Learn English – Why is “won’t” used instead of “doesn’t” sometimes

future-tensetense

I've started noticing people using constructions like "something won't do something" as a present tense instead of "something doesn't do something".

For example, here is a piece from Eminem's song

but he keeps on forgettin'

What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud

He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out

Is it ok to say like this and is there any specific rule that says in which situations one can use won't when they would normally use don't/doesn't?

Best Answer

The example is using figurative language to describe the scene. Don't come out would be the normal form to use in that situation if one is simply listing the events, but the song is trying to evoke the sense of a struggle, a fight between the character and the words.

Don't is a more neutral term. It's a simple statement of fact - the words do not come. The line is about the singer's surprise that the words he's expecting don't come.

Won't personifies the words and grants them agency - they refuse to come out, while the character is trying to make them. The line is then about the singer fighting, trying to make the words come out.

Edited for clarity:

Won't does not always imply agency - it can also mean a prediction. To use an example in the comments, saying "The water won't drain" doesn't indicate that the water refuses to drain, it indicates a future tense. The implication of agency is largely contextual in this case, and related to the present tense of the line.

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