In The Air Tonight

• By: Marilyn Manson
• Album: One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
air /eər/ A1	noun - the mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth and that people breathe
tonight /təˈnaɪt/ A1	noun - the night that is now passing
waiting /ˈweɪtɪŋ/ A2	verb - to stay in one place or delay action until a particular time or event
moment /ˈməʊmənt/ A2	noun - a very short period of time
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
drowning /ˈdraʊnɪŋ/ B2	verb - to die through submersion in and inhalation of water
lend /lɛnd/ A2	verb - to grant to (someone) for temporary use on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the fingers and thumb
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
saw /sɔː/ A1	verb - past tense of see; to perceive with the eyes
did /dɪd/ A1	verb - past tense of do; to perform an action
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs used for seeing
wipe /waɪp/ B1	verb - to clean or dry (something) by rubbing it with a cloth, paper, or one's hand
grin /ɡrɪn/ B2	noun - a broad smile
lies /laɪz/ B1	noun - false statements
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ A2	verb - to have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something that one has known or experienced in the past)
forget /fərˈɡɛt/ A2	verb - fail to remember
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ B1	noun - complete absence of sound
fool /fuːl/ B1	verb - to trick or deceive
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	noun - emotional or physical pain
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury
grows /ɡroʊz/ A2	verb - to increase in size or number
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒər/ B1	noun - a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar

Grammar:

• I can feel it coming in the air tonight

  ➔ Present Continuous for future arrangements/predictions based on present evidence. Use of "can" for ability/perception.

  ➔ The speaker uses the present continuous tense "coming" to describe something they perceive is imminently going to happen, based on the current atmosphere ("in the air tonight"). "Can feel" indicates their ability to sense this event.

• I've been waiting for this moment for all my life

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous. Emphasis on duration of action leading up to the present.

  ➔ "I've been waiting" uses the present perfect continuous to indicate that the speaker started waiting sometime in the past and is still waiting now. The phrase "for all my life" emphasizes the incredibly long duration of this waiting period.

• Well, if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand

  ➔ Second Conditional. Hypothetical situation in the present/future and its likely consequence.

  ➔ This is a second conditional sentence. "If you told me you were drowning" (past simple - subjunctive mood) presents a hypothetical situation. "I would not lend a hand" (would + base form) describes the likely consequence of that situation.

• I saw it with my own two eyes

  ➔ Simple Past tense. Emphatic use of possessive adjective "own" to highlight direct observation.

  ➔ "I saw" is the simple past tense, indicating a completed action in the past. "My own two eyes" emphasizes that the speaker witnessed the event personally, making their testimony more credible. "Own" reinforces the personal nature of the observation.

• So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been

  ➔ Imperative mood ("wipe off"). Present Perfect tense ("you've been").

  ➔ "Wipe off" is an imperative, a direct command. "You've been" is present perfect, implying the person's actions in the past have had a consequence that still matters now. The speaker *knows* where they went and what they did, and this knowledge is current.

• It's all been a pack of lies

  ➔ Present Perfect (passive voice). 'It' refers to a situation or series of events.

  ➔ "It's all been a pack of lies" uses the present perfect to describe something that was true in the past and is still true now - the series of events in question were and still *are* lies. The phrase presents a strong judgment about the situation.

• How could I ever forget?

  ➔ Modal verb "could" expressing impossibility. Use of "ever" to emphasize impossibility

  ➔ The rhetorical question "How could I ever forget?" uses "could" to express that it is impossible for the speaker to forget. The word "ever" adds emphasis to this impossibility, stressing that they will never, at any point, forget.