Spoonman – English Lyrics

• By: Soundgarden

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the unique sound of Soundgarden's "Spoonman," a grunge classic that incorporates actual spoons played by street artist Artis the Spoonman. This song offers a glimpse into the Seattle grunge scene and the themes of identity and perception, making it a fascinating piece to study for language and culture.

[English]

(spoons rattling)

(tapping spoons)

(playing spoons)

(intense rock music)

♪ Feel the rhythm with your hands ♪

♪ Steal the rhythm while you can ♪

♪ Spoonman ♪

♪ Speak the rhythm on your own ♪

♪ Speak the rhythm all alone ♪

♪ Spoonman ♪

♪ Spoonman come together with your hands ♪

♪ Save me I'm together with your plan ♪

♪ Save me yeah ♪

♪ Save ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ All my friends are Indians ♪

♪ All my friends are brown and red ♪

♪ Spoonman ♪

♪ And all my friends are skeletons ♪

♪ They beat the rhythm with their bones ♪

♪ Spoonman ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Spoonman come together with your hands ♪

♪ Save me I'm together with your plan ♪

♪ Save me ♪

♪ Save ♪

♪ Save me ♪

♪ Save me yeah ♪

♪ Save ♪

♪ With your ♪

♪ Come on come on come on ♪

♪ Come on come on come on ♪

♪ Come on come on come on ♪

♪ Come on come on come on ♪

♪ With your hands ♪

♪ With your hands ♪

♪ Come on come on come on ♪

♪ Come on ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Come on while I get off ♪

♪ Spoonman come together with your hands ♪

♪ Save me I'm together with your plan ♪

♪ Save me ♪

♪ Save yeah ♪

♪ Save me ♪

♪ With your ♪

♪ With your hands ♪

♪ Feel the rhythm with your hands ♪

♪ Steal the rhythm while you can ♪

♪ Spoonman ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
spoonman /ˈspuːnmæn/ C1	noun - a person who plays spoons as a musical instrument
rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ B2	noun - a regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movements
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the end parts of the arms used for grasping
steal /stiːl/ B1	verb - to take another's property without permission
speak /spiːk/ A2	verb - to utter words or talk
alone /əˈloʊn/ B1	adjective - by oneself; without others
together /təˈɡɛðər/ B1	adverb - in combination; with each other
save /seɪv/ A2	verb - to rescue or keep safe
plan /plæn/ B1	noun - a detailed proposal for doing something verb - to devise a plan for something
friends /frɛndz/ A1	noun - people with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
Indians /ˈɪndiənz/ A2	noun - people from India
brown /braʊn/ A1	adjective - of a color resembling wood or earth
red /rɛd/ A1	adjective - of a color like blood
skeletons /ˈskɛlɪtənz/ B2	noun - the framework of bones supporting a body
beat /biːt/ B1	verb - to strike repeatedly noun - the rhythmic unit in music
bones /boʊnz/ A2	noun - hard parts of a skeleton
intense /ɪnˈtɛns/ B2	adjective - extremely strong or extreme
rock /rɒk/ B2	noun - a genre of popular music with a strong beat verb - to move back and forth energetically

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ Feel the rhythm with your hands ♪

  ➔ Present Simple with 'feel'

  ➔ The verb 'feel' is in the present simple tense, indicating a habitual or general action. It suggests a continuous or repeated experience of feeling the rhythm.

• ♪ Steal the rhythm while you can ♪

  ➔ Present Simple with 'steal'

  ➔ The verb 'steal' is in the present simple tense, suggesting a general advice or encouragement to take the rhythm when possible.

• ♪ Spoonman come together with your hands ♪

  ➔ Imperative mood with 'come'

  ➔ The verb 'come' is in the imperative mood, giving a direct command or invitation to the subject (Spoonman) to act.

• ♪ Save me I'm together with your plan ♪

  ➔ Present Simple with 'save' and 'am'

  ➔ The verbs 'save' and 'am' are in the present simple tense, indicating a current state or action. 'Am' is a form of 'be' used with the first person singular.

• ♪ All my friends are Indians ♪

  ➔ Present Simple with 'are'

  ➔ The verb 'are' is in the present simple tense, used to describe a permanent or long-term state. It links the subject 'all my friends' with the complement 'Indians'.

• ♪ And all my friends are skeletons ♪

  ➔ Present Simple with 'are'

  ➔ Similar to the previous line, 'are' is used to describe a state, linking 'all my friends' with 'skeletons'.

• ♪ Come on come on come on ♪

  ➔ Imperative mood repetition

  ➔ The phrase 'come on' is repeated in the imperative mood to emphasize urgency or encouragement.

• ♪ With your hands ♪

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'with your hands' is a prepositional phrase that describes the means or instrument used to perform the action.