The Way It Is – English Lyrics

• By: The Strokes
• Album: Room On Fire

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the cool, rhythmic world of The Strokes! This song is perfect for learners looking to master conversational English, casual idioms, and the relaxed, melodic phrasing used in modern indie rock.

[English]

She was still sleeping

The problem will stay

...

One more day

Said she's not sorry

The wind blows her way

Accidents happen

There's one planned today

Oh, you see

I wish it was not true

But that's the way it is

It's not your fault

That's the way it is

I'm sick of you

And that's the way it is

And will always be

...

Wednesday is over

It's over again

Said my goodbyes

To the life we won't spend

Together

I wish it was not true

But that's the way it is

It's not your fault

That's the way it is

I'm sick of you

And that's the way it is

But that's not your problem

That's not a problem

That's not my problem

That's not your problem

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sleeping /ˈsliːpɪŋ/ A1	verb - to be in a state of rest with eyes closed
problem /ˈprɒbləm/ A1	noun - a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful
sorry /ˈsɒri/ A1	adjective - feeling sadness or sympathy; apologetic
wind /wɪnd/ A1	noun - the perceptible natural movement of the air
blows /bləʊz/ A2	verb - of wind, to be in motion
accidents /ˈæksɪdənts/ A2	noun - an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly
planned /plænd/ A2	adjective - decided on and arranged in advance
wish /wɪʃ/ A2	verb - to desire something to be the case
true /truː/ A1	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality
fault /fɔːlt/ B1	noun - responsibility for an adverse situation
sick /sɪk/ A2	adjective - affected by strong irritation or disgust
Wednesday /ˈwenzdeɪ/ A1	noun - the day of the week before Thursday
goodbyes /ˌɡʊdˈbaɪz/ A1	noun - expressions of farewell
spend /spend/ A2	verb - to pass time in a specified way
together /təˈɡeðər/ A1	adjective - with each other

Key Grammar Structures

• She was still sleeping

  ➔ Past Continuous Tense

  ➔ Used "was sleeping" to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.

• The wind blows her way

  ➔ Third-person singular present simple

  ➔ The verb "blows" adds an -s because the subject "The wind" is third-person singular.

• I wish it was not true

  ➔ Wish + past tense for hypothetical situations

  ➔ Using "was" after "wish" expresses a regret or desire for a different reality in the present.

• To the life we won't spend

  ➔ Relative Clause (omitted 'that/which')

  ➔ The phrase "we won't spend" modifies "life". "That" or "which" is understood before "we".

• That's the way it is

  ➔ Demonstrative pronoun + linking verb

  ➔ "That's" (That is) uses the linking verb "is" to equate the subject to the noun phrase "the way it is".

• And will always be

  ➔ Future Simple (ellipsis)

  ➔ The subject "it" and the verb "is" are implied/ellipted from the previous clause to avoid repetition.

• It's not your fault

  ➔ Negative form of 'to be'

  ➔ The particle "not" follows the verb "is" to negate the statement about the fault.

• I'm sick of you

  ➔ Adjective phrase (be sick of)

  ➔ "Sick of" is a common idiom meaning to be tired or annoyed by someone or something.