Livin' On The Edge – English Lyrics

• By: Aerosmith

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Aerosmith's iconic rock anthem "Livin' On The Edge" to explore the English language through its powerful lyrics that reflect on societal turmoil and the enduring human spirit. This song, with its rich vocabulary and evocative expressions, offers a compelling way to understand how rock music addresses significant global issues, making it a special piece for both language learners and music enthusiasts.

[English]

(METAL CLANKING)

("LIVIN' ON THE EDGE")

♪ THERE'S SOMETHIN' WRONG WITH THE WORLD TODAY ♪

♪ I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS ♪

♪ SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH OUR EYES ♪

♪ WE'RE SEEIN' THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY ♪

♪ AND GOD KNOWS IT AIN'T HIS ♪

♪ IT SURE AIN'T NO SURPRISE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ THERE'S SOMETHIN' WRONG WITH THE WORLD TODAY ♪

♪ THE LIGHT BULB'S GETTIN' DIM ♪

♪ THERE'S MELTDOWN IN THE SKY ♪

♪ IF YOU CAN JUDGE A WISE MAN ♪

♪ BY THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN ♪

♪ THEN MISTER YOU'RE A BETTER MAN THAN I ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF AT ALL ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T STOP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE, EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY ♪

♪ TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SITUATION ♪

♪ COMPLICATION, AGGRAVATION IS GETTING TO YOU ♪

♪ IF CHICKEN LITTLE TELLS YOU THAT THE SKY IS FALLIN' ♪

♪ EVEN IF IT WASN'T WOULD YOU STILL COME CRAWLIN' ♪

♪ BACK AGAIN ♪

♪ I BET YOU WOULD MY FRIEND ♪

♪ AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN ♪

♪ TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SITUATION ♪

♪ COMPLICATION, AGGRAVATION IS GETTING TO YOU ♪

♪ IF CHICKEN LITTLE TELLS YOU THAT THE SKY IS FALLIN' ♪

♪ EVEN IF IT WAS WOULD YOU STILL COME CRAWLIN' ♪

♪ BACK AGAIN ♪

♪ I BET YOU WOULD MY FRIEND ♪

♪ AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN ♪

♪ SOMETHING RIGHT WITH THE WORLD TODAY ♪

♪ AND EVERYBODY KNOWS IT'S WRONG ♪

♪ BUT WE CAN TELL 'EM NO OR WE COULD LET IT GO ♪

♪ BUT I'D WOULD RATHER BE A HANGING ON ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF AT ALL ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T STOP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE, EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF AT ALL ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T STOP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF AT ALL ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

♪ LIVIN' ON THE EDGE ♪

♪ YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH ♪

♪ YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
edge /ˈɛdʒ/ B1	noun - the border or outer limit of something verb - to move gradually or carefully
wrong /rɔŋ/ A2	adjective - not correct; mistaken noun - an act or fact that is not correct
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries and peoples
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to drop down from a higher to a lower position
help /hɛlp/ A1	verb - to give assistance or support to someone noun - assistance given to someone
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - visible illumination, such as from the sun or a lamp verb - to make something start shining or become brighter
dim /dɪm/ B1	adjective - not bright; faintly lit
melt /mɛlt/ B1	verb - to become liquid by heating
judge /dʒʌdʒ/ B2	verb - to form an opinion or conclusion about something
wise /waɪz/ B2	adjective - having or showing good judgment
color /ˈkʌl.ər/ A1	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye verb - to give a particular color to something
skin /skɪn/ A1	noun - the thin outer covering of a person or animal
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - to have a particular opinion or belief
situation /ˌsɪtʃ.uˈeɪ.ʃən/ B1	noun - a set of circumstances in which one finds oneself
aggravation /ˌæɡ.rəˈveɪ.ʃən/ C1	noun - the act of making a problem worse or more serious
complication /ˌkɒm.plɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ B2	noun - a state of being more complex or difficult; a secondary problem
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
better /ˈbɛt.ər/ A2	adjective - of a higher quality or more desirable verb - to improve or make something better
different /ˈdɪf.ər.ənt/ A2	adjective - not the same as another or each other

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ THERE'S SOMETHIN' WRONG WITH THE WORLD TODAY ♪

  ➔ There is / There's (for existence or location)

  ➔ The contraction "There's" is used to indicate that something exists or is present in a situation.

• ♪ IF YOU CAN JUDGE A WISE MAN BY THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN ♪

  ➔ Conditional sentence Type 1 (If + Simple Present, Simple Future)

  ➔ This sentence structure is used to talk about possible situations and their probable results in the future.

• ♪ YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

  ➔ Modal verb 'can't' for inability

  ➔ The modal verb 'can't' is used to express inability or impossibility to perform an action.

• ♪ IF CHICKEN LITTLE TELLS YOU THAT THE SKY IS FALLIN' ♪

  ➔ Indirect speech (reported speech)

  ➔ Indirect speech is used to report what someone else said without quoting them directly.

• ♪ AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN ♪

  ➔ Adverb of frequency 'again' repeated for emphasis

  ➔ The repetition of 'again' emphasizes the continuous or repeated nature of the action.

• ♪ BUT WE CAN TELL 'EM NO OR WE COULD LET IT GO ♪

  ➔ Use of contractions ('em for them, could for can)

  ➔ Contractions like 'em and 'could' are informal and often used in spoken English for brevity.

• ♪ YOU CAN'T STOP YOURSELF FROM FALLIN' ♪

  ➔ Reflexive pronoun 'yourself' used with 'stop'

  ➔ The reflexive pronoun 'yourself' is used when the subject and the object of the verb are the same person.

• ♪ TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SITUATION ♪

  ➔ Direct object 'what' in a question

  ➔ The word 'what' functions as a direct object in this question, asking for specific information.