Table For One – English Lyrics

• By: Passenger
• Album: Sometimes It's Something, Sometimes It's Nothing At All

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the narrative power of music with Passenger's "Table For One." This song offers a touching exploration of complex emotions through its vivid storytelling and simple acoustic style. It's a great opportunity for English language learners to engage with rich, metaphorical lyrics and understand how music can convey deep feelings of solitude and introspection. The song is special for its ability to create a detailed character portrait that resonates with listeners on a profoundly emotional level.

[English]

"Table For One Radio Edit"

Passenger

...

So I sit on this table for one

And pour me a drink that’ll last

...

I’m not drunk I just miss being young

And I grew old too fast

My wife she breaks and she bends

My children they don’t understand

I came here tonight in search of a friend

But I’m the invisible man

‘cause I’ve swallowed my tongue

and I’ve polished my gun

and I’ve sat on my secrets for years

with my stiff upper lip

my composure won’t slip

and I’ve hidden each silent salty tear

...

I sit on this table for one

And I have been here before

...

It’s a little less than I’d had in mind

But I wouldn’t ask for more

And my mother she taught me to write

And my father he taught me his trade

And I wish that they could both be here tonight

To see what a mess I’ve made

‘cause I’ve swallowed my tongue

and I’ve polished my gun

and I’ve sat on my secrets for years

with my stiff upper lip

my composure won’t slip

and I’ve hidden each silent salty tear

...

my sons and my daughters don’t know me at all

I’ve dug in trenches and put up walls

I whisper I love you each night as they sleep

But no one hears me when I speak

On this table for one

...

So I sit on this table for one

I won’t go till they tell me to leave

Why’d they teach me to follow my dreams

When dreams are all they can be

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sit /sɪt/ A1	verb - to rest with one's weight supported by one's buttocks
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	noun - a liquid for swallowing verb - to swallow liquid
young /jʌŋ/ A2	adjective - having lived for a short time
old /oʊld/ A2	adjective - having lived for a long time
friend /frɛnd/ A2	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
tongue /tʌŋ/ B1	noun - the muscular organ in the mouth
gun /ɡʌn/ B1	noun - a weapon from which projectiles are fired
secret /ˈsiːkrət/ B1	noun - something kept hidden or unknown
lip /lɪp/ B1	noun - either of the two fleshy parts forming the edge of the mouth
tear /tɪər/ B1	noun - a drop of liquid from the eye
trade /treɪd/ B2	noun - a skilled occupation
mess /mɛs/ B2	noun - a dirty or untidy state
trench /trɛntʃ/ B2	noun - a long, narrow ditch
wall /wɔːl/ B2	noun - a vertical structure separating areas
whisper /ˈwɪspər/ B2	verb - to speak very softly
dream /driːm/ B2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep

Key Grammar Structures

• I’m not drunk I just miss being young

  ➔ Present Simple and gerund as object

  ➔ "miss being young" uses the gerund "being" as the object of the verb "miss".

• My wife she breaks and she bends

  ➔ Subject pronoun for emphasis and coordination

  ➔ The subject pronoun "she" is repeated for emphasis before verbs connected by "and".

• I came here tonight in search of a friend

  ➔ Past simple tense and prepositional phrase

  ➔ "came" is past simple action; "in search of a friend" is a prepositional phrase indicating purpose.

• ‘cause I’ve swallowed my tongue

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ "I’ve swallowed" is present perfect to describe an action with relevance to the present.

• I’ve sat on my secrets for years

  ➔ Present perfect tense with idiomatic expression

  ➔ "I’ve sat on" uses present perfect to indicate continuing action; "sit on secrets" means to keep something hidden.

• My sons and my daughters don’t know me at all

  ➔ Present simple negative

  ➔ "don’t know" is present simple negative showing a habitual or general truth.

• I whisper I love you each night as they sleep

  ➔ Present simple tense with adverbial clause of time

  ➔ "I whisper I love you" is present simple; "each night as they sleep" is an adverbial clause indicating when the action happens.

• Why’d they teach me to follow my dreams

  ➔ Contraction of 'why did' with question formation

  ➔ "Why’d" is the contracted form of "why did" used to form a question in past tense.