Babies Makin' Babies – English Lyrics

• By: Miranda Lambert
• Album: Platinum

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Two kids from Tacoma

In a '72 Nova,

No pill and barely old enough to drive.

Learned the ropes and tested science,

Started Pentecostal riots,

In just five minutes behind the roller rink,

in the back seat brings.

The American dream on a shoestring,

first you grow it, then you show it.

Give a good push just like a Brady.

Say you'll love them until you're 80.

Too soon to be a mother and father,

but too late for the alma mater.

Yeah, it's always in the water,

babies makin' babies.

Between diplomas and the diapers,

they become couch quarter finders.

Savin' up for a Maytag microwave.

Oh, but all has been forgiven,

on the day the water christen,

the best thing that could have happened by mistake.

The American dream on a shoestring,

first you grow it then you show it.

Give a good push just like a Brady.

Say you'll love them 'till you're 80.

Too soon to be a mother and father,

but too late for the alma mater.

Yeah, it's always in the water,

babies makin' babies.

Well it's a tried and true equation,

maintains a small town population,

that turns us all into a family.

The American dream on a shoestring,

first you grow it then you show it.

Give a good push just like a Brady.

Say you'll love them 'till you're 80.

Too soon to be a mother and father,

but too late for the alma mater.

Yeah, it's always in the water,

babies makin' babies.

Yes, it's always in the water,

babies makin babies.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
babies /ˈbeɪbiz/ A1	noun - very young children; infants
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - clear liquid that forms seas, rivers, lakes, and rain
American /əˈmɛrɪkən/ A2	adjective - relating to the United States of America
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep; an aspiration verb - to experience dreams while sleeping; to imagine or aspire
mother /ˈmʌðər/ A1	noun - a female parent
father /ˈfɑːðər/ A1	noun - a male parent
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or strong feeling of attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
shoestring /ˈʃuːˌstrɪŋ/ C1	noun - a thin string used to tighten shoes; a very small amount of money (as in "shoestring budget")
grow /ɡroʊ/ A2	verb - to increase in size, develop, or become larger
push /pʊʃ/ A2	verb - to exert force on something in order to move it away
equation /ɪˈkweɪʒən/ B2	noun - a mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions
town /taʊn/ A2	noun - a small urban area, larger than a village but smaller than a city
population /ˌpɑːpjʊˈleɪʃən/ B2	noun - all the inhabitants of a particular place
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption
diploma /dɪˈploʊmə/ B1	noun - an official document certifying that someone has completed a course of study
diaper /ˈdaɪpər/ A2	noun - an absorbent garment worn by babies to catch waste
forgive /fərˈɡɪv/ B1	verb - to stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offense
Pentecostal /ˌpɛn.tɪˈkɒs.təl/ C1	adjective - relating to Pentecostalism, a Christian movement emphasizing the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues noun - a member of a Pentecostal church

Key Grammar Structures

• Two kids from Tacoma in a '72 Nova, no pill and barely **old enough to drive**.

  ➔ Adjective + enough + infinitive (enough + infinitive) to express sufficient degree.

  ➔ The phrase **"enough to drive"** shows that the kids are just barely old **enough** "to drive".

• Learned the ropes **and tested** science.

  ➔ Past simple tense for regular verbs; coordination with conjunction "and".

  ➔ Both **"learned"** and **"tested"** are in the past simple, showing completed actions.

• Give a good push **just like a Brady**.

  ➔ Imperative mood; simile using "just like" + noun phrase.

  ➔ The verb **"Give"** is an imperative, and **"just like a Brady"** forms a simile.

• Say you'll love them **until you're 80**.

  ➔ Future with "will" in reported speech; time clause with "until" + present simple.

  ➔ The clause **"you'll love"** uses the future "will"; the time phrase **"until you're 80"** uses the present simple after "until".

• Too **soon to be** a mother and father, but too **late for** the alma mater.

  ➔ "too ... to" construction expressing excess; infinitive after "too" and preposition "for" after adjective.

  ➔ The adjective **"too"** is followed by **"soon to be"** (infinitive) and **"late for"** (preposition) to show excess.

• Savin' up **for a Maytag microwave**.

  ➔ Gerund as noun (subject/object); preposition "for" indicating purpose.

  ➔ The gerund **"Savin'"** functions as a noun, and **"for"** introduces the purpose "a Maytag microwave".

• Oh, but all **has been forgiven**.

  ➔ Present perfect passive voice (has/have + been + past participle).

  ➔ The verb phrase **"has been forgiven"** combines the present perfect auxiliary **"has"** with the passive marker **"been"** and the past participle **"forgiven"**.

• The best thing that **could have happened** by mistake.

  ➔ Modal perfect construction (could have + past participle) to express unrealized possibility in the past.

  ➔ The phrase **"could have happened"** uses the modal **"could"** + perfect infinitive **"have happened"** to talk about a possible past event.

• That **turns** us all into a family.

  ➔ Simple present tense, third‑person singular verb ending in -s.

  ➔ The verb **"turns"** is in the simple present, agreeing with the singular subject **"that"**.