Poetry by Dead Men – English Lyrics

• By: Sara Bareilles
• Album: Amidst the Chaos

Lyrics & Translation

Unlock the poignant storytelling of Sara Bareilles with "Poetry by Dead Men." This song offers a beautiful entry point into English through its relatable themes of unfulfilled love and the courage to move forward. You can learn powerful vocabulary related to emotions, relationships, and personal growth, all set to Bareilles's signature eloquent lyrics and evocative melody.

[English]

By the time you hear this

I'll be in the rearview mirror

I'll even wear that green dress you like

So when I disappear

You could turn around

One last look at the girl you lost in the time

You took to make up your mind

Between two roads

Go and take some more time

But me and mine must go

I tried to wait it out

No more, I can't find the man I was waiting for

I wanted to be your girl

In a white t-shirt

Over coffee, stirring in the cinnamon

While you read me poetry by dead men

I wanted to be your girl

With your hands on my skin

Stirring in the cinnamon

While you read me poetry by dead men

While you read me poetry by dead men

While you read me poetry by dead men

By the time you hear this

Who knows where I might be?

Singing 'bout another near miss

Love that ended incomplete

I was ready but you weren't

So jump with your net from this bridge you burned

I wanted to tell you things

All the secrets I've been keeping

I saw it in front of me

But then you just kept disappearing

A good dream almost

Now I tell your ghost

I wanted to be your girl

In a white t-shirt

Over coffee, stirring in the cinnamon

While you read me poetry by dead men

I wanted to be your girl

With your hands on my skin

Stirring in the cinnamon

While you read me poetry by dead men

While you read me poetry by dead men

While you read me poetry by dead men

Line after line

The words just left to remind

The two of us saw what we could've been

Poetry by dead men

Fire from embers

How can I make you remember?

With a turn of a phrase

Would you turn to me if I say

I still want to be your girl?

I still want to be your girl

In a white t-shirt

Over coffee, stirring in the cinnamon

While you read me poetry by dead men

I wanted to be your girl

With your hands on my skin

Stirring in the cinnamon

While you read me poetry by dead men

While you read me poetry by dead men

While you read me poetry by dead men

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
girl /ɡɜːrl/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
poetry /ˈpoʊ.ɪ.tri/ B2	noun - literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by particular attention to diction, rhythm, and line
cinnamon /ˈsɪn.ə.mən/ B1	noun - the aromatic bark of a tree used as a spice
coffee /ˈkɒf.i/ A1	noun - a drink made from roasted coffee beans
turn /tɜːrn/ A2	verb - to move or cause to move in a circular direction
read /riːd/ A1	verb - to look at and comprehend the meaning of written or printed matter
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or strong feeling of attachment
bridge /brɪdʒ/ B1	noun - a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road
ghost /ɡoʊst/ B2	noun - the spirit of a dead person regarded as appearing to the living
dream /driːm/ B1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
mirror /ˈmɪr.ər/ B1	noun - a reflective surface, typically of glass, that forms an image of whatever is in front of it
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - of the color between blue and yellow in the spectrum
white /waɪt/ A1	adjective - of the color of milk or fresh snow, the opposite of black
dead /dɛd/ B1	adjective - no longer alive; having ceased to exist
lost /lɒst/ B1	verb - to be unable to find one's way; to misplace something
waiting /ˈweɪ.tɪŋ/ B1	verb - to stay in one place or remain inactive until a particular time or event occurs
secret /ˈsiː.krət/ B1	noun - something that is kept hidden or unexplained
road /roʊd/ A2	noun - a paved way for traveling on land

Key Grammar Structures

• By the time you hear this

  ➔ Time clause (future perfect)

  ➔ The sentence uses a time clause ('By the time...') to indicate an action that will be completed before another action in the future.

• I'll be in the rearview mirror

  ➔ Future continuous tense

  ➔ This uses the future continuous tense ('I'll be...') to describe an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

• I'll even wear that green dress you like

  ➔ Future simple tense with 'even'

  ➔ The future simple tense ('I'll wear') is used to express a future action, and 'even' adds emphasis, implying something unexpected or surprising.

• One last look at the girl you lost in the time

  ➔ Relative clause

  ➔ The relative clause 'you lost in the time' modifies 'the girl' providing extra information about her.

• But me and mine must go

  ➔ Modal verb 'must'

  ➔ The modal verb 'must' expresses obligation or necessity.

• I can't find the man I was waiting for

  ➔ Relative clause with an omitted relative pronoun

  ➔ The relative pronoun ('whom' or 'that') after 'the man' is omitted, but understood, as the object of the verb 'waiting for'.

• I wanted to be your girl

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ 'To be your girl' expresses the purpose or intention of the action 'wanted'.

• While you read me poetry by dead men

  ➔ Subordinate clause of time

  ➔ The subordinate clause 'While you read me poetry by dead men' provides context about the simultaneous occurrence of an action.

• I saw it in front of me

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'in front of me' functions as a prepositional phrase, modifying 'saw' and indicating the location of the seeing.

• A good dream almost

  ➔ Adverb

  ➔ The word "almost" functions as an adverb, modifying the phrase, describing the dream was close to good.