Hey, Ma – English Lyrics

• By: Bon Iver
• Album: i,i

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

i waited outside

i took it remote 

i wanted a bath

tell the story or he goes

tell the story or he goes

full time you talk your money up

while it’s living in a coal mine

tall time to call your ma 

hey ma hey ma 

tall vote you know you mope it up  

well you wanted it your whole life  

you’re back and forth with light 

i waited outside

i was tokin on dope

i hoped it all wunt go in a minute

with the past that you know

i wanted all that mind sugar

i want it all mine 

i had a heavy mind sugar 

i took it it was right 

full time you talk your money up

while its living in a coal mine

tall time to call your ma

hey ma hey ma

tall vote, you know you mope it up

well, you wanted it your whole life

you’re back and forth with light 

i waited outside

then you took me in the room

and you offered up the truth

my eyes crawling out up window to the wall 

from dusk till dawn

let me talk to em

let me talk to em all 

full time you talk your money up 

while it’s living in a coal mine 

tall time to call your ma

hey ma hey ma

tall vote you know you mope it up

well you wanted it your whole life

you’re back and forth with light

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
waited /ˈweɪtɪd/ A1	verb - to stay in a place or delay an action until an expected event happens or someone arrives.
remote /rɪˈməʊt/ B1	adjective - far away in space or time noun - a device used to control a machine or apparatus from a distance.
bath /bɑːθ/ A1	noun - the act of washing the body in a tub of water.
story /ˈstɔːri/ A1	noun - a description of a series of real or imagined events.
goes /ɡəʊz/ A1	verb - to move or travel towards a place.
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to say things in order to give information or express feelings. noun - conversation or discussion.
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes.
mine /maɪn/ A1	noun - a pit from which coal or other minerals are extracted. pronoun - used to refer to something belonging to or associated with the speaker.
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
ma /mɑː/ A1	noun - mother
vote /vəʊt/ A2	noun - a formal indication of a choice between two or more candidates or courses of action, expressed through a ballot or a show of hands or by voice. verb - to express one's choice or opinion in a formal way, typically by marking a ballot or raising one's hand.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. adjective - having a considerable amount of light; not dark.
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element or complex of elements in a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought. verb - to be annoyed or worried by.
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being true.
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight.
room /ruːm/ A1	noun - space available for a particular purpose.
dusk /dʌsk/ B1	noun - the time just before night when the sun goes down.
dawn /dɔːn/ A2	noun - the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.
sugar /ˈʃʊɡər/ A1	noun - a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants.

Key Grammar Structures

• i waited outside

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

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

• i took it remote

  ➔ Past Tense with Adverb

  ➔ The phrase 'took it remote' uses the past tense verb 'took' with the adverb 'remote' to describe how the action was performed.

• tell the story or he goes

  ➔ Imperative Mood with 'or' Condition

  ➔ The imperative mood is used with 'tell' and the condition 'or he goes' presents a choice or consequence.

• while it’s living in a coal mine

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense in Subordinate Clause

  ➔ The present continuous tense 'it’s living' is used in a subordinate clause to describe an ongoing action.

• you’re back and forth with light

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense with Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The present continuous tense 'you’re back and forth' is combined with the prepositional phrase 'with light' to describe an ongoing action and its context.

• let me talk to em all

  ➔ Imperative Mood with Contraction

  ➔ The imperative mood is used with 'let' and the contraction 'em' replaces 'them' for informal speech.