Too Bad – English Lyrics

• By: Nickelback
• Album: The Best of Nickelback, Volume 1

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a powerful and emotive experience, and Nickelback's 'Too Bad' offers a compelling entry point into English. The song's clear and direct storytelling about a painful family experience allows learners to connect with raw, universal emotions. Its structure, with its shift from melancholic verses to powerful choruses, provides a great opportunity to understand changes in tone and emotional expression in English lyrics. What makes 'Too Bad' special is its honest and personal narrative, which can make the language learning process more meaningful and memorable.

[English]

Father's hands were lined with dirt

From long days in the field

And mother's hands are serving meals

In a café on Main Street

With mouths to feed

Just trying to keep clothing on our backs

And all I hear about is

Is how it's so bad, it's so bad

It's too bad, it's stupid

Too late, so wrong, so long

It's too bad that we had no time to rewind

Let's walk, let's talk

(Let's talk)

You left without saying goodbye

Although I'm sure you tried

You call the house from time to time

To make sure we're alive

But you weren't there

Right when I needed you the most

And now I dream about it

And how it's so bad, it's so bad

It's too bad, it's stupid

Too late, so wrong, so long

It's too bad that we had no time to rewind

Let's walk, let's talk

It's so bad, it's too bad

It's too bad, it's stupid

Too late, so wrong, so long

Too bad that we had no time to rewind

Let's walk, let's talk

(Let's talk)

Father's hands are lined with guilt

For tearing us apart

Guess it turned out in the end

Just look at where we are

We made it out

We still got clothing on our backs

And now I scream about it

And how it's so bad, it's so bad

It's too bad, it's stupid

Too late, so wrong, so long

It's too bad that we had no time to rewind

Let's walk, let's talk

It's so bad, it's too bad

it's too bad, it's stupid

it's too late, so wrong, so long

It's too bad that we had no time to rewind

Let's walk, let's talk

Long time, let's walk, let's talk

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the part of the body at the end of the arm
feed /fiːd/ A1	verb - to give food to someone or something
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to say words to someone
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn
dream /driːm/ A2	verb - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep noun - a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.
time /taɪm/ A2	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
clothing /ˈkləʊðɪŋ/ A2	noun - clothes collectively
bad /bæd/ A2	adjective - not good
field /fiːld/ B1	noun - a piece of land used for farming or pasture
rewind /riːˈwaɪnd/ B1	verb - to turn back or reverse
guilt /ɡɪlt/ B1	noun - the fact of having done something wrong or shameful
tear /tɪər/ B1	verb - to pull apart or into pieces noun - a drop of liquid from the eye
apart /əˈpɑːrt/ B2	adverb - separated into pieces
scream /skriːm/ B2	verb - to give a loud, piercing cry
alive /əˈlaɪv/ B2	adjective - living, not dead
wrong /rɒŋ/ B2	adjective - not correct or true
lined /laɪnd/ B2	verb - mark with lines