Old Friends – English Lyrics

• By: Ylvis

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the darkly comedic world of Ylvis with "Old Friends," a song that uses satire to explore themes of loss and unexpected companionship. Through its quirky lyrics and catchy melody, discover how humor can illuminate the complexities of life and the importance of human connection. Explore the nuances of English through the song's narrative and witty wordplay.

[English]

I saw you at the railway station

There had been a cancelation

You were smoking cigarettes alone

I walked up and said hello, I lost my wife two days ago

You shook my hand

And said Francis was your name

And you had a hat

And I had a hat

Mmm, we both had hats

And my wife was dead

And your wife was dead

Shit happens, Francis said

Francis said it's five o'clock

How about we find a rock and throw it at some cars from the bridge

I laughed and said that sounds like fun

We walked into the setting sun

And Francis said "I'm aiming at the kids"

And he threw a rock

So I threw a rock

We both put some gravel in a sock

And he threw the sock, I said we should stop

He smiled at me, then threw a rock and a sock

We snuck down to the local farm

And there we opened up the barn

To set the horses free and watch them run

The moon was extra bright that night

The horses in the pale moonlight

"Watch this", Francis said, and pulled his gun

And he shot a horse

So I shot a horse

Francis choked a chicken with his hands

But watching them die, you started to cry

"I'm bored", Francis said, "Let's steal a car"

Oh, Margaret, Oh Margaret

Don't you worry 'bout me now

I'm doing just fine on my own

There are other things to life than your soft skin against mine

And Francis is helping me move on

I'm moving on

"Life's a bitch" a wise man said

"No matter what, you end up dead

And all that you can wish for is a friend"

So pour another glass of wine

With Francis' shoulder touching mine

I'll stay right here until the bitter end

And you have a hat

And I have a hat

Mmm, we both have hats

And your wife is dead

And my wife is dead

Here's to life, Francis said

Here's to life, Francis said

Here's to life, Francis said

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hat /hæt/ A1	noun - a covering for the head
wife /waɪf/ A1	noun - a married woman; a spouse
dead /dɛd/ A1	adjective - no longer alive
rock /rɒk/ A1	noun - a hard mineral material
throw /θroʊ/ A2	verb - to launch something through the air
horse /hɔːrs/ A1	noun - a large animal used for riding
gun /gʌn/ A2	noun - a weapon that fires bullets
shot /ʃɒt/ A2	noun - the act of firing a gun; a bullet verb - to fire a gun
chicken /ˈtʃɪkən/ A1	noun - a domestic bird raised for meat or eggs
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the Earth's natural satellite
bright /braɪt/ A2	adjective - giving out a lot of light
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not restrained or captive; able to act as one wishes
farm /fɑːrm/ A2	noun - land used for agriculture or raising animals
barn /bɑːrn/ A2	noun - a building on a farm for storing grain or housing animals
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of living beings; the period between birth and death
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
glass /ɡlæs/ A1	noun - a transparent container for liquids
wine /waɪn/ A2	noun - an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes
bitter /ˈbɪtər/ B1	adjective - having a sharp, unpleasant taste; not sweet
steal /stiːl/ B1	verb - to take another's property without permission

Key Grammar Structures

• There had been a cancelation

  ➔ Past Perfect Simple (Passive implied)

  ➔ The "had been" indicates an action completed before another past action or a specific point in the past. Here, the cancellation happened before the speaker saw the other person. "cancelation" is highlighted.

• You were smoking cigarettes alone

  ➔ Past Continuous

  ➔ The "were smoking" describes an ongoing action in the past, often interrupted by another action or setting a scene. "were smoking" is highlighted.

• And said Francis was your name

  ➔ Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

  ➔ "said Francis was your name" is reporting what someone said in the past without using their exact words. The tense often shifts back (e.g., 'is' becomes 'was'). "said Francis was your name" is highlighted.

• How about we find a rock and throw it at some cars from the bridge

  ➔ Suggestion (How about + bare infinitive / gerund)

  ➔ "How about we find" is a common way to make a suggestion, equivalent to "What about finding" or "Why don't we find". "How about we find" is highlighted.

• To set the horses free and watch them run

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ "To set" and "watch" (implied 'to watch') explain the reason or purpose for the action 'opened up the barn'. "To set" is highlighted.

• But watching them die, you started to cry

  ➔ Participial Clause (Gerund as part of a clause)

  ➔ "watching them die" acts as an adverbial clause, indicating the time or condition under which "you started to cry". It's a reduced clause. "watching them die" is highlighted.

• And Francis is helping me move on

  ➔ Verb Pattern: help + object + (to) infinitive

  ➔ The verb "help" can be followed by an object and a bare infinitive or a 'to'-infinitive (both "move on" and "to move on" are correct). "helping me move on" is highlighted.

• No matter what, you end up dead

  ➔ Concessive Phrase 'No matter what' + Phrasal Verb 'end up'

  ➔ "No matter what" means regardless of the circumstances, emphasizing that the outcome will be the same. "end up" means to eventually reach a particular state or place. "No matter what" and "end up" are highlighted.

• And all that you can wish for is a friend

  ➔ Relative Clause (with 'that' as a relative pronoun)

  ➔ "that you can wish for" is a relative clause modifying "all", providing more information about it. "that you can wish for" is highlighted.

• With Francis' shoulder touching mine

  ➔ Participial Phrase (Absolute Phrase / Prepositional Phrase with Present Participle)

  ➔ "touching mine" is a present participial phrase describing the state of Francis's shoulder, adding detail to the main clause. It functions similarly to an adverbial clause. "touching mine" is highlighted.