Tired of These Blues

• By: Mighty Sam McClain
• Album: Give It up to Love

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - feeling a need to rest or sleep
blues /bluːz/ B1	noun - a feeling of sadness or depression; a genre of music
find /faɪnd/ A1	verb - to discover or locate
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method, style, or manner of doing something
soon /suːn/ A1	adverb - in or after a short time
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause physical or emotional pain
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have a strong feeling of affection
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood; the center of emotions
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - without anyone else present
winners /ˈwɪnərz/ B1	noun - people who win
quitters /ˈkwɪtərz/ B2	noun - people who give up easily
win /wɪn/ A2	verb - to achieve victory
picking /ˈpɪkɪŋ/ B1	verb - to select or choose
again /əˈɡen/ A1	adverb - another time; once more
dirty /ˈdɜːrti/ A2	adjective - not clean
low /loʊ/ A1	adjective - not high or tall

Grammar:

• I'm real tired of these blues.

  ➔ Use of the adjective "tired" with "real" as an intensifier.

  ➔ "Real" is used informally to strengthen the adjective "tired", emphasizing the speaker's strong feeling of being tired of the blues. It is a colloquial way of saying "really tired".

• if i don't find my way real soon, i dont know, just what i might do.

  ➔ First conditional with "if" clause (present simple) and main clause (modal verb "might").

  ➔ The sentence expresses a possible future outcome based on a condition. "If" the speaker doesn't find a solution soon, they are unsure of their future actions. "Might" indicates a possibility, but not a certainty.

• I've been out here so dog gone long.. lord.

  ➔ Present perfect continuous tense ("I've been") to express an action that started in the past and continues to the present. Use of "dog gone" as an intensifier.

  ➔ The use of "I've been" emphasizes the duration of the speaker's experience. "Dog gone" is a colloquial and somewhat archaic intensifier, similar to "really" or "very". It adds a folksy feel.

• Surrounded by people who say they love me, but in my heart, i know i'm all alone..

  ➔ Reduced relative clause "Surrounded by people...", relative pronoun "who", contrastive conjunction "but".

  ➔ "Surrounded by people who say they love me" is a reduced relative clause; the full clause would be "Surrounded by people *who* say they love me". "But" creates a contrast between the outward appearance (being surrounded by people who claim to love the speaker) and the speaker's internal reality (feeling alone).

• They say winners never quit, and quitters never win.

  ➔ Use of the present simple tense to express general truths or common sayings. Parallel structure.

  ➔ These are well-known idioms. The present simple indicates these are considered universal truths or common beliefs. The parallel structure ("winners never quit, quitters never win") enhances the impact and memorability of the statement.

• I keep picking myself up, and starting all over again...

  ➔ Use of the present simple tense with "keep + -ing" to express a repeated action.

  ➔ "I keep picking myself up" indicates that the speaker repeatedly makes an effort to recover or improve their situation. The phrase "all over again" reinforces the cyclical nature of this process.