Can't Repeat – English Lyrics

• By: The Offspring
• Album: Greatest Hits

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic journey, and The Offspring's "Can't Repeat" is a great place to start with English. The lyrics are clear and direct, exploring universal feelings of nostalgia and the passing of time with phrases like "The memories are bittersweet" and "Yesterday laughs, tomorrow cries." This song is special because it combines upbeat, energetic punk rock with a thoughtful and relatable message, making the language both accessible and meaningful to learn.

[English]

(DRIFTY MUSIC)

(INTENSE MUSIC)

♪ I WOKE THE OTHER DAY AND SAW MY WORLD HAS CHANGED ♪

♪ THE PAST IS OVER BUT TOMORROW'S WISHFUL THINKING ♪

♪ I CAN'T HOLD ONTO WHAT'S BEEN DONE ♪

♪ I CAN'T GRAB ONTO WHAT'S TO COME ♪

♪ AND I'M JUST WISHING I COULD STOP, BUT ♪

♪ LIFE GOES ON, COME OF AGE ♪

♪ CAN'T HOLD ON, TURN THE PAGE ♪

♪ TIME ROLLS ON, WIPE THESE EYES ♪

♪ YESTERDAY LAUGHS, TOMORROW CRIES ♪

(INTENSE MUSIC)

♪ MEMORIES ARE BITTERSWEET, THE GOOD TIMES WE CAN'T REPEAT ♪

♪ THOSE DAYS ARE GONE AND WE CAN NEVER GET 'EM BACK ♪

♪ NOW WE MUST MOVE AHEAD DESPITE OUR FEAR AND DREAD ♪

♪ WE'RE ALL JUST WISHING WE COULD STOP, BUT ♪

♪ LIFE GOES ON, COME OF AGE ♪

♪ CAN'T HOLD ON, TURN THE PAGE ♪

♪ TIME ROLLS ON, WIPE YOUR EYES ♪

♪ YESTERDAY LAUGHS, TOMORROW CRIES ♪

(INTENSE MUSIC)

♪ WITH ALL OUR JOYS AND FEARS WRAPPED IN FORGOTTEN YEARS ♪

♪ THE PAST IS LAUGHING AS TODAY JUST SLIPS AWAY ♪

♪ TIME TEARS DOWN WHAT WE'VE MADE ♪

♪ AND SETS ANOTHER STAGE ♪

♪ AND I'M JUST WISHING WE COULD STOP ♪

♪ LIFE GOES ON, COME OF AGE ♪

♪ CAN'T HOLD ON, TURN THE PAGE ♪

♪ TIME ROLLS ON, WIPE THESE EYES ♪

♪ YESTERDAY LAUGHS, TOMORROW CRIES ♪

♪ TIME ROLLS ON ♪

(INTENSE MUSIC)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
woke /woʊk/ B1	verb - past tense of 'wake', meaning to cease sleeping or become alert
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ B1	noun - the act or instance of making or becoming different verb - to make or become different
wish /wɪʃ/ A2	verb - to want something to happen
hold /hoʊld/ B1	verb - to grasp, carry, or support with the hands
forget /fərˈɡɛt/ B2	verb - to fail to remember
reach /riːtʃ/ B2	verb - to arrive at a place or goal
think /θɪŋk/ B1	verb - to have ideas or opinions
rolls /roʊlz/ B2	verb - to move or cause to move in a such a way that turns over and over
laughs /læfs/ A2	verb - to express happiness or amusement with a sound
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to produce tears especially as an expression of emotion
past /pæst/ A2	noun - a period of time that has already happened adjective - gone by in time
time /taɪm/ B1	noun - a measure of duration or a point in the sequence of events

Key Grammar Structures

• I CAN'T hold on to what's been done

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' + not (can't) + base verb to express inability or prohibition.

  ➔ The phrase shows inability to continue or 'hold on' to something.

• TIME ROLLS ON

  ➔ Verb + s (third person singular in present simple), idiomatic expression about the passage of time.

  ➔ It signifies the ongoing passage of time without stopping.

• YESTERDAY LAUGHS

  ➔ Subject + present tense verb, personification as 'yesterday' is depicted as capable of 'laughing'.

  ➔ An imaginative way to say that 'yesterday' is capable of laughing, emphasizing the passage of time.

• THE PAST IS LAUGHING

  ➔ Subject + is + verb ending in -ing (present continuous), personification as 'the past' doing an action.

  ➔ Personifying 'the past' as 'laughing' gives it active qualities, emphasizing its presence and influence.

• NOW WE MUST MOVE AHEAD DESPITE OUR FEAR AND DREAD

  ➔ Modal verb 'must' + infinitive, expressing obligation or necessity; 'despite' + noun phrase indicating contrast.

  ➔ Indicates strong obligation to proceed regardless of fear and dread.

• WE'RE ALL JUST WISHING WE COULD STOP

  ➔ Contraction of 'we are' + adverb 'just' + present participle 'wishing' + 'that' clause with 'could' + base verb.

  ➔ Shows the ongoing desire or hope to stop doing something, expressed with a modal 'could'.