Pilot Jones – English Lyrics

• By: Frank Ocean

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful world of Frank Ocean with 'Pilot Jones.' This song is a perfect gateway to learning English through nuanced storytelling, poetic metaphors, and smooth, rhythmic phrasing that helps with understanding emotive expression and conversational flow.

[English]

We once had things in common

Now the only thing we share is the refrigerator

Ice cold, baby, I told you, I'm ice cold (Ice cold!)

You out here flyin' high (High!)

Go head, fly that thing!

High! High!

But fly alone

You always smokin' in the house

What if my mother comes over?

You can't get up and get a job

'Cause this little hustle's getting you by

You're the dealer and the stoner

With the sweetest kiss I've ever known (I know what I was on)

I had a Pilot Jones (What you know about it?)

She took me high (Oh, did she now?)

Then she took me home (We talkin' 'bout)

Pilot Jones, Pilot Jones

Tonight she came stumblin' across my lawn, again

I just don't know why I keep on tryin' to keep a grown woman sober

See there, you go reachin' up your blouse

And no, I don't want a child

But I ain't been touched in a while by the dealer and the stoner

With the sweetest kiss I've ever known

Ever known (I know what I was on)

I had a Pilot Jones (What you know about it?)

She took me high (Oh, did she now?)

Then she took me home (We talkin' 'bout)

Pilot Jones, Pilot Jones

In the sky up above, the birds

I saw the sky like I never seen before

You thought I was above you

Above this in so many ways

But if I got a condo on a cloud

Then I guess you can stay at my place

I'ma get one

I need ya

I admit it, you're my Pilot Jones

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
refrigerator /rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪtər/ A2	noun - a large container that is cooled by electricity, used for keeping food and drink cold
hustle /ˈhʌsəl/ B2	noun - a busy activity or a way of making money, sometimes illicit
dealer /ˈdiːlər/ B1	noun - a person who buys and sells illicit drugs
stoner /ˈstoʊnər/ C2	noun - a person who regularly uses cannabis
sweetest /ˈswiːtɪst/ A1	adjective - having the most pleasant taste, or being very kind and charming
stumble /ˈstʌmbəl/ B2	verb - to walk in an unsteady way, as if about to fall
lawn /lɔːn/ A2	noun - an area of short, mown grass in a yard, garden, or park
sober /ˈsoʊbər/ B2	adjective - not affected by alcohol; not drunk
blouse /blaʊz/ A2	noun - a woman's loose upper garment
condo /ˈkɒndoʊ/ B2	noun - a type of apartment building where apartments are owned by the people who live in them
admit /ədˈmɪt/ B1	verb - to confess to be true or to be the case
common /ˈkɒmən/ A2	adjective - occurring, found, or done often; prevalent
pilot /ˈpaɪlət/ A2	noun - a person who operates the flying controls of an aircraft
grown /ɡroʊn/ A2	adjective - fully developed; adult
touched /tʌtʃt/ B1	verb - come into or be in contact with

Key Grammar Structures

• We once had things in common

  ➔ Adverb of frequency/past state

  ➔ "Once" denotes a specific point in the past that is no longer true.

• What if my mother comes over?

  ➔ Conditional hypothesis with 'What if'

  ➔ "What if" is used to ask about a hypothetical situation or possibility.

• You can't get up and get a job

  ➔ Modal verb of inability

  ➔ "Can't" indicates a lack of ability or possibility to perform an action.

• With the sweetest kiss I've ever known

  ➔ Present perfect with superlative

  ➔ "I've ever known" uses the present perfect to describe life experiences linked to a superlative adjective.

• I just don't know why I keep on tryin'

  ➔ Phrasal verb 'keep on'

  ➔ "Keep on" + verb-ing means to continue doing something repeatedly or persistently.

• But I ain't been touched in a while

  ➔ Informal negative 'ain't' + present perfect passive

  ➔ "Ain't" replaces 'have not' in colloquial English, followed by the passive voice construction.

• I saw the sky like I never seen before

  ➔ Non-standard past participle usage

  ➔ "Never seen" (instead of 'never saw' or 'have never seen') is a colloquial or dialectal variation.

• If I got a condo on a cloud

  ➔ Conditional 'If' with colloquial past tense

  ➔ "Got" is used here as a colloquial form of 'have' (possession) in a hypothetical if-clause.