Shotgun

• By: Jr Walker & The All Stars

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
shotgun /ˈʃɒtɡʌn/ B1	noun - a long gun that fires a large number of small pellets
shoot /ʃuːt/ A2	verb - to fire a weapon
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
jerk /dʒɜːrk/ B2	noun - a sudden, sharp, or awkward movement verb - to move with a sudden, sharp, or awkward movement
dress /dres/ A1	noun - a piece of clothing worn by a woman or girl
downtown /ˌdaʊnˈtaʊn/ A2	noun - the main business area of a town or city
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - to separate into pieces
load /loʊd/ B1	verb - to put a load on or in (something)
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - of great vertical extent
heel /hiːl/ A2	noun - the back part of the foot
shoes /ʃuːz/ A1	noun - footwear
listen /ˈlɪsən/ A1	verb - to pay attention to sound
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation
blues /bluːz/ B1	noun - a type of music
dig /dɪɡ/ A2	verb - to break up and move earth
potatoes /pəˈteɪtoʊz/ A1	noun - plural of potato
pick /pɪk/ A2	verb - to remove (something) from a place
tomatoes /təˈmeɪtoʊz/ A1	noun - plural of tomato
twine /twaɪn/ B2	noun - strong thread or string consisting of two or more strands twisted together.

Grammar:

• Shoot 'em for he run now

  ➔ Informal use of "for" as "before" + Subjunctive Mood (slightly implied)

  ➔ The line uses "for" in a non-standard way, meaning "before". Ideally, the subjunctive would be "before he runs" or, more formally, 'before he should run.' The shortened form and simpler verb 'run' are common in informal speech and emphasize urgency. It implies "Shoot them *before* they have a chance to run."

• Do the jerk baby

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ "Do the jerk" is a command. The sentence instructs someone to perform the dance called "the jerk."

• Put on your red dress

  ➔ Imperative Mood, Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Put on" is a phrasal verb meaning "to wear". This line uses imperative mood, a direct command. The understood subject is "you".

• We're gonna break it down, baby now

  ➔ Future Tense (Informal), Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "We're gonna" is an informal contraction of "we are going to", expressing future intention. "Break it down" is a phrasal verb; here it likely means to dance enthusiastically or to simplify something.

• We're gonna dig potatoes, We're gonna pick tomatoes

  ➔ Parallel Structure, Informal Future Tense

  ➔ The sentences exhibit parallel structure with the repeated "We're gonna" followed by a verb and a noun. "We're gonna" is an informal way of saying "we are going to", indicating a future intention.