Denis
don't instead of doesn't Here's the line from the song I heard today: ''But my little boat is empty It don't go And my oar is broken It don't row''. Why is ''don't'' used here?
Oct 29, 2015 2:56 PM
Answers · 6
2
Non-standard variants of English grammar are very common in popular songs. There are two main reasons for this- - They often sound better. 'Don't' may fit into the rhythm of a line far better than 'doesn't'. Likewise 'ain't' may sound better and fit into the music more neatly than a standard/correct grammatical form. - The songwriter may want to sound cool, or rebellious, or casual, or angry...any of these can be suggested by the use of non-standard grammar. Enjoy the music, and sing along if you want to. But don't use these forms in ordinary speech. 'He don't' and 'I ain't' is fine in a song lyric, but not in the real world.
October 29, 2015
1
You're right, the song is not grammatically correct, it should be *doesn't*. As with a lot of pop culture (movies, songs or spoken word), the artists take a lot of "artistic license" and play fast and loose with the grammar.
October 29, 2015
honestly I think its just the singer having fun and purposefully using the grammatically wrong version.
October 29, 2015
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