Tighten Up

• By: Archie Bell & the Drells
• Album: I Can't Stop Dancing

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music noun - a set of steps and movements
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn noun - an act of traveling or an excursion on foot
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion
drums /drʌmz/ A1	noun - a percussion instrument sounded by being struck, scraped, or shaken
drummer /ˈdrʌmər/ A2	noun - a person who plays a drum or drums
bass /beɪs/ A2	noun - the lowest adult male singing voice noun - an electric guitar with four strings that plays low notes
guitar /ɡɪˈtɑːr/ A1	noun - a stringed instrument with a long neck and a hollow body
organ /ˈɔːrɡən/ A2	noun - a keyboard instrument with pipes sounded by means of compressed air
mellow /ˈmeloʊ/ B2	adjective - pleasantly smooth or soft; free from harshness verb - to become more relaxed, calm, or gentle
tighten /ˈtaɪtn/ B1	verb - to make or become tight or tighter
tough /tʌf/ B1	adjective - difficult; involving hardship or suffering
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to drop down from a higher level

Grammar:

• We don't only sing but we dance just as good as we walk.

  ➔ Correlative Conjunctions (not only...but also), comparative

  ➔ Uses "not only...but also" construction implied (the "also" is omitted but understood). "Just as good as" is a simple comparison using "as + adjective + as".

• In Houston we just started a new dance called the Tighten Up.

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ "Started" is the past simple form of the verb "start," indicating a completed action in the past.

• This is the music we tighten up to.

  ➔ Preposition at the end of a relative clause.

  ➔ The preposition "to" is placed at the end of the sentence, which is a common (though sometimes debated) construction. The implicit relative pronoun is "that" or "which". "This is the music (that/which) we tighten up to."

• Come on now drummer. I want you to tighten it up for me now. oh yeah

  ➔ Imperative mood, Object + infinitive

  ➔ "Come on" is an encouraging imperative. "I want you to tighten it up" uses the structure "want + object + to-infinitive" to express a desire for someone to perform an action.

• I said if you can do it now, It sure would be tough.

  ➔ Conditional Sentences (Mixed Type)

  ➔ This is a mixed conditional sentence. It's an unusual construction where the condition refers to the present ("if you can do it now") and the result is a general statement about difficulty.

• But don'tcha just do it light.

  ➔ Contraction, Negative Imperative, Adverb of Manner

  ➔ "Don'tcha" is a contraction of "don't you." "Don't do it" is the negative imperative. "Light" is used adverbially here (though informally) to describe how the action of doing something should *not* be performed (lightly).