London Calling

• By: The Clash

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
calling /ˈkɔːlɪŋ/ B1	noun - a strong urge toward a particular way of life or career; a vocation. verb - to cry out or shout.
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or groups within a country.
battle /ˈbætl/ B1	noun - a sustained fight between opposing forces. verb - fight or struggle tenaciously to achieve or resist something.
underworld /ˈʌndərwɜːrld/ B2	noun - the criminal world.
dust /dʌst/ A2	noun - fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste material.
swing /swɪŋ/ B1	noun - a seat hanging from a frame or branch, used for swinging backwards and forwards.
ring /rɪŋ/ A2	noun - a small circular band, typically made of precious metal and worn on a finger.
truncheon /ˈtrʌntʃən/ C1	noun - a short, thick stick carried as a weapon by a police officer.
ice /aɪs/ A1	noun - frozen water; a brittle, transparent crystalline solid.
age /eɪdʒ/ A2	noun - the length of time that someone or something has existed.
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that provides light and heat to Earth.
meltdown /ˈmeltdaʊn/ B2	noun - a situation in which something fails or becomes less successful.
wheat /wiːt/ B1	noun - a cereal plant that is the most important kind grown in temperate countries, the grain of which is ground to make flour for bread, pasta, pastry, etc.
engines /ˈendʒɪnz/ A2	noun - a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion.
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger, pain, or threat.
drowning /ˈdraʊnɪŋ/ B1	verb - die through submersion in and inhalation of water.
river /ˈrɪvər/ A1	noun - a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.
zombies /ˈzɒmbiz/ B1	noun - a corpse said to be revived by witchcraft.
death /deθ/ A1	noun - the end of the life of a person or organism.
breath /breθ/ A2	noun - the air inhaled or exhaled when breathing.
nuclear /ˈnjuːkliər/ B2	adjective - relating to the nucleus of an atom.
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a facial expression indicating pleasure or amusement, characterized by an upward curving of the corners of the mouth.

Grammar:

• Now war is declared and battle come down

  ➔ Passive Voice, Verb conjugation (subjunctive mood/informal)

  ➔ "War is declared" uses the passive voice to emphasize the event rather than the actor. "Come down" is an informal way of saying "comes down", omitting the 's' in the third person singular present tense, typical of some dialects and informal speech.

• Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense, Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ "Has bitten the dust" is an idiom meaning to have failed or come to an end. The present perfect tense indicates that the failure has happened recently and is still relevant.

• Except for the ring of the truncheon thing

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase, Noun Modifier

  ➔ "Except for the ring" is a prepositional phrase acting as an exception. "Of the truncheon thing" further specifies what kind of ring.

• The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense (for future events/trends)

  ➔ The present continuous is used to describe events that are happening now or are planned for the future. Here, it describes trends that are seen as inevitably coming.

• Forget it, brother, you can go it alone

  ➔ Imperative Mood, Modal Verb "can"

  ➔ "Forget it" is an imperative, giving a direct command. "You can go it alone" uses the modal verb "can" to express ability or possibility.

• But while we were talking, I saw you nodding out

  ➔ Past Continuous Tense, Past Simple Tense

  ➔ "We were talking" uses the past continuous to describe an ongoing action in the past. "I saw you nodding out" uses the past simple to describe a completed action that interrupted the ongoing one.

• And after all this, won't you give me a smile?

  ➔ Future Simple (Negative Contraction - won't), Question Formation

  ➔ "Won't you give me a smile?" is a question in the future simple tense, using the negative contraction "won't" (will not). The structure is inverted to form the question.