the day, from sunrise to noon
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
tears /tɪrz/ A1	noun - drops of liquid that come from your eyes
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict between countries or groups
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.
death /deθ/ A2	noun - the end of life
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - difficult to do or achieve
die /daɪ/ A2	verb - to stop living
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth
field /fiːld/ A1	noun - an open area of land
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to
gods /ɡɒdz/ B1	noun - a being believed to be supernatural, immortal, and having special powers, and who is worshipped by people.
poem /ˈpəʊɪm/ B1	noun - a piece of writing that uses imaginative language and is often arranged in verses
skies /skaɪz/ A1	noun - plural of sky
seas /siːz/ A1	noun - the large body of saltwater that covers most of the earth
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences
thoughts /θɔːts/ B1	noun - an idea or opinion produced by thinking
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ B1	adjective - alive

Key Grammar Structures

• I saw a man this morning

  ➔ Past simple tense

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

• From his eyes, tears were falling

  ➔ Past continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase 'were falling' is in the past continuous tense, describing an action that was ongoing in the past.

• You slew my sweetest friend

  ➔ Past tense with modal verb

  ➔ The verb 'slew' is in the past tense, and 'you' is used as a direct address, typical in poetic or formal language.

• As sure as day is dawning

  ➔ Present continuous tense in comparative structure

  ➔ The phrase 'is dawning' is in the present continuous tense, used in a comparative structure to emphasize certainty.

• Was it so hard to die, Achilles

  ➔ Past simple in indirect question

  ➔ The verb 'was' is in the past simple tense, forming an indirect question without changing word order.

• All he has is 'A Shropshire Lad'

  ➔ Present simple in emphasis structure

  ➔ The verb 'has' is in the present simple tense, used in an emphasis structure to highlight possession.

• For we, the living

  ➔ Present participle in appositive phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'the living' is an appositive, using the present participle to describe 'we'.

• Death is the Achilles heel

  ➔ Present simple in metaphorical statement

  ➔ The verb 'is' is in the present simple tense, used in a metaphorical statement to compare death to a weakness.