Almost Home – English Lyrics

• By: Craig Morgan, Jelly Roll
• Album: Enlisted

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the touching story behind Craig Morgan and Jelly Roll's "Almost Home," a song about finding solace in memories. Explore the language of longing and nostalgia as you uncover the profound impact this song has had on both its listeners and the artists themselves. A powerful collaboration that bridges country and rap, "Almost Home" offers a glimpse into the search for peace and belonging.

[English]

He had plastic bags wrapped 'round his shoes

He was covered with the evening news

Had a pair of old wool socks on his hands

Bank sign was flashing five below

It was freezing rain and spitting snow

He was curled up behind some garbage cans

I was afraid that he was dead

I gave him a gentle shake

When he opened up his eyes

I said, "Old man, are you okay?"

What'd he say, Jelly?

I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree

I was running from some honey bees

Drip-drying in the summer breeze

After jumping into Calico Creek

I was walking down an old dirt road

Past a field of hay that had just been mowed

Man, I wish you'd just left me alone

'Cause I was almost home

...

Then he said, "I's just comin' round the barn

'Bout the time you grabbed my arm"

When I heard momma holler, "Son, hurry up"

I was close enough for my old nose

To smell fresh cobbler on the stove

And I saw daddy loading up the truck

Cane poles on the tailgate

Bobbers blowing in the wind

Since July of '55

That's as close as I've been

Yeah, I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree

I was running from some honey bees

Drip-drying in the summer breeze

After jumping into Calico Creek

I was walking down an old dirt road

Past a field of hay that had just been mowed

Man, I wish you'd just left me alone

'Cause I was almost home

I said, "Old man, you're gonna freeze to death

Let me drive you to the mission"

He said, "Boy, if you'd left me alone

Right now, I'd be fishing"

I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree

I was running from some honey bees

Drip-drying in the summer breeze

After jumping into Calico Creek

I was walking down an old dirt road

Past a field of hay that had just been mowed

Man, I wish you'd just left me alone

'Cause I was almost home (I was almost home)

Man, I wish you'd just left me alone

'Cause I was almost home

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ B1	verb - the action of moving quickly on foot
freeze /friːz/ B2	verb - to become hard or solid due to cold
breeze /briːz/ B1	noun - a gentle wind
field /fiːld/ A2	noun - an area of open land
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way for vehicles or people to travel
jumping /ˈdʒʌmpɪŋ/ B1	verb - to push oneself off the ground and into the air
shake /ʃeɪk/ B2	verb - to move something quickly up and down or side to side
honey /ˈhʌni/ A2	noun - a sweet substance made by bees
old /oʊld/ A1	adjective - having lived for a long time
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - a point or period when something occurs
truck /trʌk/ A2	noun - a large vehicle for transporting goods
cobbler /ˈkɒblər/ B2	noun - a person who makes or repairs shoes

Key Grammar Structures

• He had plastic bags wrapped 'round his shoes

  ➔ Past Perfect Participle as Adjective (Reduced Relative Clause)

  ➔ Here, "wrapped" acts as an adjective modifying "plastic bags." The full relative clause would be "plastic bags that were wrapped around his shoes." This is reduced to a participle phrase for conciseness.

• Bank sign was flashing five below

  ➔ Descriptive Language: Using "flashing" to emphasize the cold temperature.

  ➔ While grammatically simple, the use of "flashing" adds a sense of urgency and visibility to the extreme cold, as bank signs often display the temperature. It implies a stark, easily noticeable temperature reading.

• I was afraid that he was dead

  ➔ Noun Clause after "afraid"

  ➔ "That he was dead" is a noun clause acting as the object of the preposition "afraid". The word "that" introduces the clause.

• I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree

  ➔ Past Simple tense to describe a completed action in the past.

  ➔ The verb "climbed" is in the past simple tense, indicating that the action of climbing out of the tree is finished.

• Man, I wish you'd just left me alone

  ➔ Third Conditional (Wish Clause) for unreal past situations

  ➔ The structure "I wish + you'd (you had) + past participle" expresses a regret or a desire for a different past outcome. Here, the speaker wishes the listener hadn't interfered.

• I's just comin' round the barn

  ➔ Non-Standard English Contraction and Dialect: "I's" instead of "I was"

  ➔ This is an example of dialectical variation, where standard grammar rules are not followed. The speaker is using a non-standard contraction "I's" for "I was" to reflect a specific regional or social dialect.

• To smell fresh cobbler on the stove

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose: "To smell" expresses the reason for being close enough.

  ➔ The infinitive phrase "to smell fresh cobbler" explains the purpose or reason for being close enough; it indicates *why* the speaker was close enough.

• Right now, I'd be fishing

  ➔ Second Conditional (Implied): Missing "If" clause.

  ➔ This is the result clause of a second conditional sentence, implying a hypothetical situation in the present. The full sentence could be "If you had left me alone, I'd be fishing."