Big Parade – English Lyrics

• By: The Lumineers

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into "Big Parade" by The Lumineers to experience rich, poetic storytelling and a raw, vulnerable musical style. This song offers an excellent opportunity to enhance your English listening and comprehension skills through its vivid imagery, diverse narratives, and deeply emotional lyrics. What makes it special is its ability to blend cynical observations with a powerful message of enduring hope and newfound clarity, making it a compelling piece to explore the nuances of English expression.

[English]

Lovely girl won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me

All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see

Lovely girl won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me

All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see

Fleet of black, fleet of black limousines

All tinted machines

Here comes the cavalcade

With the armoured cars, armoured cars like birettas

Flags on antennas

Designed to keep me safe, keep me safe

And oh my, my oh hey, hey

Here he comes, the candidate

Blue-eyed boy, United States

Vote for him, the candidate

Diamonds cut

Diamonds cut for the carats

Plaster of Paris

The floats fill up the street

And the beauty queens, beauty queens with the white gloves

All sick from the nightclubs

They wave with pageantry, pageantry

Oh, my, my oh hey, hey

Here it comes, the big parade

Marching bands and barricades

Make way, for the big parade

...

Canvas covered, canvas covered in resin

The violent men who dance the blood ballet

And the bookies say, bookies say it's the 3rd round

Oh, when Louie will go down

If he don't there's hell to pay, and hell to raise

And oh my, my oh hey, hey

Here he comes, the welterweight

Take a dive, for goodness' sake

Or say goodbye to the welterweight

Catholic priest, catholic priest in a crisis

He's torn between romance and Jesus

Who will win the civil war

And he says I'm in love, I'm in love with a woman

Yea this is my confession, I'm leaving I can't a priest any more, any more

And oh my, my oh hey, hey

There he goes, the man of faith

Left the church for a fiancé

Let him love, the man of faith

...

TV cameras, TV cameras and stagehands

American bandstand, electric guitars

And he's singing songs, singing songs for the lonely

All the girls with the room keys

They know all his words by heart, by heart (and they all sing)

Lovely girl won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me

All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see

Lovely girl won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me

All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see

Lovely girl won't you stay, oh, oh oh, oh

Oh, my, my oh hey, hey

Here she comes by saving grace

Burn the car and save the plates

She's arrived, my saving grace

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stay /steɪ/ A2	verb - to remain in the same place or condition
blind /blaɪnd/ A2	adjective - unable to see verb - to make blind
fleet /fliːt/ B1	noun - a group of ships or vehicles moving together verb - to move quickly
cavalcade /ˌkævəlˈkeɪd/ B2	noun - a formal procession or parade
armoured /ˈɑːrmərd/ C1	adjective - equipped with armor for protection
candidate /ˈkændɪdət/ A2	noun - a person applying for a position or office
diamonds /ˈdaɪəməndz/ B1	noun - precious stones with a crystalline structure
resin /ˈrezɪn/ B2	noun - a sticky substance from plants or trees
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - the Red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins
blood ballet /ˈblʌd bəˈleɪ/ C1	noun - a dance or performance depicting violence or bloodshed
civil /ˈsɪv.əl/ B2	adjective - relating to citizens or their activities
priest /priːst/ A2	noun - a religious leader in Christianity
romance /roʊˈmæns/ B2	noun - a romantic relationship or love story
confession /kənˈfɛʃən/ C1	noun - a formal statement admitting guilt or revealing secrets
faith /feɪθ/ B2	noun - strong belief or trust in someone or something
stagehands /ˈsteɪdʒˌhændz/ C1	noun - people who assist with stage production
electric /ɪˈlɛk.trɪk/ B2	adjective - relating to electricity
guitar /ɡɪˈtɑːr/ A2	noun - a stringed musical instrument played by strumming