The Bloats – English Lyrics

• By: Chris Houghton, Bob Joles, Marieve Herington, Artemis Pebdani

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into "The Bloats" to explore how a song's lyrics and genre can be used for sharp comedic satire. This track from *Big City Greens* offers relatable, conversational English in the context of musical parody, making it a fun way to learn vocabulary related to contrasting themes: the eccentric 'country life' versus the 'generic suburban' life.

[English]

Come and meet the Bloats!

A nice and burly family.

They're not here to gloat.

They're just living happily.

Don't ask 'em how they moved into this ranch house in the suburbs.

Every day's another normal day spent with each other.

They never heard of a Freeze Frame photo.

And I'm Bill!

Dad!

Right, sorry, uh, who am I again?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
bloats /bloʊts/ B2	noun - the name of a fictional family verb - to swell; to cause something to become enlarged
family /ˈfæmɪli/ A2	noun - a group of related people, especially parents and children living together
burly /ˈbɜːrli/ B2	adjective - large and strongly built
nice /naɪs/ A1	adjective - pleasant; agreeable
gloat /ɡloʊt/ B2	verb - to feel or show great pleasure because of something good that has happened to you or because you have succeeded at something
meet /miːt/ A1	verb - to come together with someone, especially by chance or arrangement
come /kʌm/ A1	verb - to move towards or arrive at a place
ask /æsk/ A1	verb - to request information or an answer
move /muːv/ A1	verb - to change position or place; to go to a new residence
ranch /rɑːntʃ/ B1	noun - a large farm where cattle or sheep are bred
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for people to live in
suburbs /ˈsʌbɜːrbz/ B1	noun - a residential area on the outskirts of a city or large town
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period of 24 hours or the time between sunrise and sunset
normal /ˈnɔːrml/ B1	adjective - conforming to a standard; usual, typical
spend /spɛnd/ A2	verb - to use money, time, or effort for a particular purpose
hear /hɪər/ A1	verb - to perceive sound with the ears
photo /ˈfoʊtoʊ/ A2	noun - a picture made using a camera
Bill /bɪl/ A1	proper noun - a male given name
Dad /dæd/ A1	noun - father; a man’s male parent

Key Grammar Structures

• Come and meet the Bloats!

  ➔ Imperative

  ➔ The verb "Come" is in the imperative, used to give a command or invitation.

• They're not here to gloat.

  ➔ Present simple negative + to‑infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "to gloat" is a to‑infinitive that shows the purpose of being here.

• Don't ask 'em how they moved into this ranch house in the suburbs.

  ➔ Negative imperative + indirect question

  ➔ "Don't ask" is a negative imperative; the clause "how they moved…" is an indirect question.

• Every day's another normal day spent with each other.

  ➔ Contraction (day's) + past participle phrase

  ➔ "day's" is a contraction of "day is"; "spent" is a past participle forming a reduced relative clause.

• They never heard of a Freeze Frame photo.

  ➔ Simple past negative with "never"

  ➔ "never" intensifies the negative past verb "heard".

• And I'm Bill!

  ➔ Present simple with contraction (I'm)

  ➔ "I'm" is the contracted form of "I am", used in the present simple to introduce oneself.

• They're just living happily.

  ➔ Present continuous (are living) with adverb "just"

  ➔ "are living" is the present continuous; "just" limits the action to a simple, ongoing state.

• A nice and burly family.

  ➔ Coordinate adjectives (nice and burly)

  ➔ "nice" and "burly" are coordinate adjectives, linked by "and" and equally modifying "family".