Drum + Fife – English Lyrics

• By: The Smashing Pumpkins
• Album: Monuments to an Elegy

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the defiant spirit of The Smashing Pumpkins' "Drum + Fife," a song transformed from a folk ballad into a driving rock anthem. Discover how Tommy Lee's influence shaped its sound and how its powerful imagery can help you understand themes of resistance and perseverance. Learn new vocabulary related to music, conflict, and personal determination, all while enjoying the unique energy of this track.

[English]

(winds blowing)

("Drum + Fife" by The Smashing Pumpkins)

♪ Away away foul dreams ♪

♪ You're gonna listen now to me ♪

♪ No rules or in-betweens ♪

♪ You're gonna listen now to me ♪

♪ Waste all your time ♪

♪ Find another kind of boy ♪

♪ Whoa ♪

♪ A feint up on the line ♪

♪ A phantom I don't care to hold ♪

♪ Come on along on an eastern shore ♪

♪ Come on along you're mine ♪

♪ Come on along on a winter's morn ♪

♪ Come on along you're mine ♪

♪ You're mine ♪

♪ In sight the drum and fife with steam ♪

♪ Racing scene to scene ♪

♪ To break this beast with need ♪

♪ Cause I will bang this drum to my dying day ♪

♪ In mind ♪

♪ A fetching June ♪

♪ You're gonna listen now to me ♪

♪ What's done what's left as ruin ♪

♪ You're gonna listen now to me ♪

♪ Come on along on an eastern shore ♪

♪ Come on along you're mine ♪

♪ Come on along on a winter's morn ♪

♪ Come on along you're mine ♪

♪ You're mine ♪

♪ In sight the drum and fife with steam ♪

♪ Racing scene to scene ♪

♪ To break this beast in need ♪

♪ To remedy what's been bleeding ♪

♪ 'Cause I will bang this drum to my dying ♪

♪ I will bang this drum to my dying ♪

♪ I will bang this drum to my dying day ♪

♪ 'Cause I will bang this drum to my dying day ♪

♪ Don't you ever be afraid ♪

♪ Don't you ever be afraid ♪

♪ Don't you ever be afraid ♪

♪ No more no more no more ♪

♪ 'Cause I will bang this drum to my dying day ♪

♪ Don't you ever be afraid ♪

♪ 'Cause I will bang this drum to my dying ♪

♪ I will bang this drum to my dying ♪

♪ I will bang this drum to my dying day ♪

♪ 'Cause I will bang this drum ♪

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ You're gonna listen now to me ♪

  ➔ Future tense with 'be going to'

  ➔ The phrase 'gonna' is a contraction of 'going to,' indicating a future action. Here, it emphasizes determination or intention.

• ♪ A feint up on the line ♪

  ➔ Present indefinite tense

  ➔ The verb 'feint' is in the present indefinite tense, describing an action that is habitual or general.

• ♪ Come on along you're mine ♪

  ➔ Present tense with 'be'

  ➔ The phrase 'you're mine' uses the present tense with 'be' to express a current state or condition.

• ♪ Cause I will bang this drum to my dying day ♪

  ➔ Future with 'will'

  ➔ The use of 'will' indicates a future action that is certain or a strong intention.

• ♪ Don't you ever be afraid ♪

  ➔ Negative imperative

  ➔ The phrase uses a negative imperative to strongly advise against being afraid.