Good Time Blues – English Lyrics

• By: Eb Davis
• Album: Good Time Blues

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the soulful sounds of Eb Davis' "Good Time Blues," an album that embodies the essence of classic blues. Through Davis' heartfelt vocals and the band's vibrant instrumentals, listeners can immerse themselves in the rich traditions of blues music, perfect for those seeking to understand and appreciate the genre's language and culture .

[English]

now what you gonna do,

when I leave and turn my back on you?

what you gonna do? what you gonna do,

when I leave and turn my back on you?

you'll be standing around, screamin' and cryin'

but there ain't a thing that you can do

you walk on around in a day just about to go out of

just about to go out of your head

you walk on around in a day just about to go out of

just about to go out of your head

you might even began to wonder wonder

if you would be better off dead

I treated you so kind better than any man should

no matter what I do for you it still didn't do me no good

what you gonna do? what you gonna do,

when I leave and turn my back on you?

you'll be standing around, screamin' and cryin'

but there ain't a damn thing that you can do

I went out and work all day

you stayed home in bed

bring you all my money but you still talk out of your head

what you gonna do? what you gonna do,

when I leave and turn my back on you?

you'll be standing around screamin, cryin, cryin, cryin,

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - to go away from
turn /tɜːrn/ A1	verb - to move around a central point
back /bæk/ A1	noun - the rear surface of the body verb - to support
standing /ˈstændɪŋ/ A2	verb - Upright position on feet
screaming /ˈskriːmɪŋ/ B1	verb - shouting loudly and forcefully
crying /ˈkraɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - shedding tears
thing /θɪŋ/ A1	noun - an object
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move on foot
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck
wonder /ˈwʌndər/ B1	verb - to feel curiosity or doubt
better /ˈbetər/ A2	adjective - more satisfactory, pleasing, or useful
dead /ded/ A2	adjective - no longer alive
treated /ˈtriːtɪd/ B1	verb - to behave towards or deal with (someone) in a certain way.
kind /kaɪnd/ A2	adjective - having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature.
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to expend effort; to exert oneself
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - The place where one lives
bed /bed/ A1	noun - A piece of furniture for sleeping on
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - A current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to express oneself in speech

Key Grammar Structures

• now what you gonna do, when I leave and turn my back on you?

  ➔ Future simple with "gonna" (going to)

  ➔ "gonna" is a colloquial contraction of "going to", used to express future intentions or predictions. In this context, it asks what the listener will do in the future when the speaker leaves.

• you'll be standing around, screamin' and cryin'

  ➔ Future continuous tense

  ➔ The future continuous tense ("will be + -ing") describes an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. Here, it describes the state the person will be in when the speaker leaves.

• there ain't a thing that you can do

  ➔ Double negative (non-standard English), Relative clause with omitted relative pronoun

  ➔ "ain't" is a non-standard form of "is not/are not/am not/has not/have not". The double negative "ain't a thing" is used for emphasis in informal speech. "that you can do" is a relative clause modifying "thing", with the relative pronoun "that" (or "which") optionally omitted.

• you might even began to wonder wonder if you would be better off dead

  ➔ Modal verb "might", repetition for emphasis, Conditional clauses (mixed)

  ➔ "might" expresses possibility or uncertainty. The repetition of "wonder" emphasizes the feeling of doubt. The phrase "if you would be better off dead" is a conditional clause expressing a hypothetical situation; its mix because it's a hypothetical now, based on a past situation.

• I treated you so kind better than any man should

  ➔ Adverb of degree "so", comparative adjective ("better")

  ➔ "so kind" shows the extent to which the speaker treated the listener well. "better than any man should" expresses a comparison, indicating the speaker went above and beyond what is expected.

• no matter what I do for you it still didn't do me no good

  ➔ "No matter what" structure, Past simple tense (didn't), Double negative (didn't...no good)

  ➔ "No matter what" introduces a clause indicating that the outcome remains the same regardless of the speaker's actions. The use of "didn't do me no good" is another example of a double negative used for emphasis in informal speech. It means whatever the speaker did was ultimately unhelpful for them.