Dawn Patrol – English Lyrics

• By: Megadeth
• Album: Rust In Peace

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the ominous world of Megadeth's "Dawn Patrol" and explore its powerful English lyrics. This short, atmospheric track from their classic "Rust in Peace" album offers a unique listening experience with its haunting mood and distinct vocal delivery. Understanding the song's context of environmental decay and post-apocalyptic survival can enrich your English vocabulary, especially with terms related to environmentalism and dystopian themes, while its spoken-word style provides a clear, albeit unsettling, narrative to follow.

[English]

Thermal count is rising

In perpetual writhing

The primordial ooze

And the sanity they lose

Awakened in the morning

To more air pollution warnings

Still we sleepwalk off to work

While our n-n-n-nervous systems jerk

...

Pretending not to notice

How history had forebode us

With the greenhouse in effect

Our environment was wrecked

Now I can only laugh

As I read our epitaph

We end our lives as moles

In the dark of dawn patrol

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rising /ˈraɪzɪŋ/ A2	verb - moving upward
writhing /ˈraɪðɪŋ/ B2	verb - twisting and turning in pain or struggle
primordial /prɑɪˈmɔrdɪəl/ C1	adjective - existing at the beginning of time
sanity /ˈsænɪti/ B2	noun - the state of being mentally healthy
awakened /əˈweɪkənd/ B1	verb - stopped sleeping and became aware
pollution /pəˈluʃən/ B1	noun - the presence of harmful substances in the environment
sleepwalk /ˈsliːpwɔk/ B2	verb - to walk or perform actions while asleep
nervous /ˈnɜrvəs/ A2	adjective - anxious or uneasy
forebode /fɔrˈboʊd/ C1	verb - to be a warning or indication of something bad
greenhouse /ˈɡriːnˌhaʊs/ B1	noun - a building where plants are grown
environment /ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/ B1	noun - the natural world and its conditions
wrecked /rɛkt/ B1	verb - destroyed or severely damaged
epitaph /ˈɛpɪtæf/ C1	noun - an inscription on a tombstone
moles /moʊlz/ A2	noun - small burrowing mammals
patrol /pəˈtroʊl/ B1	noun - the act of keeping watch over an area

Key Grammar Structures

• Thermal count is rising

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase 'is rising' shows an action happening right now or continuously in the present.

• The primordial ooze

  ➔ Noun phrase with adjective

  ➔ 'Primordial' modifies the noun 'ooze,' describing its ancient or original nature.

• Still we sleepwalk off to work

  ➔ Adverb inversion

  ➔ 'Still' appears at the start for emphasis, slightly changing the normal word order.

• While our nervous systems jerk

  ➔ Context clause with 'while'

  ➔ 'While' introduces a simultaneous action or contrast between two clauses.

• Pretending not to notice

  ➔ Gerund phrase

  ➔ The gerund 'pretending' functions as a subject or an introductory phrase describing continuous behavior.

• With the greenhouse in effect

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'with the greenhouse in effect' gives a cause or background condition to the main action.

• Our environment was wrecked

  ➔ Passive voice (past tense)

  ➔ The structure 'was wrecked' shows the subject received the action rather than performing it.

• I can only laugh

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' + bare infinitive

  ➔ The structure 'can laugh' expresses ability or a reaction possible for the speaker.

• We end our lives as moles

  ➔ As-phrase expressing role or comparison

  ➔ The phrase 'as moles' compares human existence to that of underground creatures, showing metaphorical usage.