Kingston Town – English Lyrics

• By: UB40
• Album: Labour of Love II

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the cultural richness of Jamaica through UB40's classic hit, 'Kingston Town.' This reggae-infused song offers a glimpse into the heart and soul of Kingston, celebrating its heritage and inspiring a longing for simpler times. Discover the beauty of Jamaican culture and the power of music to connect us to places we dream of.

[English]

[♪ ♪ ♪]

♪ The night seems to fade ♪

♪ But the moonlight lingers on ♪

♪ There is magic... ♪

Where's the original one?

[FANFARE]

[ROOSTER CRIES]

[♪ ♪ ♪]

♪ The night seems to fade ♪

♪ But the moonlight lingers on ♪

♪ There are wonders for everyone ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ The stars shine so bright ♪

♪ But they're fading after dawn ♪

♪ There is magic in Kingston town ♪

♪ Oh, Kingston town ♪

♪ The place I long to be ♪

♪ If I had the whole world ♪

♪ I would give it away ♪

♪ Just to see ♪

♪ The girls at play ♪

♪ When I am king ♪

♪ Surely I would need a queen ♪

♪ And a palace and everything ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ And now ♪

♪ I am king ♪

♪ And my queen will come at dawn ♪

♪ She'll be waiting in Kingston town ♪

♪ Oh, Kingston town ♪

♪ The place I long to be ♪

♪ If I had the whole world ♪

♪ I would give it away ♪

♪ Just to see the girls at play ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ When I am king ♪

♪ Surely I would need a queen ♪

♪ And a palace and everything ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ And now I am king ♪

♪ And my queen will come at dawn ♪

♪ She'll be waiting in Kingston town ♪

♪ She'll be waiting in Kingston town ♪

♪ Right now ♪

♪ She'll be waiting in Kingston town ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ She'll be waiting in Kingston town ♪

♪ Right on ♪

♪ She'll be waiting in Kingston town ♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] - Eh?

This is so Bailey...

Lovely melody, innit.

It's a lovely melody, that one.

Lovely melody. Love that.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
moonlight /ˈmuːn.laɪt/ B1	noun - the light from the moon
magic /ˈmædʒ.ɪk/ B1	noun - the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces adjective - used in or produced by magic
stars /stɑːrz/ A1	noun - a fixed luminous point in the night sky which is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun
bright /braɪt/ B2	adjective - giving out or reflecting a lot of light
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - an urban area that has a name, defined boundaries, and local government, and that is generally larger than a village and smaller than a city
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or area
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, people, and natural features
give /ɡɪv/ A1	verb - freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone); hand over to
girls /ɡɜːrlz/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose
king /kɪŋ/ A2	noun - a male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth
queen /kwiːn/ A2	noun - the female ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth
palace /ˈpæl.əs/ B1	noun - the official residence of a sovereign, e.g. a king or queen
waiting /ˈweɪ.tɪŋ/ A1	verb - staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or event

Key Grammar Structures

• The night seems to fade

  ➔ Simple Present Tense (describing a general truth/observation)

  ➔ The verb "seems" uses the simple present tense to indicate that this is a common occurrence. "The night" subject and "seems" is verb and "to fade" infinitive clause.

• But the moonlight lingers on

  ➔ Simple Present Tense with a phrasal verb (lingers on: continues to exist)

  ➔ "Lingers on" is a phrasal verb meaning to remain or persist. The simple present "lingers" depicts this persistence as a general state. "But" is conjunction to contradict with previous line

• The place I long to be

  ➔ Relative Clause with omitted relative pronoun (where/that)

  ➔ This is a relative clause modifying "The place". The relative pronoun "where" or "that" is omitted. It would be "The place where/that I long to be".

• If I had the whole world

  ➔ Second Conditional (hypothetical situation in the present/future)

  ➔ This is the 'if' clause of a second conditional. "Had" is the past simple form, and it's used to talk about an unreal or unlikely situation in the present or future.

• I would give it away

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Second Conditional - main clause)

  ➔ This is the main clause of the second conditional sentence, which uses "would" + base form of the verb to express the consequence of the hypothetical situation presented in the 'if' clause.

• Surely I would need a queen

  ➔ Modal verb "would" for polite request or conditional

  ➔ Here, "would" suggests what is expected or a logical consequence in a hypothetical situation ('When I am king'). It is showing a future action from a point in the past. "Surely" modifies the "would need" for emphasis the condition

• And my queen will come at dawn

  ➔ Simple Future Tense (prediction)

  ➔ "Will come" is the simple future tense, used to express a prediction about what will happen. It indicates the speaker's belief or expectation that his queen will arrive at dawn.