Steve's Going To London – English Lyrics

• By: AJR
• Album: The Maybe Man

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into AJR's "Steve's Going To London," a song that masterfully blends a seemingly nonsensical, catchy chorus with profound reflections on life's meaning and the creative process. Its unique blend of pop, electronic elements, and conversational lyrics makes it an engaging piece to explore how everyday observations can spark artistic expression and to understand how music can both distract and provoke thought. Through its playful yet introspective narrative, you can appreciate the band's innovative storytelling and musical composition.

[English]

Steve's going to London

Shawn's stuck in a suit

Tom sleeps on his best friend's lawn

Like every other afternoon.

Steve's going to London

Dan peed in the pool

Tom fell for his best friend's mom

But what the hell you gonna do?

Hey-hey, look around, look around

Wouldn't it be nice for someone to miss ya?

Hey-hey, funny how all the things that you used to like,

Now they depress ya.

While you try to find some meaning in your life

Before you're gone

There's a song that don't mean anything at all

And it sounds like:

Steve's going to London

Shawn's stuck in a suit

Tom sleeps on his best friend's lawn

Like every other afternoon.

Steve's going to London

Dan peed in the pool

Tom fell for his best friend's mom

But what the hell you gonna

What the hell you gonna do?

Steve's going to London

Hey-hey, look around, look around

Wouldn't it be nice to see me on TV?

I'd dress to the nines with a smile

And you'd probably think that that was the real me.

While you try to find some meaning in your life

Before you die

Here's a bunch of random shit to waste your time

And it sounds like:

Steve's going to London

Shawn's stuck in a suit

Tom sleeps on his best friend's lawn

Like every other afternoon (Like every other afternoon).

Steve's going to London

Dan peed in the pool

Tom fell for his best friend's mom

But what the hell you gonna

What the hell you gonna do?

What the hell you gonna do?

(You, you make this rather snappy, won't you?)

I try hard to write a cool song

So I start with something simple

Like trying to put my shoes on

Now something kinda clicked

'Cause you relate a bit

But no one's gonna care about a shoe song.

I try hard to write a cool song

But I gotta make it matter

So maybe I'll throw the news on

Could I relate the shoes to 2022

Or maybe an election down in Tucson?

I tried throwing something cool on

So I'm listening to Kendrick

And playing the swimming pools song

But why did I do that?

'Cause now I hate my track

I'm quite aware I'll never write a cool song.

But who really needs a cool song?

There's so many better melodies

Why do you need a new one?

So stop writing a song about writing a song

You're losing their attention, buddy, move on.

Steve's going to London (What the hell?)

Shawn's stuck in a suit

Tom sleeps on his best friend's lawn

Like every other afternoon (Every other afternoon).

Steve's going to London (Ah-ah)

Dan peed in the pool (Ah-ah)

Tom fell for his best friend's mom

But what the hell you gonna

What the hell you gonna do?

What the hell you gonna do?

What the hell you gonna do?

What the hell you gonna do?

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London,

Steve's going to London.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stuck /stʌk/ A2	adjective - unable to move, fixed in a position. verb - to be fixed in a place and unable to move (past participle of 'stick').
suit /suːt/ A1	noun - a set of outer clothes made of the same fabric, consisting of a jacket and trousers or a skirt.
lawn /lɔːn/ A2	noun - an area of short-mown grass in a garden or park.
afternoon /ˌæftərˈnuːn/ A1	noun - the part of the day between noon and evening.
pool /puːl/ A1	noun - an artificial basin of water for swimming or other water sports.
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to move downwards, typically rapidly and freely, from a higher to a lower level. verb - to succumb to, be overcome by; to become infatuated with (used in 'fell for').
miss /mɪs/ A1	verb - to feel the absence of someone or something, or to long for them.
depress /dɪˈprɛs/ B2	verb - to make (someone) feel utterly despondent or dejected.
meaning /ˈmiːnɪŋ/ A2	noun - what is meant by a word, text, concept, or action.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal.
song /sɔːŋ/ A1	noun - a short piece of music with words that are sung.
hell /hɛl/ B1	noun - a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are punished after death. noun - used to express anger, annoyance, or emphasis (colloquial, often with 'the').
cool /kuːl/ A2	adjective - fashionably attractive or impressive. adjective - of or at a fairly low temperature.
write /raɪt/ A1	verb - to form letters, words, or symbols on a surface with a pen, pencil, or other implement.
relate /rɪˈleɪt/ B1	verb - to make a connection between; to show or make a connection between (two or more things).
attention /əˈtɛnʃən/ B1	noun - the act or power of carefully thinking about, listening to, or watching someone or something.
waste /weɪst/ A2	verb - to use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.
random /ˈrændəm/ B1	adjective - made, done, or happening without method or conscious decision.
snappy /ˈsnæpi/ B2	adjective - quick and energetic.
aware /əˈwɛər/ B1	adjective - having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

Key Grammar Structures

• Steve's going to London

  ➔ Present Continuous for Future Plans

  ➔ The "present continuous" ("is going") is used here to talk about a definite plan or arrangement in the future.

• Shawn's stuck in a suit

  ➔ Passive Voice (Resultant State)

  ➔ "Stuck" is the past participle used as an adjective, indicating the "resultant state" of an action (someone or something *made* Shawn stuck). It functions like a passive construction.

• Tom sleeps on his best friend's lawn Like every other afternoon.

  ➔ Present Simple for Habitual Actions + Frequency Adverbial

  ➔ The "present simple" ("sleeps") describes a routine or habitual action. The phrase "Like every other afternoon" specifies the "frequency" of this habit.

• But what the hell you gonna do?

  ➔ Informal Future ("gonna") + Rhetorical Question

  ➔ "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to," used for future plans or predictions. This entire phrase forms a "rhetorical question," asked for effect rather than to elicit an answer.

• Wouldn't it be nice for someone to miss ya?

  ➔ Conditional Structure (Hypothetical Wish)

  ➔ "Wouldn't it be nice" introduces a "hypothetical wish" or a desire for something that is not currently true. It's a common way to express what one would like to happen.

• all the things that you used to like, Now they depress ya.

  ➔ "Used to" for Past Habits/States

  ➔ "Used to" describes a "past habit or state" that no longer exists or is no longer true in the present. It contrasts past actions/preferences with current ones.

• While you try to find some meaning in your life Before you're gone

  ➔ Time Clauses with "While" and "Before"

  ➔ "While" introduces a "subordinate clause" indicating simultaneous actions. "Before" introduces another "subordinate clause" indicating an action that precedes the main clause's action.

• And you'd probably think that that was the real me.

  ➔ Reported Speech (Past Simple in a Noun Clause)

  ➔ "You'd probably think" is a conditional expression. The phrase "that that was the real me" is a "noun clause" functioning as the object of 'think', demonstrating "reported speech" or thought where a present truth ("is") becomes a past truth ("was") in a dependent clause.

• Here's a bunch of random shit to waste your time

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The "infinitive phrase" "to waste your time" explains the "purpose" or reason for the "bunch of random shit" being presented.

• So stop writing a song about writing a song

  ➔ Verb + Gerund (Stop + -ing)

  ➔ The verb "stop" is followed by a "gerund" ("writing") to indicate ceasing an action. This structure is common for telling someone to discontinue an activity.