The Thanksgiving Song – English Lyrics

• By: Ben Rector
• Album: A Ben Rector Christmas

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartwarming nostalgia of Ben Rector's "The Thanksgiving Song," a unique melody that encapsulates the essence of Thanksgiving. Explore the simple joys of family, gratitude, and tradition, and enrich your English vocabulary through its relatable lyrics. Perfect for learners looking to connect with American culture, this song offers a cozy language experience.

[English]

Familiar highways

Lined with leaves turned brown

Making my way

Back into my hometown

Funny how this all looks different

But it feels the same

Like how life never stops changing

But some things never change

So fill your plate and fill your drink

And fill this house with family

The kind of love that all these years can't wash away

'Cause the older that I get

I see that life is short and bittersweet

Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day

...

Watching football

Watching families grow

The old kid's table

All have kids of their own

Starting to see my grandfather

In my nephew's eyes

Mom still can't talk about him

And not almost cry

So fill your plate and fill your drink

And fill this house with family

The kind of love a thousand miles can't wash away

'Cause the older that I get

I see that life is short and bittersweet

Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day

...

So fill your plate and fill your drink

Put your dishes in the kitchen sink

And let the leftover year just wash away

'Cause we made it through, I do believe

The longest year in history

Thank God that it's Thanksgiving Day

Mm, mm, mm, yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
highways /ˈhaɪweɪz/ A2	noun - a main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities
leaves /liːvz/ A1	noun - plural of leaf; flat, typically green parts of a plant
brown /braʊn/ A1	adjective - of a color like chocolate or earth
hometown /ˈhoʊmtaʊn/ A2	noun - the town or city where one was born or grew up
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.
plate /pleɪt/ A1	noun - a flat dish, typically circular and made of china, from which food is eaten or served
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	noun - a liquid that is swallowed as refreshment or nourishment verb - to swallow (liquid)
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for (someone)
years /jɪərz/ A1	noun - the period of 365 or 366 days, divided into 12 months, beginning on January 1st
older /ˈoʊldər/ A1	adjective - having lived for a relatively long time
short /ʃɔːrt/ A1	adjective - of small length or duration
bittersweet /ˌbɪtərˈswiːt/ B2	adjective - arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain
football /ˈfʊtbɔːl/ A1	noun - any of several games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal.
grow /ɡroʊ/ A1	verb - (of a living thing) increase in size or substance
table /ˈteɪbl/ A1	noun - a piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs, providing a level surface for eating, writing, or working at
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
kitchen /ˈkɪtʃɪn/ A1	noun - a room or area where food is prepared and cooked.

Key Grammar Structures

• Lined with leaves turned brown

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective

  ➔ The phrase "leaves turned brown" uses the past participle "turned" to describe the state of the leaves. It functions as an adjective modifying "leaves".

• Funny how this all looks different

  ➔ Adjective + "how" + Clause

  ➔ This sentence structure uses the adjective "funny" to express a surprising or ironic observation. The "how" clause introduces the surprising observation.

• The kind of love that all these years can't wash away

  ➔ Relative Clause with "that"

  ➔ The phrase "that all these years can't wash away" is a relative clause modifying "the kind of love". "That" introduces the relative clause, which provides more information about the noun it modifies.

• 'Cause the older that I get

  ➔ The + Comparative, The + Comparative

  ➔ This structure indicates a proportional increase or correlation between two things: as one thing increases, the other also increases. Here, as the speaker gets older, their understanding of life's nature deepens.

• Starting to see my grandfather

  ➔ Present Participle as Verb

  ➔ "Starting" is a present participle acting as part of the continuous verb tense (is starting) within the unwritten part of the sentence.

• Mom still can't talk about him and not almost cry

  ➔ Double Negative (Implied)

  ➔ The phrase implies a double negative, where the inability to talk about him without almost crying suggests that she always cries when she talks about him. "Not almost cry" reinforces the near certainty of crying.

• The kind of love a thousand miles can't wash away

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of 'that')

  ➔ This sentence is a relative clause where the relative pronoun "that" has been omitted. The full form would be: "The kind of love *that* a thousand miles can't wash away". This omission is common in informal speech and writing.

• Let the leftover year just wash away

  ➔ Imperative with "Let"

  ➔ This line uses the imperative form with "let", indicating a suggestion or request. "Let" introduces a verb phrase expressing a permission or allowance for something to happen.