American Rock 'n Roll – English Lyrics

• By: Kid Rock
• Album: Sweet Southern Sugar

Lyrics & Translation

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".