COLD TURKEY – English Lyrics

• By: Plastic Ono Band
• Album: GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw and unflinching honesty of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey." This powerful track offers a direct, visceral depiction of an intense personal struggle, making its lyrics a compelling way to explore English vocabulary related to strong emotions, physical sensations, and personal resilience. The song's straightforward and descriptive language provides an authentic glimpse into Lennon's mindset, showcasing how English can be used to convey deep human experience with uncompromising clarity, making it special for its bold thematic content and raw musicality.

[English]

Temperature's rising

Fever is high

Can't see no future

Can't see no sky

My feet are so heavy

So is my head

I wish I was a baby

I wish I was dead

Cold Turkey

Has got me

On the run

My body is aching

Goose pimple bone

Can't see nobody

Leave me alone

My eyes are wide open

Can't get to sleep

One thing I'm sure of

I'm in at the deep freeze

Cold turkey

Has got me

On the run

Cold turkey

Has got me

On the run

Thirty-six hours

Rolling in pain

Praying for someone

Free me again

Oh I'll be a good boy

Please make me well

I promise you anything

Get me out of this hell

Cold turkey

Has got me

On the run

Key Grammar Structures

• Temperature's rising

  ➔ Present continuous tense with apostrophe contraction

  ➔ The apostrophe in 'Temperature's' is a contraction of 'Temperature is', indicating ongoing action.

• Can't see no future

  ➔ Double negative in informal speech

  ➔ 'Can't see no future' uses double negatives ('can't' and 'no'), which is common in informal English but not standard.

• I wish I was a baby

  ➔ Subjunctive mood with 'wish'

  ➔ The subjunctive mood is used after 'wish' to express a desire contrary to fact, here 'I was a baby'.

• Cold Turkey / Has got me

  ➔ Subject-verb inversion in poetic expression

  ➔ The inversion of 'Has got me' after 'Cold Turkey' emphasizes the poetic rhythm and intensity of the phrase.

• One thing I'm sure of

  ➔ Present simple with contraction

  ➔ The contraction 'I'm' is used in 'I'm sure of', which is a common way to express certainty in present simple tense.

• Praying for someone / Free me again

  ➔ Gerund and infinitive in sequential actions

  ➔ 'Praying' is a gerund (noun form of the verb) and 'free me' is an infinitive, showing sequential actions.

• I promise you anything

  ➔ Use of 'anything' as an indefinite pronoun

  ➔ 'Anything' is used to refer to no specific thing, emphasizing the speaker's desperation.

• Get me out of this hell

  ➔ Imperative mood with object pronoun

  ➔ The imperative mood is used to give a direct command, here with the object pronoun 'me'.