Maggie May – English Lyrics
Lyrics & Translation
Learning English through Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" offers a unique opportunity to explore narrative storytelling and complex emotions in music. The song's lyrics provide a rich vocabulary for expressing feelings of love, confusion, and disillusionment. Its autobiographical nature makes it a compelling piece for understanding how personal experiences can be transformed into timeless art.
[English]
Wake up MaggieI think I got something to say to you
It's late September and I really should be back at school
I know I keep you amused
But I feel I'm being used
Oh Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore
You led me away from home
Just to save you from being alone
You stole my heart and that's what really hurts
The morning sun when it's in your face
Really shows your age
But that don't worry me none, in my eyes you're everything
I laughed at all of your jokes
My love you didn't need to coax
Oh Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore
You led me away from home
Just to save you from being alone
You stole my soul and that's a pain I can do without
All I needed was a friend to lend, a guiding hand
But you turned into a lover
And Mother what a lover, you wore me out
All you did was wreck my bed
And in the morning kick me in the head
Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore
You led me away from home
'Cause you didn't want to be alone
You stole my heart, I couldn't leave you if I tried
I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school
Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool
Or find myself a rock and roll band
That needs a helpin' hand
Oh Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face
You made a first-class fool out of me
But I'm as blind as a fool can be
You stole my heart but I love you anyway
Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face
I'll get on back home, one of these days
Key Vocabulary
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Key Grammar Structures
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Wake up Maggie, I think I got something to say to you
➔ Present Simple for habitual action/general truth, Infinitive after 'think'
➔ The verb 'wake up' is used in the imperative mood. 'I think I **got**...' uses the past tense 'got' colloquially to express a current state or intention. The infinitive 'to say' follows 'think'.
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I know I keep you amused, But I feel I'm being used
➔ Present Continuous for ongoing action, Passive Voice (being used)
➔ 'keep' is used in the present continuous to show a repeated action. 'I'm **being used**' demonstrates the passive voice, indicating the subject is receiving the action rather than performing it.
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You stole my heart and that's what really hurts
➔ Simple Past Tense, Demonstrative Pronoun 'that'
➔ 'stole' is in the simple past tense, indicating a completed action. '**That's** what really hurts' uses 'that' to refer back to the previous clause.
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All I needed was a friend to lend, a guiding hand
➔ Subjunctive Mood (was), Noun as Adjective ('guiding hand')
➔ 'was' is used in a subjunctive construction expressing a wish or hypothetical situation. '**Guiding hand**' is an example of a noun functioning as an adjective, modifying 'hand'.
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Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool
➔ Modal Verb 'steal', Infinitive of Purpose ('to make')
➔ 'steal' is a modal verb expressing possibility or a hypothetical action. 'to make a living' is an infinitive phrase expressing the purpose of stealing the cue.
