PUSH – English Lyrics

• By: Lenny Kravitz
• Album: Black And White America

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Lenny Kravitz's "PUSH," a song that beautifully blends rock and soul with a message of unwavering hope and determination. Its expressive lyrics offer a rich vocabulary for discussing resilience, faith, and the journey of self-discovery, making it a powerful and inspiring piece for language learners to explore meaningful English expressions.

[English]

It's barely morning

Cars are roaring

The city's moving fast

My momma's calling

But I'm stalling

Living in the past

It's time to face the world in front of me

And make the best of this reality

I'm gonna push my life today

Push to make a better way

Gonna push 'cause I got to carry on

I'm gonna push the clouds away

Push so I can see the way

Gonna push until I find my way home

The jungle's swarming

Beasts are crawling

They're all along my path

But God's adoring, love is pouring

I'm gonna take a bath

I am swimming in a violent sea

Trying to find out who I'm gonna be

I'm gonna push my life today

Push to make a better way

Gonna push 'cause I got to carry on

I'm gonna push the clouds away

Push so I can see the way

Gonna push until I find my way home

I can feel it come together

I know God has a plan, oh yeah

Oh I see the kingdom through the shadows

But it's all gonna pass

I'm gonna push

'Cause my Lord ain't gonna let it last

I'm gonna push my life today

Push to make a better way

Gonna push 'cause I got to carry on, oh yeah

I'm gonna push the clouds away

Push so I can see the way

Gonna push until I find my way home

I'm gonna push 'till my Lord brings me home

Oh, oh yeah

'Till II find my way home

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
push /pʊʃ/ A1	verb - to apply force to move something
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the state of being alive
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method or manner of doing something
clouds /klaʊdz/ A1	noun - white or grey masses in the sky
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - a place where one lives
carry /ˈkær.i/ A1	verb - to hold and transport something
swimming /ˈswɪm.ɪŋ/ A1	verb - to move through water
violent /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/ B1	adjective - using or involving physical force
jungle /ˈdʒʌŋ.ɡəl/ A2	noun - a dense forest
crawling /ˈkrɔː.lɪŋ/ A2	verb - to move on hands and knees or with the body close to the ground
adoring /əˈdɔː.rɪŋ/ B2	adjective - loving or admiring greatly
pouring /ˈpɔː.rɪŋ/ A2	verb - to flow rapidly in a particular direction
violent /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/ B1	adjective - using or involving physical force
shadows /ˈʃæd.oʊz/ A2	noun - a dark shape made when something blocks the light
kingdom /ˈkɪŋ.dəm/ B1	noun - a country ruled by a king or queen

Key Grammar Structures

• It's barely morning

  ➔ Be + adjective (linking verb)

  ➔ This line uses the linking verb 'be' to describe a state: 'It's' demonstrates 'be' in the present.

• Cars are roaring

  ➔ Present continuous tense (be + present participle)

  ➔ This line uses the present continuous tense built with the auxiliary 'are' + present participle 'roaring'.

• My momma's calling

  ➔ Contraction: 'momma's' = 'momma is'

  ➔ This line shows a contraction: 'momma's' for 'momma is'.

• But I'm stalling

  ➔ Contraction: 'I'm' = 'I am'; present continuous

  ➔ The sentence uses the contraction 'I'm' for 'I am' with a present continuous.

• It's time to face the world in front of me

  ➔ It's time to + infinitive; fixed expression

  ➔ The phrase 'it's time to' is a fixed expression followed by the base verb in the 'to' infinitive ('to face').

• And make the best of this reality

  ➔ Bare infinitive after 'and' (ellipsis from 'to')

  ➔ The verb 'make' is in the bare infinitive after 'and' because the 'to' from 'to face' is omitted in parallel structure.

• I'm gonna push my life today

  ➔ Gonna = going to; future intention

  ➔ This line uses the informal 'gonna' meaning 'going to' to express future intention.

• Gonna push 'cause I got to carry on

  ➔ Gonna = going to; 'got to' = have to; carry on = phrasal verb

  ➔ Here 'got to' means 'have to', and 'carry on' is a phrasal verb meaning continue.

• I'm gonna push until I find my way home

  ➔ Until + present simple in future time clause

  ➔ In future time clauses with 'until', English typically uses the present simple ('I find') to refer to future events.