Dirt Cheap

• By: Cody Johnson
• Album: Leather

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
cotton /ˈkɒtn/ A2	noun - a soft white fibrous substance that surrounds the seeds of a plant
farmer /ˈfɑːrmər/ A1	noun - a person who owns or manages a farm
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - an urban area that has a name, defined boundaries, and local government, and that is generally larger than a village and smaller than a city.
rich /rɪtʃ/ A2	adjective - having a great deal of money or assets; wealthy
girl /ɡɜːrl/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or urban area
hair /her/ A1	noun - any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and other animals
buddy /ˈbʌdi/ A2	noun - a close friend
dog /dɔːɡ/ A1	noun - a domesticated carnivorous mammal that typically has a long snout, an acute sense of smell, nonretractile claws, and a barking, howling, or whining voice.
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
knee /niː/ A2	noun - the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans
dirt /dɜːrt/ A2	noun - dust, mud, or grime
drought /draʊt/ B1	noun - a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this
flood /flʌd/ B1	noun - an overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal limits, especially over what is normally dry land
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a pleased, kind, or amused facial expression
worry /ˈwɜːri/ A2	noun - a state of anxiety and concern about actual or potential problems
puppy /ˈpʌpi/ A2	noun - a young dog
shade /ʃeɪd/ B1	noun - slight darkness or coolness caused by shelter from direct sunlight
stray /streɪ/ B2	noun - a domestic animal that has wandered away from its home or is homeless

Grammar:

• They came in thinkin' top dollar

  ➔ Gerund as a Noun (thinkin')

  ➔ Here, "thinkin'" (thinking) acts as a noun, representing the act of thinking something. It's common in informal speech/songs to drop the "g" from "-ing" words. The full clause would be "They came in, thinking they would get top dollar."

• You know all the others went and cashed out

  ➔ Phrasal verb: "cashed out"

  ➔ "Cashed out" means to convert an investment into cash, or to sell something for money.

• Whatever you're offerin', it won't be enough

  ➔ Reduced relative clause (Whatever you're offering)

  ➔ "Whatever you're offering" acts as the subject of the sentence. The implied full clause could be "No matter what it is that you are offering". "Whatever" functions as a fused relative pronoun combining the antecedent and the relative pronoun itself.

• Cause I got a little girl that used to swing right there

  ➔ Relative Clause with "that" (defining)

  ➔ The phrase "that used to swing right there" is a relative clause that modifies "a little girl". "That" introduces the clause and is a relative pronoun referring back to the noun "girl". "used to" describes a past habit or state.

• What's she gonna do if she comes back, and we're gone?

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1) with Informal "gonna"

  ➔ This is a Type 1 conditional sentence expressing a real possibility in the future. "If she comes back, what will she do?" is the underlying structure. "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to".

• Lasted 13 huntin' season runnin' strong

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause / Adjectival Phrase

  ➔ This phrase acts as a description of the "huntin' season". It can be interpreted as a reduced relative clause where the relative pronoun and auxiliary verb are omitted (e.g., "which was running strong"). "Huntin'" is used as an adjective, typical in informal language.

• Keep your money 'cause a man can't leave his dog

  ➔ Informal Contraction ("cause") and Modal Verb ("can't")

  ➔ "Cause" is an informal contraction of "because". "Can't" is a contraction of "cannot", a modal verb expressing inability or impossibility.

• Yeah, you can't buy that kind of dirt cheap

  ➔ Modal Verb ("can't") and Adjective as Adverb ("dirt cheap")

  ➔ "Can't" (cannot) expresses impossibility. "Dirt cheap" is a compound adjective that is functioning adverbially here, modifying "buy" (you can't buy it in a "dirt cheap" manner). Using an adjective instead of an adverb is common in informal speech.