Try a Little Tenderness
Lyrics:
[English]
Oh, she may be weary
And young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old shaggy dress, yeah, yeah
But when she gets weary
Try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah
You know she's waiting
Just anticipating
For things that she'll never, never, never, never possess, yeah, yeah
But while she's there waiting, without them
Try a little tenderness
That's all you gotta do
It's not just sentimental, no, no, no
She has her grief and care, yeah, yeah-yeah
But the soft words, they are spoke so gentle, yeah
It makes it easier, easier to bear, yeah
You won't regret it, no, no
Some girls they don't forget it
Love is their own happiness, yeah
But it's all so easy
All you gotta do is try
Try a little tenderness, yeah
All you gotta do is, man
Hold her where you want her
Squeeze her
Don't tease her
Never leave her
Get to her, try, try
Just try a little tenderness, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Don't bruise her, no no
You've got to love her, tease her, don't squeeze her
Gotta try nah, nah, nah, try
Try a little tenderness, ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah
You've gotta to know what to do, man
Take this advice
...
Vocabulary in this song:
Vocabulary | Meanings |
---|---|
weary /ˈwɪəri/ B2 |
|
tenderness /ˈtendərnəs/ B2 |
|
waiting /ˈweɪtɪŋ/ A1 |
|
anticipating /ænˈtɪsɪpeɪtɪŋ/ B2 |
|
possess /pəˈzes/ B2 |
|
grief /ɡriːf/ B2 |
|
care /keər/ A2 |
|
soft /sɒft/ A2 |
|
gentle /ˈdʒentl/ B1 |
|
bear /beər/ B1 |
|
regret /rɪˈɡret/ B1 |
|
happiness /ˈhæpinəs/ A2 |
|
hold /hoʊld/ A1 |
|
squeeze /skwiːz/ B1 |
|
tease /tiːz/ B1 |
|
bruise /bruːz/ B2 |
|
advice /ədˈvaɪs/ B1 |
|
Grammar:
-
Oh, she may be weary
➔ Modal verb "may" expressing possibility/uncertainty
➔ The modal verb "may" indicates that it's possible or probable that she is "weary", but it's not a definite statement.
-
And young girls they do get wearied
➔ Emphatic "do" + verb
➔ The word "do" is used to emphasize the verb "get wearied." It adds emotional weight and affirms the statement.
-
Wearing that same old shaggy dress, yeah, yeah
➔ Present participle "Wearing" functioning as an adjective modifying "girls"
➔ "Wearing" describes the girls, indicating that they are the ones in the "shaggy dress". The phrase shortens the sentence.
-
Just anticipating For things that she'll never possess, yeah, yeah
➔ Future tense with "will" (she'll) expressing a prediction.
➔ "She'll never possess" uses the future tense to indicate that the speaker believes she will not own or have these things at any point in the future.
-
It's not just sentimental, no, no, no
➔ Use of "not just" to limit the scope of a description.
➔ "Not just sentimental" suggests that there's more to the situation than simply emotional feelings. There are other factors involved.
-
But the soft words, they are spoke so gentle, yeah
➔ Passive voice ("are spoke") used unconventionally for emphasis
➔ The phrase "are spoke" is grammatically incorrect, but it's used here for artistic effect and to draw attention to how gently the words are spoken. The more typical phrasing would be "are spoken."
-
Hold her where you want her
➔ Imperative mood with an adverbial clause of place.
➔ "Hold her" is a command. "Where you want her" is a clause that tells you *where* to hold her.
-
Don't tease her
➔ Negative imperative.
➔ The word "don't" makes the imperative "tease her" negative, meaning you should not do that action.