You're A Friend Of Mine – English Lyrics

• By: Clarence Clemons, Jackson Browne

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartwarming melodies of "You're A Friend Of Mine," a vibrant 80s hit by Clarence Clemons and Jackson Browne. This song is a fantastic way to engage with English, as its clear, direct lyrics offer a beautiful narrative about lasting friendship. You'll learn common expressions of camaraderie and support, while the song's upbeat, "feel good" vibe makes it a truly special and memorable track for language learners and music lovers alike. Its catchy rhythm and relatable message of loyalty will make you want to sing along and easily pick up new vocabulary related to relationships and emotional connection.

[English]

(upbeat music)

♪ Striking out ♪

♪ Well, count me in ♪

♪ I'm gonna stand right by your side through thick or thin ♪

♪ Ain't no doubt ♪

♪ Gonna win ♪

♪ A walk through hell ain't bad compared to where we've been ♪

♪ Oh, you can depend on me ♪

♪ Over and over, over and over ♪

♪ Know that I intend to be ♪

♪ The one who always makes you laugh until you cry ♪

♪ And you can call on me until the day you die ♪

♪ Years may come and go ♪

♪ Here's one thing I know ♪

♪ All my life ♪

♪ You're a friend of mine ♪

♪ That argument, ♪

♪ I can't forget ♪

♪ We fought so hard I don't think I've recovered yet ♪

♪ The girls we knew, ♪

♪ Who thought you were cool ♪

♪ I never introduced my favorite ones to you ♪

♪ Oh, you can depend on me ♪

♪ Over and over, over and over ♪

♪ Know that I intend to be ♪

♪ The one who always makes you laugh until you cry ♪

♪ And you can call on me until the day you die ♪

♪ Years may come and go ♪

♪ Here's one thing I know ♪

♪ All my life ♪

♪ You're a friend of mine ♪

(upbeat music)

♪ Oh, you can depend on me ♪

♪ Over and over, over and over, ♪

♪ Know that I intend to be ♪

♪ The one who always makes you laugh until you cry ♪

♪ And you can call on me until the day you die ♪

♪ Years may come and go ♪

♪ Here's one thing I know ♪

♪ All my life ♪

♪ You're a friend of mine ♪

♪ You can depend on me ♪

♪ I'll be fine ♪

♪ 'Cause you're a friend of mine ♪

♪ Yeah, let me blow for you one time ♪

♪ Yeah, blow ♪

(upbeat trumpet music)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to be in or rise to an upright position, supported by one's feet.
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - make the sounds and movements of the face and body that express amusement or happiness
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information.
come /kʌm/ A1	verb - move or travel towards or into a place thought of as near or familiar to the speaker.
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to give someone a telephone call
depend /dɪˈpend/ B1	verb - rely on
years /jɪər/ A1	noun - the time taken by the earth to make one revolution around the sun.
thick /θɪk/ B1	adjective - with opposite surfaces far apart.
thin /θɪn/ A2	adjective - with opposite surfaces close together.
doubt /daʊt/ B1	noun - a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.
hell /hel/ B1	noun - a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire.
forget /fərˈɡet/ A2	verb - fail to remember.
fought /fɔːt/ A2	verb - past tense of fight, take part in a violent struggle involving physical force or weapons.
favorite /ˈfeɪvərɪt/ A2	adjective - preferred to all others of the same kind.
win /wɪn/ A1	verb - be successful or victorious in a contest or conflict.

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm gonna stand right by your side through thick or thin

  ➔ "Gonna" (going to) - informal future; Idiom: "through thick and thin"

  ➔ "Gonna" is a contraction of "going to," used here for a casual future tense. "Through thick and thin" is an idiom meaning to support someone during both good times ("thick") and bad times ("thin").

• A walk through hell ain't bad compared to where we've been

  ➔ "Ain't" - informal negative form of "is not"; "Compared to" - prepositional phrase used for comparison; Present Perfect "we've been"

  ➔ "Ain't" is a very informal and often considered grammatically incorrect way to say "is not." "Compared to" sets up a comparison between the difficulty of walking through hell and the difficulties the speaker and their friend have already experienced (indicated by present perfect "we've been").

• Know that I intend to be the one who always makes you laugh until you cry

  ➔ Relative clause: "who always makes you laugh"; "Until" - time conjunction

  ➔ The relative clause "who always makes you laugh" modifies "the one", further specifying who the speaker intends to be. "Until" indicates the duration of the laughing, extending "until you cry."

• You can call on me until the day you die

  ➔ Modal verb "can" (ability/permission); Phrasal verb "call on" (to visit or ask for help); "Until" - time conjunction

  ➔ "Can" expresses the ability to call on the speaker. "Call on" is a phrasal verb that means both to visit someone and to ask them for help. "Until" establishes the time frame, extending until the person dies.

• The girls we knew, who thought you were cool

  ➔ Relative clause "who thought you were cool" modifying "The girls we knew"

  ➔ This sentence uses a relative clause to add extra information about the girls. The relative clause "who thought you were cool" tells us that those girls considered the person being addressed as cool.

• I never introduced my favorite ones to you

  ➔ Past simple tense "introduced"; "Ones" as a pronoun referring back to "girls"

  ➔ The sentence uses the past simple to describe a completed action in the past. The word "ones" is used as a pronoun to avoid repeating the word "girls", referring to the speaker's favorite girls.