Superstition

• By: Stevie Wonder
• Album: Talking Book

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
superstitious /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs/ B2	adjective - resulting from or influenced by superstition
wall /wɔːl/ A1	noun - a long, upright structure, often made of brick or stone, that encloses an area
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to move downwards quickly and without control noun - an act of falling
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child
broke /broʊk/ A1	verb - past tense of break; to separate into pieces adjective - having completely run out of money
glass /ɡlɑːs/ A1	noun - a hard, transparent substance used to make windows, bottles, etc.
luck /lʌk/ A2	noun - success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality
past /pæst/ A2	noun - the time before the present
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of
suffer /ˈsʌfər/ B1	verb - experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant)
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front of the head
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the fingers and thumb
problem /ˈprɒbləm/ A2	noun - a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.
strong /strɒŋ/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy
devil /ˈdevəl/ B1	noun - the supreme spirit of evil; Satan

Grammar:

• Very superstitious

  ➔ Use of adverbs of degree ("very") to intensify adjectives ("superstitious").

  ➔ Here, "very" emphasizes the extent to which someone is superstitious. It indicates a strong belief in superstitions.

• Writing's on the wall

  ➔ Use of the possessive "'s" to indicate "writing is" (contraction) and idiomatic expression.

  ➔ "Writing's on the wall" is an idiom meaning that there are clear signs that something bad is going to happen.

• Ladder's 'bout to fall

  ➔ Use of the possessive "'s" to indicate "ladder is" (contraction) and colloquial abbreviation of "about" ( 'bout). Use of "to be about to" to express immediate future.

  ➔ This means the ladder is going to fall very soon. "'bout to" is a colloquial way of saying "about to."

• Broke the looking glass

  ➔ Simple past tense ("broke") indicating a completed action in the past.

  ➔ "Broke" is the past tense of "break," showing that the action of breaking the looking glass happened in the past.

• When you believe in things That you don't understand

  ➔ Use of "when" to introduce a conditional clause. Use of a relative clause ("That you don't understand") to modify "things". Use of present simple tense ("believe", "don't understand") to express general truths or habitual actions.

  ➔ This sentence sets up a condition: if you believe in things you don't understand, then you will suffer. "That you don't understand" clarifies what kind of "things" are being referred to.

• Superstition ain't the way, yeah

  ➔ Use of colloquial contraction "ain't" (instead of "is not"). Negative statement. Use of "the way" to mean "the correct method or approach".

  ➔ This means that relying on superstition is not the correct or effective approach to solving problems or living life.

• You don't want to save me

  ➔ Use of negative form of "want to" + infinitive to express lack of desire.

  ➔ This expresses that the speaker believes that someone else is unwilling to rescue or help them.