Serve The Servants – English Lyrics

• By: Nirvana

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

(audience applauding)

(grunge rock music)

♪ Teenage angst has paid off well ♪

♪ Now I'm bored and old ♪

♪ Self-appointed judges judge ♪

♪ More than they have sold ♪

♪ If she floats, then she is not a witch like we had thought ♪

♪ A down payment on another one at Salem's lot ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants ♪

♪ That legendary divorce is such a bore ♪

♪ As my bones grew, they did hurt ♪

♪ They hurt really bad ♪

♪ I tried hard to have a father, but instead I had a dad ♪

♪ I just want you to know that I don't hate you anymore ♪

♪ There is nothing I could say ♪

♪ That I haven't thought before ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants ♪

♪ That legendary divorce is such a bore ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants, oh no ♪

♪ Serve the servants ♪

♪ That legendary divorce is such a bore ♪

♪♪♪

(crowd cheering)

Key Grammar Structures

• Teenage angst has paid off well

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ Expresses completed action with present relevance. "has paid" shows past action affecting current state.

• If she floats, then she is not a witch

  ➔ Zero Conditional

  ➔ Describes universal truths/general facts. Structure: "If" + present simple, "then" + present simple.

• like we had thought

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ Indicates action completed before another past action. "had thought" happened before the floating test.

• As my bones grew, they did hurt

  ➔ Emphatic 'did'

  ➔ "did" intensifies the verb "hurt" for emphasis. Common in poetic/emotional contexts.

• I tried hard to have a father

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive

  ➔ Shows purpose/effort. "tried" directly followed by infinitive "to have".

• but instead I had a dad

  ➔ Contrast Conjunction

  ➔ "but instead" contrasts expectation (father) with reality (dad). Shows unexpected outcome.

• I don't hate you anymore

  ➔ Negative + Anymore

  ➔ "anymore" indicates cessation of past state. Implies hatred existed before but stopped now.

• There is nothing I could say

  ➔ Existential 'There' + Relative Clause

  ➔ "There is" introduces existence. "I could say" is reduced relative clause modifying "nothing".

• that I haven't thought before

  ➔ Present Perfect Negative

  ➔ Shows unfinished time period (before now). "haven't thought" emphasizes no prior occurrence.