Good To Be A Man – English Lyrics

• By: Elle King
• Album: The Elle King EP

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw and witty world of Elle King with her debut track, "Good To Be A Man." This song is a fantastic way to experience authentic, blues-infused rock with a sharp lyrical edge. Through its clever and satirical lyrics, you can learn how English can be used to convey complex emotions and social commentary with humor and grit. Its straightforward yet layered message makes it special, offering insights into King's unique perspective on relationships and gender dynamics. Listen closely to the storytelling and the distinctive banjo sound that defines her early work.

[English]

It's good to be a man these days

Don't have no conscious about my evil ways

Don't ever feel bad for the awful things I say

It's good to be a man these days

To be a man would be serene

Drinking beer till I get mean

Chewing tobacco

Kissing girl like life's a dream

To be a man would be serene

And I bet it gets tiering

Always having to be right

Well, I'd love to be a cheating man

To fill those lonely nights

To be a man would be just fine

My only worry would be my reseeding hair line

I only give love that's on my own time

To be a man would be just fine

To be a man would be damn good

I'd do dumb things 'cause I should

Getting stuck in a ditch like my woman knew I would

To be a man would be damn good

It's good to be a man these days

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality or standard adjective - pleasant or enjoyable
conscious /ˈkɒnʃəs/ B2	adjective - aware of and responding to one's surroundings; awake noun - the part of the mind that is aware of itself and the world
evil /ˈiːvl/ B2	adjective - profoundly immoral and wicked noun - profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity
awful /ˈɔːfl/ B1	adjective - very bad or unpleasant
serene /səˈriːn/ C1	adjective - calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil
mean /miːn/ B1	adjective - unkind, unpleasant, or bad-tempered
chew /tʃuː/ B1	verb - to bite and work (food or something) between the teeth, especially to make it easier to swallow
tobacco /təˈbækəʊ/ B2	noun - a preparation of the leaves of the tobacco plant, which are dried and fermented, used for smoking or chewing
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience dreams during sleep
tiring /ˈtaɪərɪŋ/ B1	adjective - causing one to feel tired; fatiguing
cheat /tʃiːt/ B1	verb - to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage verb - to be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner
lonely /ˈləʊnli/ B1	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
worry /ˈwʌri/ B1	verb - to feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems noun - a state of anxiety and concern
receding /rɪˈsiːdɪŋ/ C1	adjective - moving back or further away from a previous position adjective - (of a person's hair) showing a gradual loss of hair from the front of the head
damn /dæm/ B2	adjective - used to express anger, annoyance, or frustration, or to emphasize a statement adverb - used to emphasize something, especially something bad or surprising
dumb /dʌm/ B1	adjective - (informal) stupid
stuck /stʌk/ B1	adjective - unable to move or be moved adjective - unable to progress or be released from a situation
ditch /dɪtʃ/ B2	noun - a narrow channel dug in the ground, typically for drainage alongside a road or field verb - (informal) to get rid of or give up

Key Grammar Structures

• Don't have no conscious about my evil ways

  ➔ Double negative

  ➔ "Don't" + "no" creates informal emphasis through double negation (non-standard English)

• Drinking beer till I get mean

  ➔ Present participle phrase

  ➔ "Drinking beer" acts as noun phrase showing continuous action

• Kissing girl like life's a dream

  ➔ Simile with implied subject

  ➔ "like" introduces simile; subject "I" is omitted before "kissing"

• I'd love to be a cheating man

  ➔ Conditional + gerund adjective

  ➔ "I'd" (would) expresses hypothetical; "cheating" acts as adjective modifying "man"

• My only worry would be my reseeding hair line

  ➔ Second conditional structure

  ➔ "would be" describes hypothetical future consequence (if I were a man)

• I only give love that's on my own time

  ➔ Defining relative clause

  ➔ "that's on my own time" defines the type of love using relative pronoun "that"

• Getting stuck in a ditch like my woman knew I would

  ➔ Gerund subject + comparative clause

  ➔ "Getting stuck" acts as subject; "like" introduces comparative clause with past tense "knew"

• Don't ever feel bad for the awful things I say

  ➔ Imperative with intensifier

  ➔ "Don't ever" creates strong prohibition; "ever" intensifies the command