River of Broken Dreams – English Lyrics

• By: Brant Parker
• Album: River of Broken Dreams

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful depths of Brant Parker's "River of Broken Dreams" and experience the raw emotion of blues storytelling. This authentic blues-rock track, praised for its traditional boogie blues sound, offers a poignant narrative of lost love. Through its heartfelt lyrics and expressive instrumentation, you can learn how the blues tradition powerfully conveys deep human experiences, making it a perfect song for understanding emotion in English through music.

[English]

So low-down..don't even have a Nickel to my name

So low-down

I don't even have a Nickel to my name

I got a high class woman

and you know she's to blame

her sweet sweet lovin'

've cost me

she makes me ache head to toe

till she knows my soul

If I don't find a dollar

She's gone, gone, gone

And now I hear them say...

She's gone, gone, gone

Now I hear them say

If you want to keep a high class woman

you have a heavy price to pay

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or words by which someone or something is known
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - of great vertical extent.
woman /ˈwʊmən/ A1	noun - an adult female human being.
blame /bleɪm/ B2	verb - to assign responsibility for a fault or wrong. noun - responsibility for a fault or wrong.
sweet /swiːt/ A2	adjective - having a pleasant taste, like that of sugar.
lovin' /ˈlʌvɪn/ A1	noun - affection, love
ache /eɪk/ B1	verb - to suffer from a continuous dull pain. noun - a continuous dull pain
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck where the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and brain are.
toe /toʊ/ A1	noun - any of the five digits at the end of the foot.
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
find /faɪnd/ A1	verb - discover or locate (something) unexpectedly or while looking for something else.
dollar /ˈdɒlər/ A1	noun - a monetary unit of the US, Canada, Australia, and other countries, equal to 100 cents.
hear /hɪr/ A1	verb - perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something).
keep /kiːp/ A1	verb - have or retain possession of.
price /praɪs/ A2	noun - the amount of money expected, required, or given in payment for something. verb - to set or decide the price of something.
heavy /ˈhevi/ A2	adjective - of great weight; difficult to lift or move.

Key Grammar Structures

• So low-down..don't even have a Nickel to my name

  ➔ Use of "even" for emphasis. Ellipsis indicating informal speech/thought.

  ➔ "Even" reinforces the idea of being completely broke. The ellipsis indicates a trailing thought or feeling of despair. The expression "to my name" emphasizes lack of any possessions.

• I got a high class woman

  ➔ Informal contraction of "have got" to "got". Use of adjective "high class" before the noun "woman"

  ➔ Using "got" instead of "have got" is common in informal English. "High class" functions as a compound adjective modifying "woman".

• and you know she's to blame

  ➔ Contraction "she's" (she is). "To blame" - idiom indicating responsibility for something negative.

  ➔ The phrase "to be to blame" means that someone is responsible for a problem or negative situation.

• her sweet sweet lovin'

  ➔ Repetition of "sweet" for emphasis. Use of gerund "lovin'" (short for "loving") acting as a noun.

  ➔ The repetition of "sweet" intensifies the positive quality. "Lovin'" is a colloquial shortened form of "loving" used as a noun in this context (her sweet loving/affection).

• 've cost me

  ➔ Contraction of "have" to "'ve". Implied object of the verb "cost" (presumably his money/possessions).

  ➔ The shortened form "'ve" is common in informal speech and song lyrics. The object of "cost" is omitted but understood to be what the woman's love has taken from him.

• she makes me ache head to toe

  ➔ Use of the verb "make" to express causation (She causes me to ache). Idiomatic expression "head to toe" (entirely).

  ➔ "Make" in this sentence is followed by an object (me) and a bare infinitive (ache). "Head to toe" means from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

• If I don't find a dollar

  ➔ Use of conditional "If" clause. Simple present tense "don't find" to express a possible future action.

  ➔ In first conditional sentences, the "if" clause often uses the simple present to refer to a possible future event. The main clause (not shown in the quoted line) would typically use "will".