The Road To Mandalay – English Lyrics

• By: Robbie Williams
• Album: Life Thru A Lens

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Robbie Williams' "The Road To Mandalay" and discover a song that beautifully blends a catchy, French-inspired melody with deeply reflective and melancholic lyrics. Learning the English lyrics of this track offers a unique opportunity to explore themes of regret, the impact of fame, and a longing for simpler times, all wrapped in Williams' distinctive storytelling. Its accessible language and emotional depth make it a special piece for language learners looking to connect with English through music.

[English]

Save me from drowning in the sea

Beat me up on the beach

What a lovely holiday

There's nothing funny left to say

This sombre song won't drain the sun

But it won't shine until it's sung

No water running in the stream

The saddest place we've ever seen

Everything I touched was golden

Everything I loved got broken

On the road to mandalay

Every mistake I've ever made

Has been rehashed and then replayed

As I got lost along the way

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom badom

There's nothing left for you to give

The truth is all that you're left with

Twenty paces then at dawn

We will die and be reborn

I like to sleep beneath the trees

Have the universe at one with me

Look down the barrel of a gun

And feel the moon replace the sun

Everything we've ever stolen

Has been lost, returned or broken

No more dragons left to slay

Every mistake I've ever made

Has been rehashed and then replayed

As I got lost along the way

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom badom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom badom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom

Bom badom

Bom badom

Save me from drowning in the sea

Beat me up on the beach

What a lovely holiday

There's nothing funny left to say

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sea /siː/ A1	noun - a large body of saltwater
beach /biːtʃ/ A1	noun - the land alongside the sea
holiday /ˈhɒlədeɪ/ A1	noun - a day of festivity or recreation
song /sɒŋ/ A1	noun - a short musical composition with words
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that the Earth orbits
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - a colorless, transparent, odorless, and tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or point in space
golden /ˈɡəʊldən/ A2	adjective - made of gold or having the color of gold
road /rəʊd/ A1	noun - a way or course
mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/ A2	noun - an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being true
dawn /dɔːn/ B1	noun - the first light of day
trees /triːz/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height
universe /ˈjuːnɪvɜːs/ B1	noun - all existing matter and space considered as a whole
gun /ɡʌn/ A2	noun - a weapon designed to be fired by the use of gunpowder
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of the Earth
dragons /ˈdræɡənz/ B2	noun - a mythical monster
reborn /ˌriːˈbɔːrn/ B2	verb - born again

Key Grammar Structures

• Save me from drowning in the sea

  ➔ Imperative with gerund after preposition

  ➔ The verb "Save" is an imperative. The phrase "from "drowning"" uses a gerund after the preposition "from".

• Beat me up on the beach

  ➔ Imperative with phrasal verb

  ➔ The verb "Beat" is an imperative. "beat ... up" is a phrasal verb meaning "to attack".

• There's nothing funny left to say

  ➔ Existential there + adjective + to‑infinitive

  ➔ The existential "There" introduces a noun phrase. "left to say" uses the adjective "left" followed by the to‑infinitive "to say".

• Everything I touched was golden

  ➔ Past simple in a relative clause

  ➔ The clause "I "touched"" is a relative clause modifying "Everything" and uses the past simple tense.

• Everything I loved got broken

  ➔ Passive voice with 'got' + past participle

  ➔ "got broken" is a colloquial passive construction where "got" functions like "was".

• Every mistake I've ever made has been rehashed and then replayed

  ➔ Present perfect passive

  ➔ "has been rehashed" uses the present perfect (has + past participle) in the passive voice.

• Twenty paces then at dawn we will die and be reborn

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' + passive infinitive

  ➔ "will die" is the simple future. "be reborn" is a passive infinitive that follows the auxiliary "will".

• Look down the barrel of a gun and feel the moon replace the sun

  ➔ Bare infinitive after perception verb

  ➔ "feel the moon replace the sun" uses the bare infinitive "replace" after the perception verb "feel".

• No more dragons left to slay

  ➔ Adjective + to‑infinitive as complement

  ➔ "left to slay" follows the adjective "left" and uses the to‑infinitive "to slay" as its complement.