Divers and Submarines – English Lyrics

• By: Passenger
• Album: Divers and Submarines

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical journey with Passenger's "Divers and Submarines," a compelling indie folk song that masterfully uses rich metaphors to explore the complexities of human relationships. Learning the language through this song offers a unique opportunity to understand expressive English through its evocative imagery of deep-sea descent and emotional entanglement. Its poignant narrative and Passenger's characteristic storytelling make it a special piece for language learners seeking to grasp nuanced sentiment in English music.

[English]

Well, I clung to you

Like cat hair clings to a woollen shirt

You needed me, like a weddin' dress needs dirt

The more that I wanted, the harder I squeezed

The harder I squeezed, the less you could breathe

And we sunk down to the bottom

Yeah, we sunk down

To the bottom of the sea

Yeah, we sunk down

To the bottom of the sea

And I cried for you

Like a widow cries at her lover's grave

You haunted me

Through my stinging nights

And aching days

The more that you struggled, the tighter the knots

The tighter the knots, the lower we got

And we sunk down to the bottom

Yeah, we sunk down (sunk down)

To the bottom of the sea

Yeah, we sunk down (sunk down)

To the bottom of the sea

Yeah, we sunk down (sunk down)

To the bottom of the sea, oh-no

'Cause I saw divers and submarines

And I saw divers and submarines

Oh, I saw divers and submarines

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
clung /klʌŋ/ B1	verb - To hold on tightly to something or someone, often out of fear or desperation; past tense and past participle of 'cling'.
woollen /ˈwʊlən/ B2	adjective - Made partly or entirely of wool.
squeezed /skwiːzd/ B1	verb - To firmly press (something soft or pliant), typically to extract liquid or alter its shape; past tense and past participle of 'squeeze'.
breathe /briːð/ A2	verb - To take air into and send it out from the lungs.
sunk /sʌŋk/ B1	verb - To go down below the surface of water or another liquid; past participle of 'sink', often used as a simple past in informal or poetic contexts.
bottom /ˈbɒtəm/ A2	noun - The lowest part of something.
sea /siː/ A1	noun - The expanse of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface and surrounds its landmasses.
widow /ˈwɪdəʊ/ B2	noun - A woman who has lost her husband by death and has not remarried.
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - A place of burial for a dead body, typically a hole dug in the ground and marked by a stone or mound.
haunted /ˈhɔːntɪd/ B2	verb - (Of a ghost) to manifest itself in (a place) regularly; (of a memory, idea, or feeling) to recur persistently to (the mind) in a troubling way; past tense and past participle of 'haunt'. adjective - (Of a place) inhabited or visited by ghosts; (of a person) troubled by recurrent visions or thoughts.
stinging /ˈstɪŋɪŋ/ B2	adjective - (Of a pain or wound) sharp, pricking, or burning.
aching /ˈeɪkɪŋ/ B2	adjective - Experiencing a continuous dull pain.
struggled /ˈstrʌɡəld/ B1	verb - To make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or to resist attack; past tense and past participle of 'struggle'.
knots /nɒts/ B1	noun - A fastening made by tying a piece of string, rope, or something similar; plural of 'knot'.
divers /ˈdaɪvərz/ B1	noun - People who work underwater or swim underwater using special equipment; plural of 'diver'.
submarines /ˌsʌbməˈriːnz/ B2	noun - Warships or other vessels with a streamlined hull designed to operate completely submerged in the sea for long periods; plural of 'submarine'.

Key Grammar Structures

• Well, I clung to you

  ➔ Past simple of an irregular verb (cling → clung)

  ➔ "clung" is the past tense form of the verb "cling".

• You needed me, like a weddin' dress needs dirt

  ➔ Simile using "like"

  ➔ "like" introduces a comparison: "like a weddin' dress needs dirt".

• The more that I wanted, the harder I squeezed

  ➔ Comparative correlative (the more … the harder …)

  ➔ "the more" and "the harder" are paired to show a cause‑effect relationship.

• The harder I squeezed, the less you could breathe

  ➔ Comparative correlative (the harder … the less …)

  ➔ "the harder" is linked with "the less" to express a decreasing result.

• And we sunk down to the bottom

  ➔ Irregular past form used as simple past (sunk instead of sank)

  ➔ "sunk" is the past participle of "sink" but is used here as the simple past.

• I cried for you like a widow cries at her lover's grave

  ➔ Mixed tenses in a simile (past "cried" vs. present "cries")

  ➔ "cried" is past tense, while "cries" stays in present to create a vivid comparison.

• The tighter the knots, the lower we got

  ➔ Comparative correlative (the tighter … the lower …)

  ➔ "the tighter" is paired with "the lower" to show a proportional relationship.

• 'Cause I saw divers and submarines

  ➔ Informal contraction of "because"

  ➔ "'Cause" stands for "because" and introduces a reason.

• And I saw divers and submarines

  ➔ Coordinating conjunction "and" linking two nouns

  ➔ "and" joins the objects "divers" and "submarines" in the same clause.