Waves – English Lyrics

• By: Portugal. The Man
• Album: Evil Friends

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical depth of Portugal. The Man's "Waves" to explore how English can be used to convey complex social commentary. This indie rock anthem, with its unique blend of psychedelic sounds and profound observations on war and human nature, offers a compelling way to engage with nuanced English expressions and metaphorical language, making it special for language learners.

[English]

You can't fight a war with nobody to fight back

But if we get to digging to the bottom of the stack

We'll sell it to the youth, and you never know, maybe

You'll get back home, and you'll see your baby, oh

We'll just act like we care

All we're needing is a reason

It don't need to be clear

Singing songs to the news

It can play to their fears

Someone's gotta die, and you don't have to love him

But the military's still got more in its budget, oh

We always need more next year

No one cares about the waves

At the bottom of the ocean

And at the bottom of the ocean

It's always blue

No one will remember

'Cause nothing lasts forever

And everybody's looking

For somebody to use

When you don't bring them home and the war hasn't ended

There's still money there and that money needs spending

The powers that be, we gotta do what we do

If they never know it then they'll never feel used, oh

Like I often do

To all the pretty girls out there looking for heartache

Crying, "All I wanted is to be your baby"

And all the pretty girls out there living with heartache

Crying 'cause they're never gonna see their baby, oh

We just act like we care

No one cares about the waves

At the bottom of the ocean

And at the bottom of the ocean

It's always blue

No one will remember

'Cause nothing lasts forever

And everybody's looking

For somebody to use

No one will remember

'Cause nothing lasts forever

The world is always changing

And it's always blue

And it's always blue

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fight /faɪt/ B1	verb - to use physical force to harm someone or to defend oneself
war /wɔːr/ B1	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country
ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ A2	noun - a large body of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface
care /kɛr/ A2	verb - to feel concern or interest; to attach importance to something
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ B1	verb - to have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of someone or something from the past
money /ˈmʌni/ A2	noun - a medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; currency
pretty /ˈprɪti/ B1	adjective - attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful
last /læst/ B1	verb - to continue for a specified period of time adjective - remaining after others are taken away
use /juːz/ A2	verb - to employ for some purpose; to put into service
youth /juːθ/ B2	noun - the period between childhood and adult age
digging /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/ B2	verb - to break up and move earth or rock
stack /stæk/ B2	noun - a pile of objects, typically arranged in a neat manner

Key Grammar Structures

• You can't fight a war with nobody to fight back

  ➔ Negative form of modal verbs (can't)

  ➔ The phrase "can't" indicates inability or impossibility.

• We'll sell it to the youth, and you never know, maybe

  ➔ Future simple tense (We'll sell)

  ➔ The phrase "We'll sell" indicates a planned action in the future.

• It can play to their fears

  ➔ Modal verb (can)

  ➔ The modal verb "can" expresses possibility or ability.

• No one cares about the waves

  ➔ Present simple tense (cares)

  ➔ The present simple tense is used to express general truths or habits.

• The world is always changing

  ➔ Present continuous tense (is changing)

  ➔ The present continuous tense indicates an action that is currently ongoing.

• And everybody's looking for somebody to use

  ➔ Present continuous tense (is looking)

  ➔ The present continuous tense shows an action that is happening right now.

• But the military's still got more in its budget

  ➔ Present perfect tense (has got)

  ➔ The present perfect tense indicates an action that has relevance to the present.