All For Leyna – English Lyrics

• By: Billy Joel
• Album: Glass Houses

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

She stood on the tracks

Waving her arms

Leading me to that third rail shock

Quick as a wink

She changed her mind

She gave me a night

That's all it was

What will it take until I stop

Kidding myself

Wasting my time?

Whoa

There's nothing else I can do

'Cause I'm doing it all for Leyna

I don't want anyone new

'Cause I'm living it all for Leyna

There's nothing in it for you

'Cause I'm giving it all to Leyna

We laid on the beach

Watching the tide

She didn't tell me there were rocks

Under the waves

Right off the shore

Washed up on the sand

Barely alive

Wishing the undertow would stop

How can a man

Take anymore?

Whoa

There's nothing else I can do

'Cause I'm doing it all for Leyna

I don't want anyone new

'Cause I'm living it all for Leyna

There's nothing in it for you

'Cause I'm giving it all to Leyna

I'm failing in school

Losing my friends

Making my family lose their minds

I don't want to eat

I don't want to sleep

I only want Leyna one more time

Now, I'm in my room

Watching the tube

Telling myself she still may drop

Over to say

She's changed her mind

So, I wait in the dark

Listening for her

Instead of my old man saying stop

Kidding yourself

Wasting your time

Whoa

There's nothing else I can do

'Cause I'm doing it all for Leyna

Don't want anyone new

'Cause I'm living it all for Leyna

There's nothing in it for you

'Cause I'm giving it all to Leyna

All for Leyna

All for Leyna

All for Leyna

All for Leyna

All for Leyna

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shock /ʃɒk/ A2	noun - a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience
waving /ˈweɪvɪŋ/ A1	verb - to move one's hand or arm back and forth to signal or greet
tide /taɪd/ A2	noun - the rise and fall of the sea caused by the moon
undertow /ˈʌndərtoʊ/ B2	noun - a strong current beneath the surface of the water that moves in the opposite direction of the surface current
barely /ˈbɛəri/ A2	adverb - only just; almost not
failing /ˈfeɪlɪŋ/ A2	verb - to be unsuccessful in achieving something
shore /ʃɔːr/ A1	noun - the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river
wishing /ˈwɪʃɪŋ/ A1	verb - to want something that cannot or may not happen
tube /tjuːb/ A1	noun - a long, hollow cylinder for moving liquids or gases, or in this context, a television
listening /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/ A1	verb - to pay attention to sound
dark /dɑːrk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light
kidding /ˈkɪdɪŋ/ A2	verb - to say something jokingly
wasting /ˈweɪstɪŋ/ A2	verb - to use or expend thoughtlessly
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A1	verb - to have life
giving /ˈɡɪvɪŋ/ A1	verb - to freely transfer the possession of something

Key Grammar Structures

• She stood on the tracks

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ The verb "stood" is in the Simple Past tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• Leading me to that third rail shock

  ➔ Present Participle (Gerund) Phrase

  ➔ The word "Leading" is a present participle forming a gerund phrase that functions as an adverbial modifier.

• She gave me a night

  ➔ Simple Past Tense with Direct Object

  ➔ The verb "gave" is in the Simple Past, and "me" is the indirect object while "a night" is the direct object.

• What will it take until I stop kidding myself?

  ➔ Future Simple + Infinitive

  ➔ The auxiliary "will" forms the Future Simple, and the verb "take" is followed by the infinitive phrase "to stop".

• There's nothing else I can do

  ➔ There is/are + Modal verb (can)

  ➔ "There's" is a contraction of "there is"; the modal verb "can" expresses ability: "I can do".

• I'm doing it all for Leyla

  ➔ Present Continuous

  ➔ "I'm doing" uses the auxiliary "am" + present participle "doing" to describe an ongoing action.

• I don't want anyone new

  ➔ Negative Present Simple

  ➔ "don't want" is the negative form of the present simple verb "want".

• Instead of my old man saying stop

  ➔ Gerund after preposition "instead of"

  ➔ The phrase "saying" is a gerund that follows the preposition "instead of", functioning as a noun.