100 Bad Days – English Lyrics

• By: AJR

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into AJR's "100 Bad Days," a vibrant pop song that transforms life's struggles into captivating tales. Its clever lyrics and unique production, influenced by Israeli music and 2010 hip-hop, offer a fresh perspective on overcoming adversity. Learn how this track encourages listeners to embrace their past, proving that even the toughest moments can become the most interesting stories.

[English]

Remember when we all got drunk

I ended up with two broke thumbs

Oh my god, I felt so dumb

Lucky me

I wrote a song that no one knows

I played a show and no one showed

Oh my god, I felt so alone

Lucky me

...

When all is going wrong

And you're scared as hell

Whatcha gonna do?

Who you gonna tell?

Maybe a hundred bad days

Made a hundred good stories

A hundred good stories

Make me interesting at parties

A hundred bad days

Made a hundred good stories

A hundred good stories

Make me interesting at parties, yeah

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you, no more

(Da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da)

(Da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da)

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you, no more

Remember when she broke my heart

Waiting for the waiter to return my card

Right as I let down my guard

Lucky me

We had to work a bit more hard

Only just to get a little bit less far

We could laugh about it all tomorrow

Couldn't we?

When all is going wrong

And you're scared as hell

Whatcha gonna do?

Who you gonna tell?

Maybe a hundred bad days

Made a hundred good stories

A hundred good stories

Make me interesting at parties

A hundred bad days

Made a hundred good stories

A hundred good stories

Make me interesting at parties, yeah

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you, no more

(Da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da)

(Da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da)

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you no more

...

(Screw your thing, it goes like this!)

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you

A hundred bad days

Made a hundred good stories

A hundred good stories

Make me interesting at parties, yeah

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you

A hundred bad days

Made a hundred good stories

A hundred good stories

Make me interesting at parties, yeah

No, I ain't scared of you

No, I ain't scared of you, no more

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
remember /rɪˈmem.bər/ A2	verb - to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind
drunk /drʌŋk/ B1	adjective - affected by alcohol to the extent of losing control of one's faculties or behavior.
broke /broʊk/ A2	adjective - having completely run out of money. verb - past tense of break
dumb /dʌm/ B1	adjective - temporarily unable or unwilling to speak
lucky /ˈlʌk.i/ A2	adjective - having good things happen to you by chance
wrote /roʊt/ A2	verb - past tense of write
show /ʃoʊ/ A1	verb - to allow something to be seen noun - a performance or event
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - without other people
wrong /rɔːŋ/ A1	adjective - not correct
scared /skerd/ A2	adjective - feeling fear
bad /bæd/ A1	adjective - not good
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality
stories /ˈstɔː.riz/ A2	noun - accounts of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment
interesting /ˈɪn.trəs.tɪŋ/ B1	adjective - attracting your attention because it is special, exciting, or unusual
parties /ˈpɑːr.t̬iz/ A2	noun - social events where people meet to eat, drink, talk, and dance
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ in your chest that pumps blood around your body
waiter /ˈweɪ.t̬ɚ/ A2	noun - a person who serves food and drinks in a restaurant or cafe
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - to smile while making sounds with your voice that show you think something is funny

Key Grammar Structures

• Remember when we all got drunk

  ➔ Past Simple Tense with "Remember when..."

  ➔ "Remember when..." introduces a past event or situation. "Got drunk" is the past simple of "get drunk," describing a completed action in the past.

• I ended up with two broke thumbs

  ➔ Phrasal verb "ended up with"

  ➔ "Ended up with" means "to finally be in a particular place or situation." It often implies an unexpected or unintended result.

• I wrote a song that no one knows

  ➔ Relative Clause with "that"

  ➔ "That no one knows" is a relative clause modifying the noun "song." It provides additional information about the song.

• When all is going wrong

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense for unfolding events / ongoing situation

  ➔ "Is going wrong" describes a situation that is currently happening and is not going well. It emphasizes the ongoing nature of the problem.

• Whatcha gonna do?

  ➔ Contraction of "What are you going to do?"

  ➔ "Whatcha" is an informal contraction of "What are you." "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to." This is a colloquial way of asking about future intentions.

• Made a hundred good stories

  ➔ Past Simple (elliptical clause / reduced relative clause)

  ➔ This is likely a shortened version of "that made a hundred good stories" or "which made...". The "that" or "which" is omitted for brevity. It suggests these stories resulted from bad days.

• No, I ain't scared of you no more

  ➔ Double Negative (Non-Standard)

  ➔ "Ain't" is a non-standard contraction of "am not." While grammatically incorrect in standard English, the double negative ("ain't" and "no more") is used for emphasis in some dialects. In standard English, it should be "I am not scared of you anymore".