Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky) – English Lyrics

• By: Marvin Gaye
• Album: What's Going On

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the poignant narrative of addiction in Marvin Gaye's "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)." This song offers a chance to understand the language of struggle and escape, set within a soulful soundscape that makes the message deeply personal and universally relevant.

[English]

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh

Ooh-ooh, ooh

Ooh-ooh, ooh

Flying high in the friendly sky

Flying high, without ever leavin' the ground, no

Rest of the folks are tired and weary

Oh, Lord, and have laid their bodies down (yeah, yeah)

Oh, yeah, I go the place where danger awaits me (oh, no)

And it's bound to forsake me (ooh, Lord)

So stupid minded, I can't help it

Oh, so stupid minded

But I go crazy when I can't find it (find, ooh, find it)

In the morning, I'll be alright, my friend (oh, Lord)

But soon the night will bring the pains (ooh)

The pain, oh, the pain (oh)

Flying high in the friendly sky

Without ever leaving the ground (yeah, ooh-oh)

And I ain't seen nothing but trouble, baby

Nobody really understands, no, no (help me, somebody)

And I go to the place where the good feelin' awaits me

Self-destruction's in my hand

Oh, Lord, so stupid minded (can you help me? Can you help?)

Oh, but I go crazy when I can't find it (help me)

Well I know I'm hooked my friend (got to help me)

To the boy who makes slaves out of men (got to help me), and oh believe me

Flying high in a friendly sky

Oh-oh, baby, flyin' high

Ooh-hoo

Ooh-hoo

Flying' high in a friendly sky

...

Key Grammar Structures

• Flying high in the friendly sky

  ➔ Gerund Phrase & Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The use of the **gerund** 'Flying' functioning as an adverbial, and the **prepositional phrase** 'in the friendly sky' describing the setting.

• Flying high, without ever leavin' the ground, no

  ➔ Gerund Clause with 'without'

  ➔ The use of 'without + gerund' ('leavin') to express the condition of not doing something.

• Rest of the folks are tired and weary

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement (Plural Subject)

  ➔ The plural subject 'Rest of the folks' requires the plural verb form 'are'.

• Oh, Lord, and have laid their bodies down

  ➔ Perfect Aspect (Present Perfect)

  ➔ The auxiliary verb 'have' with the past participle 'laid' creates the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed in the past with relevance to the present.

• So stupid minded, I can't help it

  ➔ Adjective Phrase & Inversion (Implied)

  ➔ The adjective phrase 'stupid minded' describes the state. In a more formal structure, the subject ('I') could follow the phrase for emphasis. The inversion is implied here.

• Oh, but I go crazy when I can't find it

  ➔ Complex Sentence with Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ This sentence uses the conjunction 'when' to introduce an adverbial clause of time, explaining *when* the subject goes crazy.

• Well I know I'm hooked my friend

  ➔ Apposition (Vocative)

  ➔ 'My friend' is a vocative, or a term of direct address, placed in apposition to the speaker.

• To the boy who makes slaves out of men

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ The relative clause 'who makes slaves out of men' describes the boy, providing additional information.