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Boys workin' on empty 00:32

Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat? 00:35

I just think about my baby 00:40

I'm so full of love I could barely eat 00:43

There's nothing sweeter than my baby 00:48

I'd never want once from the cherry tree 00:51

'Cause my baby's sweet as can be 00:55

She give me toothaches just from kissin' me 00:59

When my time comes around 01:03

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth 01:07

No grave can hold my body down 01:11

I'll crawl home to her 01:15

That's when my baby found me 01:19

I was three days on a drunken sin 01:23

I woke with her walls around me 01:27

Nothin' in her room, but an empty crib 01:31

And I was burnin' up a fever 01:35

I didn't care much, how long I lived 01:38

But I swear I thought I dreamed her 01:43

She never asked me once about the wrong I did 01:46

When my time comes around 01:51

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth 01:55

No grave can hold my body down 01:59

I'll crawl home to her 02:03

When my time comes around 02:07

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth 02:11

No grave can hold my body down 02:15

I'll crawl home to her 02:19

My babe would never fret none 02:23

About what my hands and my body done 02:26

If the Lord don't forgive me 02:31

I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me 02:34

When I was kissing on my baby 02:38

And she put her love down soft and sweet 02:42

In the low lamp light I was free 02:46

Heaven and hell were words to me 02:50

When my time comes around 02:54

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth 02:58

No grave can hold my body down 03:02

I'll crawl home to her 03:06

When my time comes around 03:10

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth 03:14

No grave can hold my body down 03:18

I'll crawl home to her 03:22

03:24

Work Song – English Lyrics

Hozier

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Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Boys workin' on empty

Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat?

I just think about my baby

I'm so full of love I could barely eat

There's nothing sweeter than my baby

I'd never want once from the cherry tree

'Cause my baby's sweet as can be

She give me toothaches just from kissin' me

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

That's when my baby found me

I was three days on a drunken sin

I woke with her walls around me

Nothin' in her room, but an empty crib

And I was burnin' up a fever

I didn't care much, how long I lived

But I swear I thought I dreamed her

She never asked me once about the wrong I did

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

My babe would never fret none

About what my hands and my body done

If the Lord don't forgive me

I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me

When I was kissing on my baby

And she put her love down soft and sweet

In the low lamp light I was free

Heaven and hell were words to me

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

...

Key Vocabulary

Start Practicing

Vocabulary	Meanings
work /wɜːrk/ A2	verb - to do a job or task noun - employment or occupation
burning /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ B1	adjective - on fire; very hot or passionate
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a deep affection or attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone
sweet /swiːt/ A2	adjective - having a sugary taste
tree /triː/ A2	noun - a woody plant with branches and leaves
cry /kraɪ/ B1	verb - to shed tears
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience emotion or physical sensation
earth /ɜːrθ/ A2	noun - the planet we live on
body /ˈbɒd.i/ A2	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal
dark /dɑːrk/ A2	adjective - having little or no light
home /hoʊm/ A1
give /ɡɪv/ A2	verb - to hand over

Vocabulary

Meanings

work

/wɜːrk/

verb
- to do a job or task

noun
- employment or occupation

burning

/ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/

adjective
- on fire; very hot or passionate

love

/lʌv/

noun
- a deep affection or attachment

verb
- to feel deep affection for someone

sweet

/swiːt/

adjective
- having a sugary taste

tree

/triː/

noun
- a woody plant with branches and leaves

cry

/kraɪ/

verb
- to shed tears

feel

/fiːl/

verb
- to experience emotion or physical sensation

earth

/ɜːrθ/

noun
- the planet we live on

body

/ˈbɒd.i/

noun
- the physical structure of a person or animal

dark

/dɑːrk/

adjective
- having little or no light

home

/hoʊm/

give

/ɡɪv/

verb
- to hand over

Key Grammar Structures

When my time comes around

➔ Conditional clause with 'when' + present tense

➔ 'When' introduces a time-based condition or event, which is expressed in the present tense to indicate future certainty.
Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

➔ Imperative verb used as a request or suggestion

➔ The phrase uses the imperative form to express a wish or request politely.
No grave can hold my body down

➔ Negative modal verb with 'can' + base verb

➔ 'Can' is used with 'not' to form a negative modal, indicating impossibility or prohibition.
I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me

➔ Conditional sentences with 'would' to indicate hypothetical or future-in-the-puture scenarios

➔ 'Would' is used in conditional sentences to talk about hypothetical or future possibilities.
Nothin' in her room, but an empty crib

➔ Negation with 'nothing' (contracted form 'nothin'') + preposition

➔ 'Nothin' is a colloquial contraction of 'nothing', used informally in speech.
Heaven and hell were words to me

➔ Verb 'to be' in past tense ('were') used to equate 'heaven and hell' with 'words'

➔ The verb 'to be' in the past tense 'were' is used here to equate abstract concepts with words, emphasizing their significance.