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In the suburbs I, I learned to drive 00:17
And you told me we'd never survive 00:24
Grab your mother's keys, we're leaving 00:29
You always seemed so sure 00:41
That one day we'd be fighting 00:46
In a suburban war 00:50
Your part of town against mine 00:54
I saw you standing on the opposite shore 00:57
But by the time the first bombs fell 01:02
We were already bored 01:06
We were already, already bored 01:10
Sometimes I can't believe it 01:14
I'm moving past the feeling 01:18
Sometimes I can't believe it 01:22
I'm moving past the feeling again 01:26
The kids want to be so hard 01:38
But in my dreams we're still screaming 01:43
And running through the yard 01:47
When all of the walls that they built 01:51
In the seventies finally fall 01:54
And all of the houses they built 01:59
In the seventies finally fall 02:02
Meant nothing at all? 02:06
Meant nothing at all 02:07
It meant nothing 02:09
Sometimes I can't believe it 02:11
I'm moving past the feeling 02:15
Sometimes I can't believe it 02:19
I'm moving past the feeling 02:23
And into the night 02:27
So can you understand 02:44
Why I want a daughter while I'm still young? 02:48
I want to hold her hand 02:55
And show her some beauty 02:57
Before this damage is done 02:59
But if it's too much to ask 03:05
If it's too much to ask 03:07
Then send me a son 03:10
Under the overpass 03:16
In the parking lot, we're still waiting 03:20
It's already passed 03:24
So move your feet from hot pavement 03:28
And into the grass 03:32
'Cause it's already passed 03:35
It's already, already passed 03:37
Sometimes I can't believe it 03:41
I'm moving past the feeling 03:45
Sometimes I can't believe it 03:49
I'm moving past the feeling again 03:53
I'm moving past the feeling 04:02
I'm moving past the feeling 04:10
In my dreams we're still screaming 04:27
We're still screaming 04:36
We're still screaming 04:44
04:56

The Suburbs – English Lyrics

By
Arcade Fire
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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

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Vocabulary Meanings

suburbs

/ˈsʌbɜːrbz/

B1
  • noun
  • - an outlying district of a city, especially a residential one

drive

/draɪv/

A1
  • verb
  • - to operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle

survive

/sərˈvaɪv/

B1
  • verb
  • - continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship

leaving

/ˈliːvɪŋ/

A1
  • verb
  • - to go away from

fighting

/ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

A2
  • verb
  • - take part in a violent struggle involving physical force or weapons

war

/wɔːr/

A2
  • noun
  • - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country

town

/taʊn/

A1
  • noun
  • - an urban area that has a name, defined boundaries, and local government, and that is generally larger than a village and smaller than a city

shore

/ʃɔːr/

B1
  • noun
  • - the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water

bombs

/bɒmz/

B2
  • noun
  • - a container filled with explosive, incendiary, or other destructive material, designed to explode on impact or when detonated by a timing mechanism, remote control, or other device

bored

/bɔːrd/

A2
  • adjective
  • - feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one's current activity

feeling

/ˈfiːlɪŋ/

A2
  • noun
  • - an emotional state or reaction

kids

/kɪdz/

A1
  • noun
  • - a child or young person

dreams

/driːmz/

A2
  • noun
  • - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep

screaming

/ˈskriːmɪŋ/

B1
  • verb
  • - give a loud, piercing cry

yard

/jɑːrd/

A2
  • noun
  • - the area of ground around a house, typically covered with grass

walls

/wɔːlz/

A1
  • noun
  • - a continuous vertical brick or stone structure that encloses or divides an area of land

houses

/ˈhaʊzɪz/

A1
  • noun
  • - a building for human habitation

daughter

/ˈdɔːtər/

A1
  • noun
  • - a female child

beauty

/ˈbjuːti/

A2
  • noun
  • - the quality of being pleasing, especially to look at

damage

/ˈdæmɪdʒ/

B1
  • noun
  • - physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something

son

/sʌn/

A1
  • noun
  • - a male child

waiting

/ˈweɪtɪŋ/

A1
  • verb
  • - stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens

hot

/hɒt/

A1
  • adjective
  • - having a high degree of heat or a high temperature

pavement

/ˈpeɪvmənt/

A2
  • noun
  • - a paved area for pedestrians; a sidewalk

grass

/ɡræs/

A1
  • noun
  • - vegetation consisting of typically short plants with long, narrow leaves, growing wild or cultivated on lawns and pasture, and as a fodder crop

Key Grammar Structures

  • In the suburbs I, I learned to drive

    ➔ Simple past tense

    ➔ Used to describe completed actions in the past.

  • And you told me we'd never survive

    ➔ Conditional mood with 'would' + base verb

    ➔ Expresses a hypothetical or future-in-the-puture scenario.

  • Grab your mother's keys, we're leaving

    ➔ Present continuous tense to describe immediate plans

    ➔ 'We're leaving' indicates a plan in the near future.

  • That one day we'd be fighting

    ➔ Future in the past (using 'would' + verb)

    ➔ Expresses a future event viewed from a past perspective.

  • We were already bored

    ➔ Past perfect tense to emphasize completion

    ➔ Indicates that the state of boredom had already begun in the past.

  • Sometimes I can't believe it

    ➔ Modal 'can' + base verb (contraction 'can't') for inability or disbelief

    ➔ Expresses inability to accept or believe something at the moment.

  • And into the night

    ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating movement or direction

    ➔ Describes moving toward or entering the night as a metaphor for change or escape.

  • Then send me a son

    ➔ Imperative form used as a suggestion or request

    ➔ Expresses a desire or request for the next generation, showing hope or a different wish.