Papa – English Lyrics

• By: Paul Anka

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the deeply personal narrative of Paul Anka's "Papa" to experience a touching portrayal of fatherly love and sacrifice through its English lyrics. This song is special for its raw emotion and clear storytelling, offering listeners a window into the universal language of familial devotion and remembrance.

[English]

Every day my papa would work

To try to make ends meet

To see that we would eat

Keep those shoes upon my feet

And every night, my papa would take me

Tuck me in my bed

Kiss me on my head

After all my prayers were said

And there were years of laughter and of tears

But through it all

Together, we were strong

He was strong

The times were rough

And Papa, he was tough

And Mama stood beside him all along

Growing up with them was easy

Time just flew on by

The years began to fly

They aged and so did I

But I could tell that mama wasn't well

Papa knew and deep down, so did she

So did we

And when she died

Papa broke down and he cried

And all he could say was, "God, why her? Take me"

Every day, he sat there sleeping in a rocking chair

He never went upstairs because she wasn't there

Then one day, my Papa said

"Son, I'm proud of how you've grown"

He said, "Make it on your own

And don't worry, I'm okay alone"

He said, "There are things you must do

And places you must see"

His eyes were sad as he

As he said goodbye to me

Every time I kiss my children

Papa's words ring true

He said, "Children live through you

And they grow, they leave you too"

I remember every word that Papa used to say

I kiss my kids and I pray that they'll think of me

That way, some day

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to exert oneself by doing something noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result
eat /iːt/ A1	verb - to put food into the mouth and chew and swallow it
shoes /ʃuːz/ A1	noun - a covering for the foot, typically made of leather or other strong material.
feet /fiːt/ A1	noun - the part of the leg below the ankle
bed /bed/ A1	noun - a piece of furniture for sleeping on
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck where the eyes, nose, mouth, and brain are
prayers /preərz/ A2	noun - a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity.
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye.
strong /strɒŋ/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks
tough /tʌf/ B1	adjective - able to withstand hardship or difficulty.
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
years /jɪərz/ A1	noun - a period of 365 or 366 days, counted from a specified date.
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress or pain. noun - a loud expression of emotion, especially grief.
sleeping /ˈsliːpɪŋ/ A1	verb - to be in a state of sleep
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority.
grown /ɡroʊn/ A1	verb - to increase in size, age, or degree.
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy.
kiss /kɪs/ A1	verb - touch or caress with the lips as a sign of love, sexual attraction, or greeting. noun - an act of touching someone with the lips as a sign of love, affection, or greeting.
pray /preɪ/ A1	verb - address a prayer to God or a deity.

Key Grammar Structures

• Every day my **papa would work**

  ➔ Used to + Verb (Simple Past - Habitual Action)

  ➔ Describes a habitual action in the past. The phrase "would work" indicates that the papa used to work every day.

• To try to **make ends meet**

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose (to + verb)

  ➔ The infinitive "to make" explains the purpose of the papa's work: to try to earn enough money to cover basic expenses.

• Keep those shoes **upon my feet**

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase (upon + noun)

  ➔ The preposition "upon" indicates the location of the shoes, although 'on my feet' is more common. Here it is used for poetic effect.

• But I **could tell** that mama wasn't well

  ➔ Modal Verb (could + base verb)

  ➔ Expresses ability in the past. The speaker was able to tell something.

• And when she died, **Papa broke down** and he cried

  ➔ Phrasal Verb (broke down)

  ➔ "Broke down" is a phrasal verb meaning to become very upset and start to cry.

• He said, "Son, I'm proud of **how you've grown**"

  ➔ Present Perfect + Adverbial clause of manner (how)

  ➔ Uses the present perfect to refer to a change/growth from the past to the present. "How you've grown" is an adverbial clause of manner, describing the way the son has grown.

• He said, "**Make it on your own** and don't worry, I'm okay alone"

  ➔ Imperative Sentences (Make it...) and Compound Sentence

  ➔ The sentence contains imperative verbs, giving a command or advice to the son. It's also a compound sentence with two main clauses joined by "and."

• And **don't worry**, I'm okay alone

  ➔ Imperative with negative (Don't + verb)

  ➔ Used to give a negative command or advice. It is a command not to worry.

• He said, "There **are things** you must do and places you must see"

  ➔ Existential There + Verb "be" + Subject (plural)

  ➔ Uses "there are" to indicate the existence of things. The subject "things" is plural, so "are" is used.

• I remember every word that **Papa used to say**

  ➔ Used to + Verb (Simple Past - Habitual Action)

  ➔ Describes a habitual action in the past. The phrase "used to say" indicates that Papa used to say something regularly.