Wordplay – English Lyrics

• By: Jason Mraz
• Album: Mr. A-Z

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the art of English wordplay with Jason Mraz's 'Wordplay.' This song is a fantastic and fun introduction to puns, metaphors, and clever rhyming, all wrapped up in a catchy pop-rock tune. It's a special song that not only entertains but also offers a glimpse into the creative mind of a songwriter navigating the music world.

[English]

I've been all around the world, I've been a new sensation

But it doesn't really matter in this g-generation

The sophomore slump is an uphill battle

And someone said, it ain't my scene

'Cause they need a new song like a new religion, music for the television

I can't do the long division, someone do the math

For the record label puts me on the shelf up on the freezer

Got to find another way to live the life of leisure

So, I drop my top, mix and I mingle

Is everybody ready for the single? And it goes

Ha-la-la-la-la, now, listen closer to the verse I lay

Ha-la-la-la-la, it's all about the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la, love, the wonderful thing it does

Because, because I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's

Yeah, the Mr. A to Z, they say, I'm all about the wordplay

...

When it's time to get ill, I got your remedy

For those who don't remember me

Well, let me introduce you to my style

I try to keep it jumble, and the lyrics never mumble

When the music's making people tongue-tied

You want a new song like a new religion, music for the television

I can't do the long division, someone do the math

For the people write me off like I'm a one-hit wonder

Gotta find another way to keep from going under

Pull out the stops, got your attention

I guess it's time again for me to mention the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la-la, now, listen closer to the verse I lay

Ha-la-la-la-la, it's all about the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la, love, the wonderful thing it does

Because, because I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's

Yeah, the Mr. A to Z, they say, I'm all about the wordplay

I built a bridge across the stream of consciousness, it always seems to be flowing

But I don't know which way my brain is going

Oh, the rhyming and the timing keeps the melodies inside me

And they're climbing 'til I'm running out of air

Are you prepared to take a dive into the deep end of my head?

Are you listening to a single word I've said?

Ha-la-la-la-la, listen closer to the words I say

Ha-la-la-la-la, I'm stickin' to the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la, love, the wonderful thing it does

Because, because I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's

Yeah, the Mr. A to Z, they say, I'm all about the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la-la, I'm all about the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la-la, stickin' with the wordplay

Ha-la-la-la, love, I love the wonderful thing it does

Because, because the ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's are back in love

With the Mr. A to Z, they say is all about the wordplay

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sensation /ˌsɛnˈseɪʃən/ B1	noun - a physical feeling or perception resulting from stimulation of the senses
generation /ˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən/ A2	noun - all the people born and living at about the same time
uphill /ˈʌpˌhɪl/ B1	adjective - going upward on a slope
battle /ˈbætəl/ A2	noun - a fight between two or more people or groups
religion /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ A2	noun - a particular system of faith and worship
leisure /ˈlɛʒər/ B1	noun - time when one is not working or occupied
mingle /ˈmɪŋɡl/ B1	verb - to mix or associate with others
remedy /ˈrɛmɪdi/ B1	noun - a medicine or treatment for a disease or injury
jumble /ˈdʒʌmbl/ B2	verb - to mix things together in a confused way
tongue-tied /ˈtʌŋˌtaɪd/ B2	adjective - unable to speak easily or confidently
consciousness /ˈkɑːnʃəsnəs/ C1	noun - a person's awareness or perception of something
rhyming /ˈraɪmɪŋ/ B1	noun - correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words
melodies /ˈmɛlədiz/ B1	noun - a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying
dive /daɪv/ A2	verb - to jump headfirst into water
wordplay /ˈwɜːrdpleɪ/ B2	noun - the clever use of words and phrases with multiple meanings

Key Grammar Structures

• I've been all around the world, I've been a new sensation

  ➔ Present Perfect (Experience)

  ➔ The "Present Perfect" (have/has + past participle) is used here to talk about an experience that happened at an unspecified time in the past. "I've been" means "I have been."

• But it doesn't really matter in this g-generation

  ➔ Present Simple (Negation)

  ➔ The "Present Simple" is used with "doesn't" (do not) to form a negative statement about a general truth or fact. "doesn't really matter" indicates something is not important.

• And someone said, it ain't my scene

  ➔ Informal Contraction ("ain't")

  ➔ "Ain't" is an "informal contraction" for "am not," "is not," "are not," "has not," or "have not." In this context, "it ain't" means "it isn't" or "it's not," commonly used in casual speech.

• 'Cause they need a new song like a new religion, music for the television

  ➔ Simile

  ➔ A "simile" is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by using the words "like" or "as." Here, the need for a new song is compared to the intense devotion for a new religion.

• For the record label puts me on the shelf up on the freezer

  ➔ Phrasal Verb (Idiomatic)

  ➔ "Puts me on the shelf" is an "idiomatic phrasal verb" meaning to stop using or promoting someone/something, or to make them inactive. It implies being disregarded or put aside.

• Got to find another way to live the life of leisure

  ➔ "Got to" (Obligation/Necessity)

  ➔ "Got to" is an "informal way of expressing obligation or necessity," similar to "have to" or "must." "Got to find" means "I must find" or "I need to find."

• For those who don't remember me

  ➔ Relative Clause (Defining)

  ➔ "Who don't remember me" is a "defining relative clause." It provides essential information about "those" (people) by specifying which ones are being referred to.

• to keep from going under

  ➔ Preposition + Gerund

  ➔ The phrase "from going under" uses a "preposition" ("from") followed by a "gerund" ("going"), which is the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun. Here, "going under" means falling into difficulty or failure.

• it always seems to be flowing

  ➔ "Seem to be" (Expressing Appearance/Impression)

  ➔ "Seems to be" is used to "express an impression or appearance" rather than a definite fact. It suggests that something appears or looks a certain way.

• But I don't know which way my brain is going

  ➔ Indirect Question (Embedded Question)

  ➔ "Which way my brain is going" is an "indirect question" (also called an embedded question). It's a question incorporated into another sentence, usually without inversion of subject and verb.