Ship To Wreck – English Lyrics

• By: Florence + The Machine
• Album: Dance Fever

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and 'Ship To Wreck' by Florence + The Machine offers a unique opportunity to delve into the English language's use of metaphor and introspection. The song's vivid imagery and honest, questioning lyrics provide a rich text for understanding how language can be used to explore complex emotions. What makes this song special is its juxtaposition of an energetic, catchy melody with deeply personal and vulnerable lyrical content, making it a compelling piece for both musical enjoyment and linguistic analysis.

[English]

Don't touch the sleeping pills, they mess with my head

Dredging of great white sharks, swimming in the bed

And here comes a killer whale, to sing me to sleep

Thrashing the covers off, has me by its teeth

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?

I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?

Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?

Did I build a ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck

Did I build this ship to wreck?

What's with the long face? Do you want more?

Thousands of red-eyed mice, scratching at the door

And don't let the curtain catch you, cause you've been here before

The chair is an island, darling, you can't touch the floor

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?

I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?

Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?

Did I build a ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck

Did I build this ship to wreck?

...

Good God, under starless skies

We are lost, and into the breach, we got tossed

And the water is coming in fast

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?

I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?

Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?

Did I build a ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck

Did I build this ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck

Did I build this ship to wreck?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ship /ʃɪp/ A2	noun - a large boat used for traveling long distances on the sea verb - to send goods by ship
wreck /rek/ B1	verb - to severely damage or ruin something noun - the remains of something that has been destroyed
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck where the eyes, nose, mouth, and brain are
sharks /ʃɑːrks/ B1	noun - a large fish with a triangular tooth
killer /ˈkɪlə(r)/ B1	noun - a person or thing that kills adjective - causing or capable of causing death
whale /weɪl/ B1	noun - a very large sea mammal
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a strong feeling of affection
earth /ɜːθ/ A1	noun - the planet we live on
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	verb - to take liquid into the mouth and swallow it noun - a liquid that you drink
touch /tʌtʃ/ A1	verb - to put your hand or another part of your body on something noun - the act of touching
mice /maɪs/ A1	noun - plural of mouse
door /dɔːr/ A1	noun - a moving entrance
chair /tʃeər/ A1	noun - a seat for one person
floor /flɔːr/ A1	noun - the bottom surface of a room
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - a colorless, transparent, odorless, and tasteless liquid
starless /ˈstɑːrləs/ B2	adjective - without stars
skies /skaɪz/ A2	noun - the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth
lost /lɒst/ A2	adjective - unable to find your way

Key Grammar Structures

• Don't touch the sleeping pills, they mess with my head

  ➔ Imperative mood & Present simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "Don't touch" is an imperative negative command, giving direct advice. "They mess" is present simple showing habitual action.

• And here comes a killer whale, to sing me to sleep

  ➔ Inversion for emphasis, infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "Here comes" is an inversion used to emphasize the arrival of the 'killer whale'. "To sing me to sleep" uses the infinitive to express purpose.

• Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?

  ➔ Past and present simple questions with auxiliary 'did' and 'am'

  ➔ "Did I drink" is a past simple question using the auxiliary 'did' for emphasis. "Am I losing" is a present continuous question using 'am' for current ongoing action.

• I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed

  ➔ Modal verb 'can't help but' + base verb, infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "Can't help but" expresses inability to avoid an action. The structure is followed by the base verb "pull". "To make" is an infinitive expressing purpose.

• Good God, under starless skies

  ➔ Exclamation & prepositional phrase

  ➔ "Good God" is an exclamatory phrase showing strong feeling. "Under starless skies" is a prepositional phrase setting the scene.

• Thousands of red-eyed mice, scratching at the door

  ➔ Countable noun with quantifier & present participle as adjective

  ➔ "Thousands of red-eyed mice" uses a quantifier with a countable noun. "Scratching" is a present participle modifying the noun.

• Did I build a ship to wreck?

  ➔ Past simple question with auxiliary 'did' + infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "Did I build" is a past simple question using 'did' for emphasis. "To wreck" is an infinitive expressing the intended purpose or result.

• And the water is coming in fast

  ➔ Present continuous tense for actions happening now

  ➔ "Is coming" is the present continuous form of 'come', showing an action occurring at this moment.