The Suburbs – English Lyrics
Lyrics & Translation
[English]
In the suburbs I, I learned to drive
And you told me we'd never survive
Grab your mother's keys, we're leaving
...
You always seemed so sure
That one day we'd be fighting
In a suburban war
Your part of town against mine
I saw you standing on the opposite shore
But by the time the first bombs fell
We were already bored
We were already, already bored
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm moving past the feeling
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm moving past the feeling again
...
The kids want to be so hard
But in my dreams we're still screaming
And running through the yard
When all of the walls that they built
In the seventies finally fall
And all of the houses they built
In the seventies finally fall
Meant nothing at all?
Meant nothing at all
It meant nothing
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm moving past the feeling
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm moving past the feeling
And into the night
...
So can you understand
Why I want a daughter while I'm still young?
I want to hold her hand
And show her some beauty
Before this damage is done
But if it's too much to ask
If it's too much to ask
Then send me a son
...
Under the overpass
In the parking lot, we're still waiting
It's already passed
So move your feet from hot pavement
And into the grass
'Cause it's already passed
It's already, already passed
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm moving past the feeling
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm moving past the feeling again
...
I'm moving past the feeling
...
I'm moving past the feeling
...
In my dreams we're still screaming
...
We're still screaming
We're still screaming
...
Key Vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Meanings |
|---|---|
|
survive /sərˈvaɪv/ B1 |
|
|
drive /draɪv/ B1 |
|
|
keys /kiz/ A2 |
|
|
war /wɔːr/ B2 |
|
|
shore /ʃɔːr/ B2 |
|
|
bombs /bɒmz/ B2 |
|
|
bored /bɔːrd/ B2 |
|
|
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ B1 |
|
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dreams /driːmz/ B1 |
|
|
screaming /ˈskriːmɪŋ/ B2 |
|
|
yard /jɑːrd/ A2 |
|
|
houses /ˈhaʊzɪz/ A2 |
|
|
night /naɪt/ A2 |
|
|
daughter /ˈdɔːtər/ A2 |
|
|
hands /hændz/ A2 |
|
Key Grammar Structures
-
You always seemed so sure That one day we'd be fighting
➔ Modal verb 'would' for future in the past.
➔ 'We'd be fighting' is a shortened form of 'we would be fighting.' It indicates a future action as it was perceived from a past point in time. It shows an expectation or prediction that existed in the past.
-
When all of the walls that they built In the seventies finally fall
➔ Relative clause using 'that' to define the noun 'walls'.
➔ The clause "that they built in the seventies" modifies "walls." It specifies which walls are being referred to.
-
So can you understand Why I want a daughter while I'm still young?
➔ Indirect Question using 'Why' + Subject + Verb order.
➔ The phrase "Why I want a daughter..." functions as the object of the verb "understand." It follows the subject-verb order typical of statements, not the verb-subject order of direct questions.
-
I want to hold her hand And show her some beauty Before this damage is done
➔ Passive voice: "damage is done".
➔ "Damage is done" means that the action of damaging has been completed by an unspecified agent. The focus is on the state of the damage, not who caused it.
-
But if it's too much to ask If it's too much to ask Then send me a son
➔ Conditional sentence type 1 (possible condition).
➔ This sentence uses 'if' to present a possible condition ("if it's too much to ask"). The result of that condition is expressed with 'then' and a simple future action ("send me a son"). It indicates a real possibility in the present or future.
-
Under the overpass In the parking lot, we're still waiting It's already passed So move your feet from hot pavement And into the grass 'Cause it's already passed
➔ Use of 'already' with the present perfect to indicate a completed action with relevance to the present ('It's already passed').
➔ "It's already passed" means that something has finished happening and is no longer relevant. The word "already" emphasises the completeness of the action.
-
Sometimes I can't believe it I'm moving past the feeling
➔ Present continuous tense to describe an ongoing action ('I'm moving').
➔ "I'm moving past the feeling" indicates that the speaker is in the process of overcoming or distancing themself from a particular emotion.
