America – English Lyrics

• By: Simon & Garfunkel

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together

I've got some real estate here in my bag"

So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies

And walked off to look for America

...

"Kathy", I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh

"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"

It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw

I've gone to look for America

Laughing on the bus

Playing games with the faces

She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy

I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"

...

"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"

"We smoked the last one an hour ago"

So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine

And the moon rose over an open field

...

"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping

I'm empty and aching and I don't know why

Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike

They've all come to look for America

All come to look for America

All come to look for America

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
marry /ˈmæri/ A2	verb - to become a husband or wife in a marriage
fortune /ˈfɔːrtʃuːn/ B1	noun - luck or chance
real estate /ˈriːəl ɪsˌteɪt/ B2	noun - property consisting of land or buildings
cigarette /ˌsɪgəˈrɛt/ A2	noun - a small tube of tobacco to be smoked
boarded /ˈbɔːrdɪd/ B1	verb (past tense of board) - to get on a vehicle or ship
dream /driːm/ B1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions while sleeping verb - to experience such thoughts during sleep
hitchhike /ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk/ B2	verb - to travel by getting free rides in other vehicles
scenery /ˈsiːnəri/ B1	noun - the natural features of a landscape
magazine /ˌmægəˈziːn/ B1	noun - a publication issued periodically
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of Earth
field /fiːld/ A2	noun - an area of land used for farming or farming activities
cars /kɑːrz/ A1	noun - plural of car, a road vehicle
America /əˈmɛrɪkə/ A1	noun - a continent or country in the Western Hemisphere

Key Grammar Structures

• Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will' (we'll marry)

  ➔ The phrase '**we'll marry**' uses 'will' to express a future intention.

• I've got some real estate here in my bag

  ➔ Present Perfect with 'have got' (I've got)

  ➔ The phrase '**I've got**' indicates possession using the present perfect tense.

• So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies

  ➔ Past Simple tense ('bought')

  ➔ The word '**bought**' is the past simple form of 'buy', indicating a completed action in the past.

• And walked off to look for America

  ➔ Past Simple tense ('walked') with infinitive ('to look')

  ➔ The sentence uses the **Past Simple** tense with 'walked' to describe an action completed in the past.

• I'm empty and aching and I don't know why

  ➔ Present Simple tense ('I'm', 'don't know')

  ➔ Both phrases '**I'm**' and '**don't know**' are in the **present simple tense**, describing current states and facts.

• Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike

  ➔ Present Continuous tense ('Counting')

  ➔ The verb '**Counting**' is in the **present continuous tense**, indicating an ongoing action.

• All come to look for America

  ➔ Present tense with 'come' (plural subject)

  ➔ The verb '**come**' is in the **present simple tense** and agrees with the plural subject '**All**'.