Leave Virginia Alone – English Lyrics

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

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartfelt rock ballad "Leave Virginia Alone" by Rod Stewart, a song rich with storytelling and emotional depth. Through its evocative lyrics and Stewart's signature vocal delivery, you can explore nuanced expressions of empathy and individuality, making it an excellent piece to understand English in a melodic, narrative context. The song's journey, from a Tom Petty discard to a Rod Stewart success, highlights the transformative power of interpretation in music.

[English]

Well I chased her

Down the alley

And over the hill

To steal her away

She was as hot as

Georgia asphalt

When the aircraft came

To adore her brain

So leave Virginia alone

Leave Virginia alone

She's not like you and me

She's not like you and me

You should've seen her

Back in the city

Poetry and jewels

Broke all the rules

She was as high as

A Georgia palm tree

Makeup and pills, overdue bills

So leave Virginia alone

Leave Virginia alone

She's not like you and me

She's not like you and me

Some sunny day

When the hands of times have gone farewell

You'll understand, why it was so hard

To run away, to run away

She's a loser

She's a forgiver

She still finds good

When no one could

You gotta want her

More than money

Cadillacs and rust

Diamond and dust

So leave Virginia alone

Leave Virginia alone

She's not like you and me

She's not like you and me

Leave Virginia alone

Leave Virginia alone

She's not like you and me

She's not like you and me

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah

La, la, la, oh, leave her alone

Oh, Virginia

Oh, Virginia

Leave her alone

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
chase /tʃeɪs/ A2	verb - to follow someone or something in order to catch them
steal /stiːl/ A2	verb - to take something that does not belong to you without permission
hot /hɒt/ A1	adjective - having a high temperature
adore /əˈdɔːr/ B1	verb - to love and respect someone very much
poetry /ˈpoʊətri/ B1	noun - literary works in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas
jewels /ˈdʒuːəlz/ A2	noun - precious stones used in jewelry
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - great in vertical extent
makeup /ˈmeɪkʌp/ A2	noun - cosmetics applied to the face
bills /bɪlz/ A1	noun - a piece of paper money noun - a statement of money owed
loser /ˈluːzər/ A2	noun - a person or thing that loses or has lost something
forgiver /fəˈrɪvər/ B2	noun - a person who forgives
Cadillacs /ˈkædɪlæks/ B1	noun - a luxury car brand
rust /rʌst/ A2	noun - a reddish-brown oxide formed on iron when exposed to air and moisture
diamond /ˈdaɪəmənd/ A1	noun - a precious stone consisting of a clear and colorless form of carbon
dust /dʌst/ A1	noun - fine powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter

Key Grammar Structures

• Well I chased her

  ➔ Past tense verb (chased)

  ➔ The verb "chased" is in the past tense, indicating an action that happened in the past.

• She was as hot as Georgia asphalt

  ➔ As...as comparison (adjective)

  ➔ The structure "as...as" is used to compare two things, in this case, comparing her to Georgia asphalt using the adjective "hot".

• When the aircraft came to adore her brain

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose (to adore)

  ➔ "to adore" is used to explain the purpose of the aircraft.

• You should've seen her

  ➔ Modal verb + perfect infinitive (should have seen)

  ➔ "Should have seen" implies a missed opportunity or a past event that would have been beneficial to experience. It is a past modal structure.

• Poetry and jewels broke all the rules

  ➔ Past tense verb (broke)

  ➔ The verb "broke" is in the past tense, indicating that the action happened in the past.

• She was as high as A Georgia palm tree

  ➔ As...as comparison (adjective)

  ➔ The structure "as...as" is used to compare two things, in this case, comparing her state with Georgia palm tree using the adjective "high".

• You gotta want her

  ➔ Contracted form of "You have got to" with the infinitive of purpose (want)

  ➔ "Gotta" is a colloquial contraction of "have got to", implying a strong obligation to desire her.