Miserable at Best – English Lyrics

• By: Mayday Parade
• Album: A Lesson In Romantics

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant world of Mayday Parade with "Miserable at Best," a fan-favorite emo ballad that beautifully articulates the pain of lost love. Through its deeply personal lyrics and piano-driven melody, this song offers a unique window into expressing profound sadness and heartache in English. Learners can grasp emotional vocabulary and the nuanced ways feelings are conveyed in music, making it a powerful tool for language acquisition through connection and empathy.

[English]

Katy, don't cry, I know

You're trying your hardest, and the hardest part is letting

Go of the nights we shared

Ocala is calling, and you know it's haunting

But compared to your eyes

Nothing shines quite as bright

And when we look to the sky

It's not mine, but I want it so

Let's not pretend like you're alone tonight

I know he's there, and

You're probably hanging out and making eyes

While across the room he stares

I'll bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor

And ask my girl to dance, she'll say yes

Because these words were never easier for me to say

Or her to second-guess, but I guess

That I can live without you, but

Without you, I'll be miserable at best

You're all that I hoped I'd find in every single way

And everything I would give is everything you couldn't take

'Cause nothing feels like home, you're a thousand miles away

And the hardest part of living is just taking breaths to stay

'Cause I know I'm good for something, I just haven't found it yet

And I need it

So let's not pretend like you're alone tonight

I know he's there, and

You're probably hanging out and making eyes

While across the room he stares

I'll bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor

And ask my girl to dance, she'll say yes

Because these words were never easier for me to say

Or her to second-guess, but I guess

That I can live without you, but

Without you, I'll be miserable at best

...

And this will be the first time in a week

That I'll talk to you, and I can't speak

It's been three whole days since I've had sleep

'Cause I dream of his lips on your cheek

And I got the point that I should leave you alone

But we both know that I'm not that strong

And I'll miss the lips that made me fly

So let's not pretend like you're alone tonight

I know he's there, and

You're probably hanging out and making eyes

While across the room he stares

I'll bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor

And ask my girl to dance, she'll say yes

Because these words were never easier for me to say

Or her to second-guess, but I guess

That I can live without you, but

Without you, I'll be miserable

And I can live without you, but

Without you, I'll be miserable

And I can live without you, but

Oh, without you, I'll be miserable at best

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears
haunting /ˈhɔːntɪŋ/ C1	adjective - difficult to ignore or forget; something that stays in your mind
bright /braɪt/ B2	adjective - giving out or reflecting a lot of light
pretend /prɪˈtend/ B1	verb - to behave as if something is true when it is not
stares /steərz/ B1	verb - to look directly at someone or something for a long time
nerve /nɜːrv/ B2	noun - courage or boldness
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
words /wɜːrdz/ A1	noun - units of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to be alive
miserable /ˈmɪzərəbl/ B2	adjective - extremely unhappy or uncomfortable
hoped /hoʊpt/ A2	verb - wanted something to happen
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A1	noun - the state of being alive
breathes /briːðz/ A2	verb - to take air into the lungs and let it out
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or feelings occurring in a person's mind during sleep
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel sadness at not being with someone or something