Chicago – English Lyrics

• By: Michael Jackson

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful rhythms of Michael Jackson's 'Chicago' to enhance your English vocabulary! This song is perfect for learning expressive, romantic idioms and understanding how to convey deep emotions and yearning through lyrical storytelling.

[English]

I met her on my way to chicago

Where she was all alone

And so was I so I asked her for her name

She smiled and looked at me

I was surprised to see

That a woman like that was really into me

She said she didn't have no man

Raised the kids the very best she can (She was lovin' me)

She told me she was all alone

Sad at home, she didn't have no phone (She was wantin' me)

She said just to give her a page

Fifty nine was the code she gave (She was lovin' me)

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she was lovin' me, lovin' me

Yeah

I never would've thought she was living like that

Her words seemed so sincere

When I held her near she would tell me how she feels

It felt so real to me

This girl, she had to be

An angel sent from heaven just for me

She said she didn't have no man

Raised the kids the very best she can (She was lovin' me)

She told me she was all alone

Sad at home, she didn't have no phone (She was wantin' me)

She said just to give her a page

Fifty nine was the code she gave

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she was lovin' me, lovin' me

Yeah

She tried to live a double life (She was lovin' me)

Lovin' me while she was still your wife (She was wantin' me)

She thought that lovin' me was cool

While you at work and the kids at school (She was lovin' me)

She said that it would never end

Tried to get me any way she can (She was wantin' me)

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she got a family, family

Yeah

Why? No, alright

I didn't know she was already spoken for

Cause I'm not that kind of man

I swear that I would have never looked her way

Now I feel so much shame

And now things have to change

You should know that I'm holding her to blame

She said she didn't have no man

Raised the kids the very best she can (Holdin' her to blame)

She told me she was all alone

Sad at home, she didn't have no phone (Holdin' her to blame)

She said just to give her a page

Fifty nine was the code she gave (Holdin' her to blame)

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she was lovin' me, lovin' me

Yeah (Holdin' her to blame)

She tried to live a double life

Lovin' me while she was still your wife (Holdin' her to blame)

She thought that lovin' me was cool

While you at work and the kids at school (Holdin' her to blame)

She said that it would never end

Tried to get me any way she can (Holdin' her to blame)

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she got a family, family

Yeah

She said she didn't have no man

Raised the kids the very best she can (She was lovin' me)

She told me she was all alone

Sad at home, she didn't have no phone (She was lovin' me)

She said just to give her a page

Fifty nine was the code she gave

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she was lovin' me, lovin' me

Yeah (She was lovin' me)

She tried to live a double life

Lovin' me while she was still your wife (She was wantin' me)

She thought that lovin' me was cool (She was lovin' me)

While you at work and the kids at school (She was lovin' me)

She said that it would never end

Tried to get me any way she can (She was wantin' me)

She lied to you, lied to me

Cause she got a family, family

Yeah

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
surprised /səˈpraɪzd/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing mild astonishment or shock
sincere /sɪnˈsɪər/ B2	adjective - free from pretense or deceit; genuine
angel /ˈeɪndʒəl/ A2	noun - a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant or messenger of God
heaven /ˈhɛvən/ B1	noun - a place of supreme happiness; paradise
double /ˈdʌbəl/ A2	adjective - consisting of two parts, elements, or people
lied /laɪd/ A2	verb - past tense of lie; to tell an untruth
shame /ʃeɪm/ B1	noun - a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong behavior
blame /bleɪm/ B1	verb - assign responsibility for a fault or wrong noun - responsibility for a fault or wrong
spoken /ˈspoʊkən/ B1	adjective - in the context of 'spoken for', meaning claimed or taken
sincere /sɪnˈsɪər/ B2	adjective - truthful and honest
raised /reɪzd/ B1	verb - past tense of raise; to bring up children
family /ˈfæmili/ A1	noun - a group of people related by blood or marriage

Key Grammar Structures

• I never would've thought she was living like that

  ➔ Third Conditional (Hypothetical past)

  ➔ "would've thought" indicates a belief about a past situation that did not align with reality.

• She lied to you, lied to me / Cause she was lovin' me

  ➔ Past Continuous (Interrupted action)

  ➔ "was lovin'" emphasizes that the action of loving was in progress during that period.

• I swear that I would have never looked her way

  ➔ Modal perfect (Past speculation)

  ➔ "would have never looked" refers to an action that could have happened but didn't in the past.

• She thought that lovin' me was cool

  ➔ Gerund as Subject/Object

  ➔ "lovin' me" acts as the noun phrase (the object) of the verb "thought".

• While you at work and the kids at school

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of verbs)

  ➔ The verb "are" is omitted for stylistic flow: "While you [are] at work..."

• She lied to you, lied to me

  ➔ Simple Past (Completed action)

  ➔ "lied" is the past simple form indicating a specific action that finished in the past.

• I met her on my way to chicago

  ➔ Prepositional phrase of time/location

  ➔ "on my way to chicago" functions as a prepositional phrase providing context to the verb "met".

• She said that it would never end

  ➔ Reported Speech (Future in the past)

  ➔ "would never end" is the past equivalent of "will never end" used in reported speech.