Sailor Song – English Lyrics

• By: Gigi Perez

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical voyage with Gigi Perez's "Sailor Song," a deeply emotive indie folk track that masterfully weaves themes of passionate love and yearning for acceptance. By immersing yourself in its raw and poetic lyrics, you can explore nuanced English expressions of devotion and defiance. The song's evocative imagery and profound emotional depth offer a unique opportunity to connect with authentic storytelling, making it a powerful and special piece for language learners seeking to understand emotional nuances in English music.

[English]

I saw her in the rightest way

Looking like Anne Hathaway

Laughing while she hit her pen

And coughed, and coughed

And then she came up to my knees

Begging, "Baby, would you please

Do the things you said you'd do

To me, to me?"

Oh, won't you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor?

And when you get a taste, can you tell me what's my flavor?

I don't believe in God, but I believe that you're my savior

My mom says that she's worried, but I'm covered in this favor

And when we're getting dirty, I forget all that is wrong

I sleep so I can see you, 'cause I hate to wait so long

I sleep so I can see you, and I hate to wait so long

...

She took my fingers to her mouth

The kind of thing that makes you proud

That nothing else had ever

Worked out, worked out

And lately, I've tried other things

But nothing can capture the sting

Of the venom she's gonna

Spit out right now

Oh, won't you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor?

And when you get a taste, can you tell me what's my flavor?

I don't believe in God, but I believe that you're my savior

I know that you've been worried, but you're dripping in my favor

And when we're getting dirty, I forget all that is wrong

I sleep so I can see you, 'cause I hate to wait so long

I sleep so I can see you, and I hate to wait so long

...

And we can run away to the walls inside your house

I can be the cat, baby, you can be the mouse

And we can laugh off things that we know nothing about

We can go forever until you wanna sit it out

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sailor /ˈseɪlər/ A2	noun - a person who works on a ship or boat
kiss /kɪs/ A1	verb - to touch with the lips as a sign of love or affection noun - an act of kissing
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have a strong feeling of affection for someone noun - a strong feeling of affection
flavor /ˈfleɪvər/ B1	noun - the distinctive taste of a food or drink
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept that something is true
savior /ˈseɪvjər/ B2	noun - a person who saves someone from danger or harm
worried /ˈwʌrid/ B1	adjective - anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems
favor /ˈfeɪvər/ B1	noun - an act of kindness or support
dirty /ˈdɜːrti/ A2	adjective - not clean
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to be in a state of rest noun - a condition of body and mind which typically recurs for several hours every night
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - to dislike intensely noun - intense dislike
fingers /ˈfɪŋɡərz/ A1	noun - digits of the hand
mouth /maʊθ/ A1	noun - the opening in the face through which food is taken in
proud /praʊd/ B1	adjective - feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated.
capture /ˈkæptʃər/ B2	verb - to succeed in recording or representing accurately
sting /stɪŋ/ B2	noun - a sharp tingling pain verb - to wound with a sting
venom /ˈvenəm/ B2	noun - a poisonous substance secreted by animals
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk
walls /wɔːlz/ A1	noun - a vertical structure that encloses or divides an area
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - to make sounds with the voice expressing amusement

Key Grammar Structures

• Looking like Anne Hathaway

  ➔ Gerund Phrase as Complement

  ➔ The phrase "looking like Anne Hathaway" functions as an adjective describing how the speaker saw the person. The gerund "looking" introduces the descriptive phrase.

• Begging, "Baby, would you please...

  ➔ Conditional request using "would"

  ➔ The phrase "would you please" is a polite and somewhat pleading request. The use of "would" makes it softer and more tentative than a direct imperative.

• Oh, won't you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor?

  ➔ Negative Interrogative with "won't"

  ➔ The question "won't you kiss me..." implies a desire or expectation that the person *will* kiss the speaker. The negative form is used for emphasis and can express longing.

• And when you get a taste, can you tell me what's my flavor?

  ➔ Embedded Question with Subject-Verb Inversion

  ➔ "What's my flavor?" is the direct question. It's embedded within the larger question "Can you tell me...?" The embedded question is a noun clause acting as the object of the verb "tell."

• I don't believe in God, but I believe that you're my savior

  ➔ Contrast using 'but' and Noun clause with 'that'

  ➔ The word "but" indicates a contrast between the two clauses. 'that you're my savior' is a noun clause and acts as the object of the verb 'believe'.

• My mom says that she's worried, but I'm covered in this favor

  ➔ Reported Speech and Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ "My mom says that she's worried" is reported speech. The phrase "covered in this favor" is idiomatic and means to be experiencing a positive outcome or preferential treatment.

• I sleep so I can see you, 'cause I hate to wait so long

  ➔ Subordinate Clause of Purpose and 'so...that'

  ➔ The phrase "so I can see you" is a subordinate clause of purpose. It explains the reason why the speaker sleeps. "so long" in 'I hate to wait so long' can be followed by that + clause, making it resultative (though in the song it's used more informally)

• That nothing else had ever Worked out, worked out

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ The past perfect "had worked out" indicates that the failure of other things happened before the event described in the previous line (taking fingers to her mouth). It emphasizes that *before* this moment, nothing else had been successful.