Why Do Songs Break Grammar Rules?
2023-10-07
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1Hello! Our question for today on Ask a Teacher comes from a reader in Brazil.
2I have an easy question.
3Why does Sir Elton John use "don't" and not "doesn't" in the song This Train Don't Stop There Anymore?
4Thanks
5Luiz, Brazil
6Dear Luiz,
7That's a great question. As an English teacher, I often hear things in songs that do not follow grammar rules.
8Sometimes, I believe it is because the songwriter wants to speak in a way that is used by another community.
9Also, informal, or everyday, language is often not completely grammatical.
10Let's look at some of the words of This Train Don't Stop There Anymore.
11It appears in a collection of songs called Songs from the West Coast, published in 2001.
12The songwriter Bernie Taupin co-wrote this and many other songs with Elton John.
13Taupin wrote the words and John wrote the music.
14Taupin said he was always interested in "Americana," the culture and history of America, and in country and western music.
15That helps explain the images and language he put into this song.
16In the first part, the singer says he does not believe in miracles anymore and has lost strong feelings about romantic love.
17The second part brings in images of an old kind of train:
18I used to be the main express
19All steam and whistles heading west
20Picking up my pain from door to door
21Riding on the storyline, furnace burning overtime
22But this train don't stop
23This train don't stop
24This train don't stop there anymore
25The singer tells us of the strong emotions he once had by comparing them to a fast, or express, train.
26The high, sharp sound of a train warning people of its approach is called a whistle.
27Old trains used to be powered by steam engines that let out whistles as they passed through towns.
28If we connect these words to the earlier part of the song, we can get a picture in our mind of a lonely, isolated place.
29A town where the train no longer stops is usually a quiet place with little activity.
30We can suppose that town is like the singer's heart.
31My understanding of the song is that the singer is saying he no longer wants to be in love because the feeling is too strong.
32Continuing the image of the train, he sings,
33It really means my engine's breaking down
34What do you think, Luiz? Would the song be just as good if Elton John sang, "That train doesn't stop there anymore?" Maybe it would not have the quality of informal language Taupin was hoping for.
35And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. Do you have a question for the teacher? Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com.
36I'm Jill Robbins.
1Hello! Our question for today on Ask a Teacher comes from a reader in Brazil. 2Question: 3I have an easy question. Why does Sir Elton John use "don't" and not "doesn't" in the song This Train Don't Stop There Anymore? 4Thanks 5Luiz, Brazil 6Dear Luiz, 7That's a great question. As an English teacher, I often hear things in songs that do not follow grammar rules. Sometimes, I believe it is because the songwriter wants to speak in a way that is used by another community. Also, informal, or everyday, language is often not completely grammatical. 8Songwriting partners 9Let's look at some of the words of This Train Don't Stop There Anymore. It appears in a collection of songs called Songs from the West Coast, published in 2001. The songwriter Bernie Taupin co-wrote this and many other songs with Elton John. Taupin wrote the words and John wrote the music. Taupin said he was always interested in "Americana," the culture and history of America, and in country and western music. That helps explain the images and language he put into this song. 10In the first part, the singer says he does not believe in miracles anymore and has lost strong feelings about romantic love. The second part brings in images of an old kind of train: 11I used to be the main express 12All steam and whistles heading west 13Picking up my pain from door to door 14Riding on the storyline, furnace burning overtime 15But this train don't stop 16This train don't stop 17This train don't stop there anymore 18The singer tells us of the strong emotions he once had by comparing them to a fast, or express, train. The high, sharp sound of a train warning people of its approach is called a whistle. Old trains used to be powered by steam engines that let out whistles as they passed through towns. 19If we connect these words to the earlier part of the song, we can get a picture in our mind of a lonely, isolated place. A town where the train no longer stops is usually a quiet place with little activity. We can suppose that town is like the singer's heart. 20My understanding of the song is that the singer is saying he no longer wants to be in love because the feeling is too strong. Continuing the image of the train, he sings, 21It really means my engine's breaking down 22What do you think, Luiz? Would the song be just as good if Elton John sang, "That train doesn't stop there anymore?" Maybe it would not have the quality of informal language Taupin was hoping for. 23And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. Do you have a question for the teacher? Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com. 24I'm Jill Robbins. 25Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for Learning English. 26This Train Don't Stop There Anymore lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group 27_________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29informal - adj. words, phrases, and idioms in speech or writing that are casual, ordinary, or colloquial 30miracle -n. an unusual or powerful event believed to be caused by God 31isolated - adj. separated from other persons or things; alone; solitary 32What do you think of songs that break grammar rules? Are there any in your language, too? Write to us in the Comments Section.