Just Like A Woman – English Lyrics

• By: Rod Stewart
• Album: Every Picture Tells a Story

Lyrics & Translation

"Just Like A Woman" performed by Rod Stewart offers a poignant exploration into the complexities of human emotion. Through vivid lyrics, the song paints a portrait of a woman who embodies both strength and vulnerability. Explore the nuances of English as you reflect on the universal experience of emotional fragility. Discover the multiple interpretations behind the lyrics and how Stewart's rendition adds a layer of depth to this timeless classic.

[English]

Nobody feels any pain

Tonight as I stand inside the rain

Everybody knows

That baby's got new clothes

But lately I see her ribbons and her bows

Have fallen from her curls

She takes just like a woman

She makes love just like a woman

And she aches just like a woman

But she breaks just like a little girl

Queen Mary she's my friend

Oh I believe that I'll go see her again

Nobody has to guess

That baby can't be blessed

Till she finds out she's like all the rest

With her fog her amphetamines and her pearls

She takes just like a woman, yes she does

She takes just like a woman, yes she does

She makes love just like a woman, yes she does

But she breaks just like a little girl

It was raining from the first

And I was dying there of thirst so I came in here

And you're a long time curse hurts, but you know honey what's worse

Is this pain in here

I can't stay in here ain't it clear

Oh I just don't fit

I believe that is time for us to quit

When we meet again

And introduced as friends

Please don't let on

That you knew me when

I was hungry and it was your world

You fake just like a woman, yes she does

And make love just like a woman, yes she does

Then you ache just like a woman, yes she does

But you break just just like a little girl, break like a girl

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
pain /peɪn/ A1	noun - a strongly unpleasant bodily sensation
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to be in an upright position
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - water falling in drops from the clouds
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of through observation or experience
clothes /kloʊz/ A1	noun - garments worn on the body
ribbons /ˈrɪbənz/ A2	noun - a long, narrow strip of fabric
bows /baʊz/ A2	noun - a knot tied decoratively
curl /kɜːrl/ A2	noun - a coil or ringlet of hair
take /teɪk/ A1	verb - to get into one's hands, possession, or control
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have a deep affection for
ache /eɪk/ A2	verb - to feel a continuous dull pain
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - to separate into pieces
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
bless /blɛs/ B1	verb - to confer prosperity or happiness on
fog /fɒɡ/ A2	noun - a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere
amphetamines /æmˈfɛtəmiːnz/ C1	noun - a synthetic drug that stimulates the central nervous system
pearls /pɜːrlz/ A2	noun - a hard, round object produced within the shell of a pearl oyster
thirst /θɜːrst/ A2	noun - a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat
curse /kɜːrs/ B1	noun - a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm

Key Grammar Structures

• Nobody feels any pain

  ➔ Simple present tense (subject‑verb agreement)

  ➔ The verb "feels" is in the simple present, matching the third‑person singular subject "Nobody".

• Tonight as I stand inside the rain

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time introduced by "as" + simple present

  ➔ "as" introduces a time clause; the verb "stand" stays in the simple present because the action is simultaneous with "Tonight".

• Oh I believe that I'll go see her again

  ➔ Future simple with "will" + infinitive; subordinate clause introduced by "that"

  ➔ "I'll" is the contraction of "I will" (future simple). The verb "go" is the infinitive after "will". The word "that" introduces the content clause "I'll go see her again".

• Nobody has to guess

  ➔ Modal verb "has to" expressing obligation

  ➔ "has to" functions like a modal verb meaning "must"; it shows that guessing is obligatory for "Nobody".

• That baby can't be blessed

  ➔ Passive voice with modal verb "can't"

  ➔ "can't be blessed" is a passive construction; "can't" (cannot) is the modal, "be" is the auxiliary, and "blessed" is the past participle.

• Till she finds out she's like all the rest

  ➔ Conjunction "till" meaning "until" + present simple

  ➔ "Till" is a shortened form of "until"; it introduces a time clause where the verb "finds" stays in the present simple because the clause refers to a future point that is viewed as certain.

• She takes just like a woman, yes she does

  ➔ Tag question using auxiliary "does"

  ➔ "does" is repeated after a statement to form a tag question, confirming or seeking agreement: "She takes ... , yes she does?"

• I can't stay in here ain't it clear

  ➔ Double negative with colloquial contraction "ain't"

  ➔ "can't" already negates the verb; adding "ain't" creates a double negative, which in informal English can intensify the statement: "I can't stay... ain't it clear?"

• When we meet again

  ➔ Future time clause with "when" using present simple

  ➔ "When" introduces a future reference; English often uses the present simple in time clauses ("meet") to talk about the future.

• And introduced as friends

  ➔ Past participle used as adjective (reduced clause)

  ➔ "introduced" is a past participle that modifies "we" implicitly, meaning "we were introduced as friends" without the auxiliary verb.