My favorite holiday is May 1, and that is for one reason, and one reason only: “The Lusty Month of May”. 🌼 To me, this tongue-in-cheek song from the movie Camelot embodies the playful, whimsical aspect of human nature, and everything that is delightful about springtime. The song gives us the feeling that spring is a time when we come alive and give in to the passionate, life-loving parts of our natures. It’s a time for us to run, and dance, and love, and not have a care in the world. It’s a time to exist in the moment, and revel in the earth as it blooms around us. But “The Lusty Month of May” is not only a great song. If you’re learning English, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to grow your vocabulary!
In this vocabulary post, you will learn 33 new English words through the lyrics to “The Lusty Month of May”. I hope you enjoy today’s vocab jam, Stepper! (And if you do like it, please share it! 🥰)
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK
WHIMSICAL
GIVE IN (TO SOMETHING)
NOT HAVE A CARE IN THE WORLD
LIVE IN THE MOMENT
REVEL IN
BLOOM
Related: Hungry for another vocab jam? Boost your vocabulary with Aretha Franklin and George Michael
Level Up Your Vocabulary with “The Lusty Month of May”
In English, we say that April showers bring May flowers. But, if this song is anything to go by, a lot more than flowers arrive in May! 😉💖
(By the way… Isn’t Vanessa Redgrave incredible?! I love her!)
Related: Grow your vocabulary with my ESL words of the day!
It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray!
It’s here! It’s here! That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear!
It’s May! It’s May! That gorgeous holiday
When every maiden itches for fun, wholesome or un-.
It’s mad! Oh, it’s gay! Depraved in every way!
Those dreary vows that everyone takes, everyone breaks…
Everyone makes divine mistakes!
The lusty month of May!
It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May!
That darling month when everyone throws self-control away!
It’s time to do a wretched thing or two,
And try to make each precious day one you’ll always rue!
Related: Pincy Cat helps your grow your vocabulary in this post full of summer words
It’s May! It’s May! The month of “yes you may!”
The time for every frivolous whim, proper or im-.
It’s wild! It’s wild, it’s gay!
A libelous display!
The birds and bees with all of their vast amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast!
The lusty month of May!
[Repeat song with everyone singing]
Related: Why you should be learning English with music
LUSTY
This song is very playful with language. So, she’s using the word ‘lusty’, but we’re also meant to think of the word ‘lust’, which refers to sexual desire.
GO ASTRAY
BLISSFULLY
SHOCKING
TONS
WICKED
MERRILY
GORGEOUS
Related: Learn these adjectives for offering memorable romantic compliments
MAIDEN
ITCH FOR
Related: Phrasal verbs with ‘jump’ + practice quiz
WHOLESOME / UNWHOLESOME
The song is being playful when it says “wholesome or un-“, but in conversation, we don’t do this. We would use the whole words, “wholesome or unwholesome”.
MAD
GAY
DEPRAVED
Related: 18 evil synonyms inspired by Game of Thrones villains
DREARY
VOW
The song here is talking about wedding vows.
DIVINE
DARLING
THROW AWAY
Related: Learn more about phrasal verbs with English teacher Adam Broughton’s master class
SELF-CONTROL
WRETCHED
PRECIOUS
RUE
Related: Level up your vocabulary with the song “Ol’ Man River”
FRIVOLOUS
WHIM
LIBELOUS
The song is being playful with words, so it’s not talking literally about libel. What it means is “such naughty behavior that it will sound like libel when people talk about it”.
DISPLAY
THE BIRDS AND THE BEES
This is another example of the song being playful. This is a way for it to reference sex without actually saying “sex”. If you like this idiom, you may also enjoy the old hit song, “The Birds and the Bees”.
Related: Grow your vocabulary with these idioms about apples
VAST
AMOROUS
GAZE
AGHAST
Hi Jennifer,
This cultured poem is certainly more useful for vocabulary development than the slightly unsophisticated short ditty I grew up with in Liverpool to celebrate this very special time of year!
It goes like this….
Hooray, hooray
The first of May
Outdoor sex
Begins today
All the best from Hamburg
Will
Ha! This is the Reader’s Digest version, I suppose! 🙂
Love it, Will. Thanks for visiting my post! Hope all is well in Hamburg!
Hi Jennifer！It seems that you made a typo of the IPA of “dreary”.
Zhanzhan
Oh dear! Thank you so much for catching this, Zhanzhan! I will change it this weekend! 🙂
High five for your eagle eyes!