All My Friends – English Lyrics

• By: LCD Soundsystem
• Album: Sound of Silver

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the enduring allure of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends," a song that masterfully captures the complex emotions of growing older, friendship, and the passage of time. Through its repetitive yet building structure and introspective lyrics, you can explore nuanced English expressions related to nostalgia, regret, and acceptance. The song's unique blend of dance-rock and poignant storytelling offers a compelling entry point for understanding emotional depth in music lyrics and how music can evoke a universal sense of shared human experience.

[English]

That's how it starts

We go back to your house

You check the charts

And start to figure it out

And if it's crowded, all the better

Because we know we're gonna be up late

But if you're worried about the weather

Then you picked the wrong place to stay

That's how it starts

And so it starts

You switch the engine on

We set controls for the heart of the sun

One of the ways we show our age

And if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up

And I still don't wanna stagger home

Then it's the memory of our betters

That are keeping us on our feet

You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan

And the next five years trying to be with your friends again

You're talking 45 turns just as fast as you can

Yeah, I know it gets tired, but it's better when we pretend

It comes apart

The way it does in bad films

Except the part

Where the moral kicks in

Though when we're running out of the drugs

And the conversation's winding away

I wouldn't trade one stupid decision

For another five years of life

You drop the first ten years just as fast as you can

And the next ten people who are trying to be polite

When you're blowing eighty-five days in the middle of France

Yeah, I know it gets tired, only where are your friends tonight?

And to tell the truth

Oh, this could be the last time

So here we go

Like a sales force into the night

And if I made a fool, if I made a fool, if I made a fool

On the road, there's always this

And if I'm sewn into submission

I can still come home to this

And with a face like a dad and a laughable stand

You can sleep on the plane or review what you said

When you're drunk and the kids look impossibly tanned

You think over and over, "Hey, I'm finally dead"

Oh, if the trip and the plan come apart in your hand

You can turn it on yourself, you ridiculous clown

You forgot what you meant when you read what you said

And you always knew you were tired, but then

Where are your friends tonight?

Where are your friends tonight?

Where are your friends tonight?

If I could see all my friends tonight

If I could see all my friends tonight

If I could see all my friends tonight

If I could see all my friends tonight

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
starts /stɑːrts/ A1	verb - to begin
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
charts /tʃɑːrts/ B1	noun - a sheet of information in the form of a table, graph, or diagram
crowded /ˈkraʊdɪd/ B1	adjective - full of people
worried /ˈwʌrid/ A2	adjective - anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems
weather /ˈweðər/ A1	noun - the state of the atmosphere at a place and time
engine /ˈendʒɪn/ A2	noun - a machine that converts energy into mechanical force or motion
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that provides light and heat to Earth
age /eɪdʒ/ A1	noun - the length of time that someone has lived
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
memory /ˈmeməri/ B1	noun - something remembered from the past
betters /ˈbetərz/ B2	noun - people who are superior to one
friends /frendz/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - in need of sleep or rest
films /fɪlmz/ A1	noun - a movie
moral /ˈmɔːrəl/ B2	noun - a lesson that can be derived from a story or experience
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A1	verb - moving at a speed faster than walking
drugs /drʌɡz/ B1	noun - a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body
conversation /ˌkɒnvərˈseɪʃn/ B1	noun - the exchange of thoughts and feelings
decision /dɪˈsɪʒn/ B1	noun - a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being true
force /fɔːrs/ B1	noun - strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement
fool /fuːl/ B1	noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or course for traveling
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head
dad /dæd/ A1	noun - father
kids /kɪdz/ A1	noun - children
clown /klaʊn/ B1	noun - a comic entertainer

Key Grammar Structures

• If it's crowded, all the better

  ➔ The + comparative, the + comparative.

  ➔ Expresses a proportional increase or decrease. The structure "The + comparative, the + comparative" indicates that as one thing increases (or decreases), another thing also increases (or decreases). Here, "the more crowded" (if it's crowded) implies "the better".

• We set controls for the heart of the sun

  ➔ Metaphorical use of prepositions.

  ➔ The preposition "for" is used metaphorically to indicate direction or intention. They aren't literally controlling the sun, but setting their goals/intentions towards something ambitious and potentially destructive ("the heart of the sun").

• I still don't wanna stagger home

  ➔ Use of "wanna" (want to) and negation with "still".

  ➔ "Wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to." "Still don't wanna" implies a continuing desire *not* to go home, even after a long time or despite other circumstances.

• It's better when we pretend

  ➔ Use of "when" as a conjunction to introduce a conditional clause.

  ➔ "When" introduces a specific condition: *if* we pretend, things are better. This implies that pretending provides a temporary escape or improvement in their situation.

• Where are your friends tonight?

  ➔ Question formation with "where" and the present simple tense.

  ➔ This is a direct question asking about the location of someone's friends. "Where" is the interrogative adverb, and "are" is the verb 'to be' in the present tense, conjugated to agree with the plural subject "your friends."

• Oh, this could be the last time

  ➔ Use of modal verb "could" to express possibility.

  ➔ "Could" indicates that something is possible but not certain. In this context, it suggests a recognition that the present moment might not be repeated, emphasizing its potential importance and fragility. "Could be" demonstrates a level of uncertainty less definite than "will be."