Your Best American Girl – English Lyrics

• By: Mitski
• Album: Puberty 2

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

If I could, I'd be your little spoon

And kiss your fingers forevermore

But, big spoon, you have so much to do

And I have nothing ahead of me

...

You're the sun, you've never seen the night

But you hear its song from the morning birds

Well, I'm not the moon, I'm not even a star

But awake at night I'll be singing to the birds

Don't wait for me, I can't come

Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me

But I do, I think I do

And you're an all-American boy

I guess I couldn't help trying to be your best American girl

...

You're the one

You're all I ever wanted

I think I'll regret this

...

Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me

But I do, I finally do

And you're an all-American boy

I guess I couldn't help trying to be the best American girl

Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me

But I do, I think I do

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
spoon /spuːn/ A2	noun - a utensil with a small shallow bowl and a handle, used for eating, stirring, and serving food
kiss /kɪs/ B1	verb - to touch with the lips as a sign of love, affection, or greeting noun - an act of touching with the lips as a sign of love, affection, or greeting
forevermore /fərˈɛvərˌmɔr/ C2	adverb - for all future time; always
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that the Earth moves around and that gives the Earth heat and light
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the time when it is dark outside and the sun is down
song /sɔŋ/ A1	noun - a short piece of music with words that are sung
bird /bɜrd/ A1	noun - a creature with wings and feathers, usually able to fly
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of the Earth that shines at night
star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - a large bright object in space that shines at night
awake /əˈweɪk/ B2	adjective - not sleeping verb - to stop sleeping
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to make musical sounds with the voice
mother /ˈmʌðər/ A1	noun - a female parent
approve /əˈpruːv/ B2	verb - to officially accept or agree to something
raise /reɪz/ B2	verb - to bring up a child until they are grown
all-American /ɔːl əˈmɛrɪkən/ C1	adjective - representing the typical qualities or culture of the United States
try /traɪ/ A2	verb - to make an effort to do something
regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/ B2	verb - to feel sad or sorry about something that happened or was done noun - a feeling of sadness or disappointment about something

Key Grammar Structures

• If I could, I'd be your little spoon

  ➔ Conditional structure (Type 2)

  ➔ The phrase 'If I could' introduces a hypothetical situation, followed by 'I'd be' which is the result in the past tense form, indicating an unreal or unlikely condition.

• And kiss your fingers forevermore

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The infinitive 'to kiss' is used to express purpose after the conjunction 'and', indicating the action of kissing as the intended goal.

• But, big spoon, you have so much to do

  ➔ Vocative case

  ➔ The phrase 'big spoon' is a direct address to the listener, using the vocative case to get their attention.

• And I have nothing ahead of me

  ➔ Present simple for future time

  ➔ The present simple 'have' is used here to refer to a future situation, emphasizing the speaker's lack of plans or prospects.

• Well, I'm not the moon, I'm not even a star

  ➔ Parallel structure

  ➔ The sentence uses parallel structure with 'I'm not' repeated to emphasize the contrast between the speaker and celestial bodies.

• But awake at night I'll be singing to the birds

  ➔ Future simple with 'will'

  ➔ The future simple 'I'll be singing' indicates a future action that the speaker is certain about, despite the contrast with the previous lines.

• Don't wait for me, I can't come

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase 'Don't wait for me' is in the imperative mood, giving a direct command or request to the listener.

• I guess I couldn't help trying to be the best American girl

  ➔ Modal verb for speculation

  ➔ The modal verb 'couldn't help' is used to express the speaker's inability to resist an action, here trying to be the best American girl.