American Rock 'n Roll – English Lyrics

• By: Kid Rock
• Album: Sweet Southern Sugar

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Midnight riding in my old two seater

Rolling down the boulevard

Headlights shining on rusty fences

As I pass the rail yard

Black leather jacket on a Friday night

Fire up the lighter and a Lucky Strike

The radio's saying "Take a walk on the wild side"

And it's got me feeling like

We go wide open it's a pedal down kind of a thing

Little bit of Mo-Town smooth

A little bit of Memphis Blues

A sea of emotion raining all over me

Give me that heart and that soul

American rock 'n roll

I can see the banner on the courthouse flying

Proud red, white, and blue

I can see her waiving on the corner smiling

Cause she feels just like I do

Now she's sitting right next to me

Everything's how it oughta be

Being young in the land of the free

And she's got me feeling like

We go wide open it's a pedal down kind of a thing

A little bit of Folsom Blues

A little bit of gangster smooth

A sea of emotion raining all over me

Give me that heart and that soul

American rock 'n roll

Midnight riding in my old two seater

Rolling down the boulevard

Headlights shining on rusty fences

As I pass the rail yard

And it's got me feeling like

We go wide open it's a pedal down kind of a thing

A little bit of Delta Blues

A little "Blue Suede Shoes"

A sea of emotion raining all over me

Give me that heart and that soul

American rock 'n roll

American rock 'n roll

American rock 'n roll

American rock 'n roll

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
midnight /ˈmɪdnaɪt/ B1	noun - the middle of the night, about 12 a.m.
riding /ˈraɪdɪŋ/ B1	verb - to sit on and control a vehicle, animal, or bike
boulevard /ˈbuːləvɑːrd/ B2	noun - a wide, often tree‑lined city street
headlights /ˈhɛdlaɪts/ B2	noun - lights mounted at the front of a vehicle
rusty /ˈrʌsti/ B2	adjective - covered with or containing rust
leather /ˈlɛðər/ B1	noun - a strong, flexible material made from animal skin
jacket /ˈdʒækɪt/ A2	noun - a short coat, typically with sleeves
radio /ˈreɪdioʊ/ A2	noun - a device that receives broadcast signals; the broadcast itself
wild /waɪld/ A2	adjective - untamed, uncontrolled, or unconventional
blues /bluːz/ B2	noun - a genre of music originating in the African‑American communities of the United States
emotion /ɪˈmoʊʃən/ B1	noun - a strong feeling such as love, anger, or joy
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood; also the centre of feelings
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a person
American /əˈmerɪkən/ A2	adjective - relating to the United States of America noun - a person who is a citizen of the United States
rock /rɒk/ A2	noun - a hard, solid mineral material verb - to move back and forth or side to side
roll /roʊl/ A2	verb - to turn over or rotate noun - a small, round loaf of bread
banner /ˈbænər/ B1	noun - a long strip of cloth bearing a slogan or design, hung in public places
courthouse /ˈkɔːrtˌhaʊs/ B2	noun - a building where judicial cases are heard and decided
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not under control or restriction; not costing anything
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - having lived or existed for only a short time; not old

Key Grammar Structures

• Midnight riding in my old two seater

  ➔ Present participle phrase (adverbial)

  ➔ The word "riding" is a present participle that forms a phrase indicating when the action takes place.

• Headlights shining on rusty fences

  ➔ Reduced relative clause (present participle)

  ➔ "shining" is a present participle that shortens "that are shining" into a reduced relative clause.

• Fire up the lighter and a Lucky Strike

  ➔ Imperative sentence with coordinated objects

  ➔ "Fire" is an imperative verb; "up the lighter and a Lucky Strike" are two coordinated objects joined by "and".

• The radio's saying "Take a walk on the wild side"

  ➔ Present progressive for ongoing action + direct quotation

  ➔ "is saying" ("'s saying") shows that the radio is speaking at this moment, followed by a direct quote.

• We go wide open it's a pedal down kind of a thing

  ➔ Simple present + copular "it is ... kind of" construction

  ➔ "We go" is simple present; "it's a … kind of" uses the copular verb "is" to define something as a particular type.

• Give me that heart and that soul

  ➔ Imperative with indirect object pronoun

  ➔ "Give" is an imperative verb; "me" is the indirect object pronoun receiving the action.

• I can see the banner on the courthouse flying

  ➔ Modal + perception verb + object + present participle clause

  ➔ "can see" is a modal + perception verb; "flying" is a present participle describing the banner while it is being seen.

• Now she's sitting right next to me

  ➔ Present continuous with adverb of degree "right"

  ➔ "is sitting" shows an ongoing action; "right" intensifies the proximity – "right next to me".

• Being young in the land of the free

  ➔ Gerund phrase functioning as subject

  ➔ "Being" is a gerund that acts as the subject of the clause, meaning "the state of being young".