Lyrics & Translation
Dive into the melancholic yet beautiful world of Conan Gray's "Idle Town." This song is a perfect entry point for understanding conversational English, especially as it captures the universal themes of youth, longing, and the complex feelings associated with one's hometown. Its clear, relatable lyrics and soothing melody offer an authentic glimpse into the small-town American experience, making it special for its genuine vulnerability and widespread relatability.
[English]
This town will never changePeople come and go, it's all the same
Speed the roads on our doubting days
To any place that's far away
I never learned anybody's name
We all vowed that we wouldn't stay
Kissing signs on the interstate
All we do for now is sit and wait
In our idle town
In our idle town
Yeah, we invent our own little games (In our idle town)
When the lights out at the stadium fade (In our idle town)
Making life a spinning arcade (in our idle town)
And curfew's at midnight, we watch the sunrise
We watch the sunrise
We watch the sun
Springtime when the air is thin
We're getting antsy and they're noticing
While everybody's off partying
We're watching stars over ice cream
And now we're kicking up to seventh gear
And we're breathing in the atmosphere
I don't even need a sip of beer
I can feel it all
In our idle town
In our idle town
Yeah, we invent our own little games (In our idle town)
When the lights out at the stadium fade (In our idle town)
Making life a spinning arcade (In our idle town)
And curfew's at midnight, we watch the sunrise
We watch the sunrise
We watch the sun
And they watched the sunrise
Blinking out of red eyes, and sore minds
The airplanes keep flying by, and they cry
'Cause they've never even touched the sky
No, they'll never even touch the sky
Yeah, we invent our own little games (In our idle town)
And everybody's trying to escape (In our idle town)
Killing time at the yellow cafe (In our idle town)
And curfew's at midnight (In our idle town)
Yeah, I think that we'll all be okay (In our idle town)
The idle town will stay as it stays (In our idle town)
And everyone I love's in this place (In our idle town)
So, curfew's at midnight, we watch the sunrise
Key Vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Meanings |
|---|---|
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town /taʊn/ A1 |
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change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2 |
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people /ˈpiːpəl/ A1 |
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watch /wɒtʃ/ A2 |
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sunrise /ˈsʌnraɪz/ B1 |
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games /ɡeɪmz/ A2 |
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air /ɛr/ A1 |
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notice /ˈnoʊtɪs/ B1 |
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midnight /ˈmɪdnaɪt/ B1 |
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escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ B2 |
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kissing /ˈkɪsɪŋ/ B1 |
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light /laɪt/ A2 |
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ice cream /ˈaɪs ˌkriːm/ A2 |
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atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪr/ B2 |
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curfew /ˈkɜːrfjuː/ B2 |
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Key Grammar Structures
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People come and go, it's all the same
➔ Present Simple tense for habitual actions
➔ Uses the **present simple** to express routines or repeated actions.
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We all vowed that we wouldn't stay
➔ Past simple tense for definite actions completed in the past
➔ The **vowed** is in the **past simple** to show a firm decision made in the past.
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Making life a spinning arcade
➔ Present participle used to form ongoing or descriptive phrases
➔ Uses the **making** as a **present participle** to describe an ongoing action or state.
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And curfew's at midnight, we watch the sunrise
➔ Possessive 's' indicating possession or a fixed time
➔ Uses the **possessive 's'** to indicate that **curfew** occurs at a specific time.
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And they're noticing
➔ Present continuous tense for ongoing actions
➔ Uses the **present continuous** tense with **are noticing** to indicate actions happening now.
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And everyone I love's in this place
➔ Possessive construction with 'love's' indicating possession or relation
➔ Uses **love's** as a **possessive noun** to show belonging or relation to **everyone I love**.
