drivers license – English Lyrics

• By: David Byrne

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into David Byrne’s unique new wave interpretation of 'drivers license' and experience the song's universal themes of heartbreak and loss through a new stylistic lens. While the lyrics are in English, the cover offers a chance to explore a dramatic shift in musical arrangement and learn how a change in style can completely transform the emotional impact of a familiar melody. Listen for Byrne's clever lyrical swap and the distinct Talking Heads-esque production elements.

[English]

I got my driver's license last week

Just like we always talked about

'Cause you were so excited for me

To finally drive up to your house

Today, I drove through the suburbs crying

'Cause you weren't around

And you're probably with that blonde boy

The one who always made me doubt

He's so much younger than me

Everything I'm insecure about

Today, I drove through the suburbs

'Cause how could I ever love someone else?

And I know we weren't perfect

But I've never felt this way for no one

And I just can't imagine

How you could be okay now that I'm gone

Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me

'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

And all my friends are tired

Of hearing how much I miss you, but

I kinda feel sorry for them

They'll never know you the way that I do, yeah

Today, I drove through the suburbs

And I pictured I was driving home to you

And I know we weren't perfect

But I've never felt this way for no one

And I just can't imagine

How you could be okay now that I'm gone

Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me

'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

...

Red lights, stop signs

I still see your face in the white cars, front yards

Can't drive by the places we used to go to

'Cause I still fuckin' love you, babe (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh)

Sidewalks we crossed

I still hear your voice in the traffic, laughing

Over all the noise

God, I'm so blue, we're through

But I still fuckin' love you, babe (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh)

And I know we weren't perfect

But I've never felt this way for no one

And I just can't imagine

How you could be okay now that I'm gone

Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me

'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
driver /ˈdraɪvər/ A2	noun - person who operates a vehicle
license /ˈlaɪsəns/ A2	noun - official document giving permission to do something
excited /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/ B1	adjective - feeling eager or enthusiastic
drive /draɪv/ A2	verb - to operate a vehicle
suburb /ˈsʌbɜːrb/ B2	noun - a residential area on the outskirts of a city
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears
blonde /blɒnd/ B2	adjective - having light yellowish hair
doubt /daʊt/ B2	verb - to feel uncertain about something noun - a feeling of uncertainty
younger /ˈjʌŋɡər/ B1	adjective - being less old
insecure /ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊər/ B2	adjective - lacking confidence or certainty
perfect /ˈpɜːrfɪkt/ B1	adjective - without any flaws or defects
imagine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ B1	verb - to form a mental picture of something
forever /fəˈrɛvər/ B1	adverb - for all future time
street /striːt/ A2	noun - a public road in a city or town
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
miss /mɪs/ B1	verb - to feel longing for someone or something absent
blue /bluː/ A2	adjective - of the colour between green and violet in the spectrum
traffic /ˈtræfɪk/ B2	noun - vehicles moving on a road or the movement of people and goods

Key Grammar Structures

• I got my driver's license last week

  ➔ Past tense

  ➔ The verb 'got' is in the past tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• 'Cause you were so excited for me

  ➔ Contraction and past continuous tense

  ➔ 'Cause is a contraction of 'because', and 'were excited' is in the past continuous tense, showing an ongoing action in the past.

• Today, I drove through the suburbs crying

  ➔ Present tense with time marker

  ➔ The verb 'drove' is in the past tense, but 'Today' indicates the action is relevant to the present context.

• He's so much younger than me

  ➔ Comparative adjective

  ➔ 'Much younger' uses the comparative form to compare ages.

• How could I ever love someone else?

  ➔ Modal verb in a question

  ➔ 'Could' is a modal verb used to express possibility or doubt in a question.

• But I've never felt this way for no one

  ➔ Present perfect with 'never'

  ➔ The present perfect 'have felt' with 'never' emphasizes the absence of an experience up to now.

• Can't drive by the places we used to go to

  ➔ Contraction and used to

  ➔ 'Can't' is a contraction of 'cannot', and 'used to' indicates a past habit.

• But I still fuckin' love you, babe

  ➔ Emphatic adverb

  ➔ 'Fuckin'' is an emphatic adverb used to intensify the emotion expressed.