Tennis – English Lyrics

• By: Lily Allen
• Album: West End Girl

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Daddy's home for the first time in weeks, 

Got the dinner on the table, Tell the kids it's time to eat, 

And I made my baby's favourite, But he didn't seem to care, 

I just tell myself he's jet lagged, And I'm glad to have him here. 

Then you showed me a photo on Instagram, It was how you grabbed your phone back, 

Right out of my hands. So I read your texts, 

And now I regret it, I can't get my head round how you've 

been playing tennis, If it was just sex, 

I wouldn't be jealous, You won't play with me, 

And who's Madeline? I need to be alone, 

So I took myself to bed, I got a lot of information, 

That I can't even process, So I wrote a little email, 

And I told you what I saw, And then you came up to the bedroom, 

And you made it all my fault. But you moved the goalposts, 

You've broken the rules, I tried to accommodate, 

But you took me for a fool. So I read your texts, 

And now I regret it, I can't get my head round how you've 

been playing tennis, If it was just sex, 

I wouldn't be jealous, You won't play with me, 

And who the fuck is Madeline? Da da-da, da-da, da-da. Who's Madeline? 

Who's Madeline? Da da-da, da-da, da-da. Who's Madeline? 

Who's Madeline? Da da-da, da-da, da-da. Who's Madeline? 

Who's Madeline? Da da-da, da-da, da-da. Who's Madeline? 

Who's Madeline? But who is Madeline, actually?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
kids /kɪdz/ A2	noun - children
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in an activity for enjoyment verb - to participate in a sport or game
jealous /ˈdʒeləs/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing resentment towards someone because of their success or advantages
regret /rɪˈɡret/ B2	verb - to feel sorry about something
grabbed /ɡræbd/ B1	verb - to take hold of suddenly and forcibly
tennis /ˈtɛnɪs/ A2	noun - a sport played with rackets and a ball
sex /sɛks/ A2	noun - sexual activity
alone /əˈloʊn/ A1	adjective - separate and apart from others
bed /bɛd/ A1	noun - a place to sleep
told /toʊld/ A2	verb - to communicate information by speaking or writing
favourite /ˈfeɪvərɪt/ B1	adjective - preferred above all others
bedroom /ˈbɛdruːm/ B2	noun - a room for sleeping in
fault /fɔːlt/ B2	noun - responsibility for a mistake
goalposts /ˈɡoʊlpɔʊsts/ C1	noun - the posts between which a goal is scored in football
rules /ruːlz/ A2	noun - guidelines or principles to follow
fool /fuːl/ A2	noun - a person who is stupid or easily tricked
accommodate /əˈkɑːmədeɪt/ C1	verb - to fit in with someone's needs or wishes
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	verb - damaged so that something is unfit for use

Key Grammar Structures

• Got the dinner on the table,

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ In "Got the dinner on the table", "Got" indicates the "Past Simple" tense, which describes a completed action in the past.

• Tell the kids it's time to eat,

  ➔ Imperative

  ➔ In "Tell the kids it's time to eat", "Tell" is in the "Imperative" mood, used to give commands or instructions directly.

• I just tell myself he's jet lagged,

  ➔ Present Simple (Habitual)

  ➔ In "I just tell myself he's jet lagged", "tell" uses the "Present Simple (Habitual)" to express a repeated or habitual action.

• Then you showed me a photo on Instagram,

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ In "Then you showed me a photo on Instagram", "showed" is in the "Past Simple" tense, narrating a past event in sequence.

• So I read your texts,

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ In "So I read your texts", "read" uses the "Past Simple" to refer to a specific action completed in the past.

• I can't get my head round how you've been playing tennis,

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ In "I can't get my head round how you've been playing tennis", "'ve been playing" is the "Present Perfect Continuous", indicating an ongoing action from the past to now.

• If it was just sex,

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ In "If it was just sex", this is part of the "Second Conditional", used for hypothetical situations in the present or future, with the past simple in the if-clause.

• You won't play with me,

  ➔ Future Simple (Negative)

  ➔ In "You won't play with me", "won't" expresses the "Future Simple (Negative)", denying a future action.

• Who's Madeline?

  ➔ Wh-Question with Auxiliary Contraction

  ➔ In "Who's Madeline?", "Who's" is a contraction of "Who is" in a "Wh-Question with Auxiliary Contraction", used to inquire about identity.

• You've broken the rules,

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ In "You've broken the rules", "'ve broken" uses the "Present Perfect", linking past actions to the present state.