Lady Luck – English Lyrics

• By: Rod Stewart
• Album: A Spanner in the Works

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in Rod Stewart's soulful rock with "Lady Luck," a track that beautifully captures the nuances of hope and resilience in the face of life's unpredictable twists. Its evocative lyrics, rich with everyday expressions and reflections on fate, provide an authentic glimpse into English phrasing and sentiment. By exploring this song, you can learn to articulate feelings of longing and perseverance, making it a compelling piece for understanding both the language and the raw emotion behind Stewart's iconic delivery.

[English]

Lady luck here I am on time

Propping up the bar with a glass of wine

Sunday night and I'm all spruced up and fine

But I ain't going nowhere

Lady Luck why don't you pull up a chair

And bring you shamrock wisdom darling over here

Your Gaelic humor and your pious smile

All the lads will be laughing tonight

Now you may say it's a funny old world

You may say that the game ain't fair

Is there a plot or do you improvise

Or maybe you don't even care

Lady luck in the nick of time

Why are some folks lucky while the rest are trying

Your demon plan is still a mystery

Laced with a touch of inconsistency

So why don't you give us all a break

Make us all rich healthy and fine

Five month holidays a 4-hour week

And a horse that wins all the time

Lady Luck hear the mandolins

Kinda makes you wonder how it might have been

Now I'll go back to the fun place I've got

Or back on the streets again

'Cause i've seen some rainy days

My patience is all ripped and torn

Now the sun comes shining through

I've cried in my beer too long

Lady Luck it sure is a funny old world

Sure is a funny old world

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
luck /lʌk/ A2	noun - success or failure brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.
lady /ˈleɪdi/ A2	noun - a polite term for a woman.
propping /ˈprɒpɪŋ/ B2	verb - to support (something) by placing it against something else or by placing something under it. (In the lyrics, 'propping up the bar' means standing leaning against it).
spruced /spruːst/ B2	adjective - neatly dressed and presented; smart.
shamrock /ˈʃæmrɒk/ C1	noun - a small clover-like plant with three leaves on each stem, associated with Ireland.
wisdom /ˈwɪzdəm/ B1	noun - the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.
gaelic /ˈɡeɪlɪk/ C1	adjective - relating to the Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx) or their speakers.
pious /ˈpaɪəs/ B2	adjective - devoutly religious; making a hypocritical display of virtue.
lads /lædz/ B2	noun - a boy or young man (informal, especially British English).
plot /plɒt/ B1	noun - a secret plan or scheme to accomplish some purpose, especially an evil purpose; the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
improvise /ˈɪmprəvaɪz/ B2	verb - to create and perform (music, drama, or verse) spontaneously or without preparation; to make or do something with whatever is at hand.
nick /nɪk/ B2	noun - the precise moment or exact point (used in the idiom 'in the nick of time').
folks /fəʊks/ B1	noun - people in general (informal).
mystery /ˈmɪstəri/ B1	noun - something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.
laced /leɪst/ B2	verb - (of a drink or food) to add a small amount of alcohol or a drug to (it); to intersperse or interweave (something) with another element. (In lyrics: 'Laced with a touch of inconsistency' means mixed with or having elements of).
inconsistency /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənsi/ B2	noun - the state or quality of not being in agreement or not being constant; variability.
patience /ˈpeɪʃəns/ B1	noun - the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
ripped /rɪpt/ B2	adjective - torn or split apart.
torn /tɔːn/ B2	adjective - damaged by being pulled apart.
wonder /ˈwʌndər/ B1	verb - to desire to know something; to feel admiration and amazement.

Key Grammar Structures

• But I ain't going nowhere

  ➔ Double Negative (Informal)

  ➔ Informal usage where "ain't" (am not) and "nowhere" together emphasize negation. Standard English avoids this construction.

• Why don't you pull up a chair

  ➔ Negative Question for Suggestion

  ➔ Structure "Why don't you..." is used to make polite suggestions or invitations.

• You may say it's a funny old world

  ➔ Modal Verb for Speculation

  ➔ "May" expresses possibility or uncertainty about an opinion.

• I've cried in my beer too long

  ➔ Present Perfect with Duration

  ➔ Present perfect ("have cried") + "too long" shows an action starting in the past and continuing to the present.

• Make us all rich healthy and fine

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The base verb "Make" starts a direct command or request (implied subject "you").

• My patience is all ripped and torn

  ➔ Passive Voice with Adjectives

  ➔ "Is ripped and torn" uses passive voice (be + past participle) to describe a state, functioning like adjectives.

• Now I'll go back to the fun place I've got

  ➔ Future Simple + Present Perfect Possession

  ➔ "I'll go" (future intention) + "I've got" (present perfect for possession) shows future action based on current ownership.

• Lady Luck hear the mandolins

  ➔ Imperative with Implied Subject

  ➔ The base verb "hear" creates a command where the subject "you" is omitted but understood.