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Real Lyrics -> Bad Grammar in Song Lyrics -> Nancy Sinatra
Song lyrics aren't supposed to be a fountain of perfect english, but on the other hand some are just so atrocious, they need to get called out. We're not looking for sentance fragments or the word ain't since there are too many instances to count.
Bad Grammar in Song Lyrics, Nancy Sinatra
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Nancy Sinatra's, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"
The Lyrics:
I'm going to buy me a box of matches
Why:
Should be "I'm going to buy MYSELF a box of matches".
Submitted by: Julie
Nancy Sinatra's, "These Boots Are Made For Walking"
The Lyrics:
You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin'.
You keep losing when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin' when you oughta be a-changin'.
What's right is right, but you ain't been right yet.
You keep losing when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin' when you oughta be a-changin'.
What's right is right, but you ain't been right yet.
Why:
"What's right is right" is a tautology, but I guess that technically isn't a grammatical error. But the same line contains "ain't", which I understand to still be considered agrammitacal, as elsewhere noted. But the most bizarre error here is the attempt to use "truth" and "same" as verbs. "Truth" can be a noun or an adjective, and "same" can be pronoun, an adjective, or an adverb. But neither has any correct use as a verb.
Submitted by: Carrie Blunderwood
Nancy Sinatra's, "These Boots Are Made For Walking"
The Lyrics:
You keep playing where you shouldn't be playing.
And you keep thinking that you'll never get burned(HAH).
Well, I've just found me a brand new box of matches (YEAH),
And what he knows you ain't had time to learn. These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you,
And you keep thinking that you'll never get burned(HAH).
Well, I've just found me a brand new box of matches (YEAH),
And what he knows you ain't had time to learn. These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you,
Why:
Pronouns need antecedents, and nowhere (throughout the whole song for that matter) is there any antecedent for the pronoun "he" in "what he knows you ain't had time to learn", unless she's calling a box of matches "he", and even such a personification of incendiary devices wouldn't make any sense of the line containing "he" anyhow. So the song totally fails to make any sense of the reference to "he" or the statement made about that mystery person. Furthermore, the same line uses, "ain't" which is still considered agrammatical last I heard.
Submitted by: Carrie Blunderwood
Nancy Sinatra's, "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'"
The Lyrics:
You've been lyin' when you oughta be truthin'.
Why:
A classic example of trying to make up a verb out of a noun.
Submitted by: Oldtimer
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