Lucio
I was reading the Bruno Mars lyrics of "When I was your man". There is a repeated mistake, or, at list that's what it seems to me. "...... Should have gave you all my hours...." I expected it was "should have given you all my hours" Some answers about the reasons?
May 22, 2024 10:38 AM
Answers · 7
4
Nobody hit on what I thin is the real reason in this case. He simply needed an exact number of syllables in the words of the line for it to fit in time with the music.
May 22, 2024 5:04 PM
3
Musical and theatrical arts frequently employ bad grammar. This is done with intent in order to replicate the voices of ordinary people and to produce desired artistic effects.
May 22, 2024 1:19 PM
2
Tbh Lucio you’d have to ask Bruno Mars! As you say, it’s grammatically wrong. Maybe he wanted a one syllable word instead of two syllables (given) There are so many songs that corrupt correct English, so sadly music isn’t necessarily the best way of learning grammar.
May 22, 2024 12:09 PM
2
Yes, technically it should be 'given'. But using the past simple form instead of the past participle is a really common feature of many English dialects. Also bear in mind that 'should have given' is four syllables while 'should have gave' is three. Maybe 'should have given' wouldn't scan.
May 22, 2024 12:07 PM
1
Hello Lucio You have to take into account that Bruno was using 'American slang' which is characterized by misuse of tenses and other prepositions. "should have given you all my hours" is grammatically correct, but according to the language pattern he was using he was correct
May 22, 2024 6:55 PM
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