What Ever Happened? – English Lyrics

• By: The Strokes
• Album: Room On Fire

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw, conversational English of The Strokes to master modern vernacular and colloquial expressions of frustration. This song is perfect for language learners who want to grasp the casual, rhythmic flow of New York City indie-rock style lyrics.

[English]

I wanna be forgotten

And I don't wanna be reminded

You say, "Please don't make this harder"

No, I won't yet

I wanna be beside her

She wanna be admired

You say, "Please don't make this harder"

No, I won't yet

...

Oh, dear, is it really all true?

Did they offend us and they want it to sound new?

Top ten ideas for countdown shows

Whose culture is this and does anybody know?

I wait and tell myself, "Life ain't chess"

But no one comes in and yes, you're alone

You don't miss me, I know

...

Oh, Tennessee, what did you write?

I come together in the middle of the night

Oh, that's an ending that I can't write

'Cause I've got you to let me down

...

I wanna be forgotten

And I don't want to be reminded

You say, "Please don't make this harder"

No, I won't yet

I wanna be beside her

She wanna be admired

I said, "Please don't make this harder"

No, I won't yet

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
forgotten /fərˈɡɒt.ən/ A2	adjective - not remembered or clearly called to mind
reminded /rɪˈmaɪn.dɪd/ B1	verb - caused someone to remember something
harder /ˈhɑːr.dər/ A1	adjective - more difficult or strenuous
admired /ədˈmaɪərd/ B2	verb - regarded with respect or warm approval
offend /əˈfend/ B2	verb - to cause someone to feel hurt or upset
culture /ˈkʌl.tʃər/ A2	noun - the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement
countdown /ˈkaʊnt.daʊn/ B1	noun - an act of counting numbers backwards to zero
ending /ˈen.dɪŋ/ A2	noun - the final part of something

Key Grammar Structures

• I wanna be forgotten

  ➔ Passive Voice with Infinitive

  ➔ "To be forgotten" uses the passive voice to focus on the state of the subject receiving the action rather than performing it.

• I don't wanna be reminded

  ➔ Negative auxiliary verb contraction

  ➔ "Don't" is the contraction of "do not", used here to express a negative desire in a casual, colloquial tone.

• Whose culture is this?

  ➔ Interrogative Determiner

  ➔ "Whose" functions as a determiner to ask about possession or origin regarding the noun "culture".

• Life ain't chess

  ➔ Slang/Colloquial Negative Copula

  ➔ "Ain't" is a colloquial substitute for "is not", often used in songwriting to provide a rhythmic or stylistic feel.

• You don't miss me

  ➔ Present Simple Tense (Negative)

  ➔ The simple present is used here to describe a current state or a recurring fact about the person's feelings.

• I come together in the middle of the night

  ➔ Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Come together" is a phrasal verb meaning to unite, settle down, or regain composure.

• I've got you to let me down

  ➔ Present Perfect / Informal Possession

  ➔ "I've got" (I have got) is often used to mean "I possess" or "I have", here emphasizing a specific burden or consequence.

• She wanna be admired

  ➔ Non-standard verb conjugation (Third-person singular)

  ➔ In some dialects or songwriting styles, "wanna" is used for "wants to" regardless of the subject, breaking standard grammar rules for artistic effect.