Older – English Lyrics

• By: Lizzy McAlpine
• Album: Older (and Wiser)

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Lizzy McAlpine's poignant song "Older," a track that perfectly captures the bittersweet experience of transitioning into adulthood and confronting the passage of time. Through her emotive vocals and evocative lyrics, you can learn about the universal anxieties surrounding personal growth and the complexity of familial love, all wrapped in a beautifully devastating indie-folk composition.

[English]

Over and over

A carousel ride

Pay for your ticket

Watch the red moon climb

Sick to my stomach

Can't find the ground

Stuck in a loop

Watch the curtain come down

Thought it'd be over by now

Thought you would leave

Thought I would come to my senses

Wish I was stronger somehow

Wish it was easy

Somewhere I lost all my senses

I wish I knew what the end is

Over and over

Watch it all pass

Mom's getting older

I'm wanting it back

Where no one is dying

And no one is hurt

And I have been good to you

Instead of making it worse

Thought it'd be over by now

Thought you would leave

Thought I would come to my senses

Wish I was stronger somehow

Wish it was easy

Somewhere I lost all my senses

I wish I knew what the end is

I wish I knew what the end is

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
carousel /ˈkærəsɛl/ B2	noun - a ride at an amusement park that turns around
ride /raɪd/ A2	verb - to sit on and control movement (on bike, horse, amusement) noun - an act of riding on something
ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/ A2	noun - a piece of paper that allows entry or participation
climb /klaɪm/ A2	verb - to go upwards, usually using hands and feet
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A2	noun - the surface of the earth
curtain /ˈkɜːrtən/ B1	noun - cloth that hangs in a window or on a stage
loop /luːp/ B2	noun - a shape or path that curves around to form a circle verb - to move in a circular path or repeatedly
sense /sɛns/ A2	noun - an ability to perceive or understand something
strong /strɒŋ/ A1	adjective - having physical power, or able to deal with difficulties
easy /ˈiːzi/ A1	adjective - not difficult; simple
end /ɛnd/ A1	noun - the final part or finish of something
pass /pæs/ A2	verb - to move by or go through
older /ˈoʊldər/ A2	adjective - having more age; not young
die /daɪ/ A2	verb - to stop living
hurt /hɜːrt/ B1	verb - to cause physical or emotional pain
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - morally right or beneficial; of high quality
worse /wɜːrs/ A2	adjective - of lower quality or condition; less good
wish /wɪʃ/ B1	verb - to want something to happen or be true

Key Grammar Structures

• Thought it’d be over by now

  ➔ Past modal for unreal past (would + base verb)

  ➔ The use of 'would' in 'Thought it’d be over' shows expectation or assumption about the past that didn’t happen.

• Wish I was stronger somehow

  ➔ Subjunctive mood for unreal situation

  ➔ The verb 'was' after 'wish' expresses something contrary to reality — she isn’t stronger but wants to be.

• Can't find the ground

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' for ability (negative form)

  ➔ The use of 'can’t' expresses inability — she is unable to find stability or grounding.

• Mom's getting older

  ➔ Present continuous for gradual change

  ➔ The phrase 'getting older' uses the present continuous to show an ongoing process of aging.

• Watch the red moon climb

  ➔ Bare infinitive after perception verb

  ➔ After verbs like 'see', 'hear', or 'watch', the next verb stays in base form to show direct perception.

• Stuck in a loop

  ➔ Past participle used as adjective

  ➔ 'Stuck' comes from the past participle of 'stick' and describes a current state — being trapped repeatedly.

• I wish I knew what the end is

  ➔ Wish + past simple for unreal present desire

  ➔ 'Knew' shows a wish about something that isn’t true now — she doesn’t know the end but wants to.

• Instead of making it worse

  ➔ Preposition 'instead of' + gerund

  ➔ After 'instead of', the next verb takes the -ing form, forming a gerund phrase.