Army Dreamers – English Lyrics

• By: Kate Bush
• Album: Never for Ever

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a deeply moving experience, and Kate Bush's "Army Dreamers" offers a unique opportunity to explore English through its poetic and narrative lyrics. The song's clear storytelling, sung from the perspective of a grieving mother, allows learners to connect with powerful emotions while encountering rich vocabulary and metaphorical language. Its waltz-like rhythm and Bush's distinct vocal delivery make it a memorable and haunting piece, perfect for understanding how music and language can intertwine to tell a powerful story.

[English]

Army dreamers

Mammy's hero

B.F.P.O.

Mammy's hero

Our little army boy is coming home from B.F.P.O.

I've a bunch of purple flowers to decorate mammy's hero

Mourning in the aerodrome

The weather warmer, he is colder

Four men in uniform

To carry home my little soldier

( What could he do? ) ( Should have been a rockstar )

But he didn't have the money for a guitar

( What could he do? ) ( Should have been a politician )

But he never had a proper education

( What could he do? ) ( Should have been a father )

But he never even made it to his twenties

What a waste, army dreamers

Oh, what a waste of army dreamers

Tears o'er a tin box, oh, Jesus Christ, he wasn't to know

Like a chicken with a fox, he couldn't win the war with ego

Give the kid the pick of pips and give him all your stripes and ribbons

Now he's sitting in his hole, he might as well have buttons and bows

( What could he do? ) ( Should have been a rockstar ) But he didn't have the money for a guitar

( What could he do? ) ( Should have been a politician ) But he never had a proper education

( What could he do? ) ( Should have been a father ) But he never even made it to his twenties

What a waste, army dreamers

Ooh, what a waste of army dreamers

Ooh, what a waste of all them army dreamers

Army dreamers, army dreamers, ooh...

Key Grammar Structures

• Our little army boy is coming home from B.F.P.O.

  ➔ Present continuous tense for future arrangements

  ➔ The phrase "is coming home" uses present continuous to express a definite future plan.

• I've a bunch of purple flowers to decorate mammy's hero

  ➔ Contraction of 'I have' and the use of infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "I've" is a common contraction for "I have." The phrase "to decorate" indicates purpose.

• Mourning in the aerodrome

  ➔ Use of gerund as a noun

  ➔ "Mourning" functions as a noun here, describing a state or event.

• He never even made it to his twenties

  ➔ Use of adverb 'even' for emphasis and phrase 'make it to' for reaching a stage

  ➔ "Even" emphasizes the unexpectedness; "made it to" means reaching a certain age.

• Tears o'er a tin box, oh, Jesus Christ, he wasn't to know

  ➔ Use of archaic/prepositional contraction 'o'er' and modal phrase 'wasn't to know' for inevitability

  ➔ "O'er" replaces "over." The phrase "wasn't to know" expresses something he inevitably did not know.

• Give the kid the pick of pips and give him all your stripes and ribbons

  ➔ Imperative mood with repeated verb for emphasis

  ➔ The verbs "give" are used twice to stress the command or request.

• Now he's sitting in his hole, he might as well have buttons and bows

  ➔ Use of modal phrase 'might as well' expressing reluctant acceptance

  ➔ "Might as well" suggests doing something because there is no better option.

• But he never had a proper education

  ➔ Use of past simple negative to describe a past situation

  ➔ "Never had" is a past simple negative phrase indicating he did not receive education in the past.