Under Cover Of Darkness – English Lyrics

• By: The Strokes
• Album: Angles

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the rhythmic world of The Strokes! 'Under Cover Of Darkness' is a perfect track to study conversational English and modern rock idioms, offering a masterclass in how melody and attitude drive contemporary lyrics.

[English]

Slip back out of whack at your best

It's a nightmare so I'm joining the army

No house phones, but can I still call?

Will you wait for me now?

We got the right to live, fight to use it

Got everything but you can just choose it

I won't just be a puppet on a string

Don't go that way

...

I'll wait for you

And I'm tired of all your friends

Listening at your door

And I want what's better for you

So long, my friend and adversary

But I'll wait for you

...

Get dressed, jump out of bed and do it best

Are you okay?

I've been all around this town

Everybody's singing the same song for ten years

...

I'll wait for you

Will you wait for me, too?

And they sacrificed their lives

And they lied about those odds

They've said it a million times

But they'll say it again

So long, my adversary and friend

...

Don't go that way

I'll wait for you

I'm tired of all your friends

Knocking down your door

Get up in the morning, yelling "no more!"

So long, my friend and adversary

I'll wait for you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
whack /wæk/ C1	noun - a state of being out of order or incorrect (used in 'out of whack')
nightmare /ˈnaɪt.mɛər/ B1	noun - a frightening or unpleasant dream or experience
army /ˈɑːr.mi/ A2	noun - an organized military force
puppet /ˈpʌp.ɪt/ B2	noun - a doll moved by strings, or a person controlled by others
adversary /ˈæd.və.sə.ri/ C1	noun - one's opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute
sacrificed /ˈsækrɪfaɪst/ B2	verb - to give up something valued for the sake of something else
odds /ɒdz/ B2	noun - the ratio between the amounts of two things; chances or possibilities
yelling /ˈjɛlɪŋ/ B1	verb - shouting something loudly
knocking /ˈnɒkɪŋ/ A2	verb - striking a surface to attract attention
choose /tʃuːz/ A2	verb - to select from a number of possibilities
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A1	adjective - feeling a need to rest or sleep; weary of something
lied /laɪd/ B1	verb - told an untruth

Key Grammar Structures

• Can I still call?

  ➔ Modal verb for permission/possibility

  ➔ "Can" is used here to inquire about the possibility or permission to perform an action.

• I won't just be a puppet on a string

  ➔ Future simple (negative)

  ➔ "Won't" (will not) expresses a firm refusal or prediction about the future.

• I'm tired of all your friends listening at your door

  ➔ Adjective + prepositional phrase / Gerund usage

  ➔ The phrase "tired of" is followed by a gerund ("listening") to describe a state of annoyance.

• I've been all around this town

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ "I've been" (I have been) denotes an experience that happened at an unspecified time in the past.

• And they sacrificed their lives

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ The verb "sacrificed" shows a completed action in the past.

• They've said it a million times

  ➔ Present perfect (repetition)

  ➔ Present perfect is used here to emphasize the frequency of an action that has occurred multiple times.

• But they'll say it again

  ➔ Future simple

  ➔ "They'll" (they will) indicates a future event that is expected to happen.

• Knocking down your door

  ➔ Present participle (descriptive clause)

  ➔ "Knocking" functions as a present participle to describe the action of the friends mentioned previously.