The Thanksgiving Song

• By: Ben Rector
• Album: A Ben Rector Christmas

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
highways /ˈhaɪweɪz/ A2	noun - a main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities
leaves /liːvz/ A1	noun - plural of leaf; flat, typically green parts of a plant
brown /braʊn/ A1	adjective - of a color like chocolate or earth
hometown /ˈhoʊmtaʊn/ A2	noun - the town or city where one was born or grew up
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
plate /pleɪt/ A1	noun - a flat dish, typically circular and made of china, from which food is eaten or served
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	noun - a liquid that is swallowed as refreshment or nourishment verb - to swallow (liquid)
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for (someone)
years /jɪərz/ A1	noun - the period of 365 or 366 days, divided into 12 months, beginning on January 1st
older /ˈoʊldər/ A1	adjective - having lived for a relatively long time
short /ʃɔːrt/ A1	adjective - of small length or duration
bittersweet /ˌbɪtərˈswiːt/ B2	adjective - arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain
football /ˈfʊtbɔːl/ A1	noun - any of several games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal.
grow /ɡroʊ/ A1	verb - (of a living thing) increase in size or substance
table /ˈteɪbl/ A1	noun - a piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs, providing a level surface for eating, writing, or working at
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
kitchen /ˈkɪtʃɪn/ A1	noun - a room or area where food is prepared and cooked.

Grammar:

• Lined with leaves turned brown

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective

  ➔ The phrase "leaves turned brown" uses the past participle "turned" to describe the state of the leaves. It functions as an adjective modifying "leaves".

• Funny how this all looks different

  ➔ Adjective + "how" + Clause

  ➔ This sentence structure uses the adjective "funny" to express a surprising or ironic observation. The "how" clause introduces the surprising observation.

• The kind of love that all these years can't wash away

  ➔ Relative Clause with "that"

  ➔ The phrase "that all these years can't wash away" is a relative clause modifying "the kind of love". "That" introduces the relative clause, which provides more information about the noun it modifies.

• 'Cause the older that I get

  ➔ The + Comparative, The + Comparative

  ➔ This structure indicates a proportional increase or correlation between two things: as one thing increases, the other also increases. Here, as the speaker gets older, their understanding of life's nature deepens.

• Starting to see my grandfather

  ➔ Present Participle as Verb

  ➔ "Starting" is a present participle acting as part of the continuous verb tense (is starting) within the unwritten part of the sentence.

• Mom still can't talk about him and not almost cry

  ➔ Double Negative (Implied)

  ➔ The phrase implies a double negative, where the inability to talk about him without almost crying suggests that she always cries when she talks about him. "Not almost cry" reinforces the near certainty of crying.

• The kind of love a thousand miles can't wash away

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of 'that')

  ➔ This sentence is a relative clause where the relative pronoun "that" has been omitted. The full form would be: "The kind of love *that* a thousand miles can't wash away". This omission is common in informal speech and writing.

• Let the leftover year just wash away

  ➔ Imperative with "Let"

  ➔ This line uses the imperative form with "let", indicating a suggestion or request. "Let" introduces a verb phrase expressing a permission or allowance for something to happen.