Back To Black – English Lyrics

• By: Amy Winehouse

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" offers a poignant and emotionally rich text for English learners. The song's raw and direct lyrics provide a window into complex emotions like heartbreak and resilience, using vivid metaphors and storytelling. What makes this song special for language learning is its blend of conversational phrases and poetic imagery, allowing learners to engage with both everyday language and more nuanced expressions of feeling, all within a timeless and soulful melody.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ HE LEFT NO TIME TO REGRET ♪

♪ KEPT HIS WET ♪

♪ WITH HIS SAME OLD SAFE BET ♪

♪ ME AND MY HEAD HIGH ♪

♪ AND MY TEARS DRY ♪

♪ GET ON WITHOUT MY GUY ♪

♪ YOU WENT BACK TO WHAT YOU KNEW ♪

♪ SO FAR REMOVED ♪

♪ FROM ALL THAT WE WENT THROUGH ♪

♪ AND I TREAD A TROUBLED TRACK ♪

♪ MY ODDS ARE STACKED ♪

♪ I GO BACK TO BLACK ♪

♪ WE ONLY SAID GOODBYE WITH WORDS ♪

♪ I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES ♪

♪ YOU GO BACK TO HER ♪

♪ AND I GO BACK TO ♪

♪ I GO BACK TO US ♪

♪ I LOVE YOU MUCH ♪

♪ IT'S NOT ENOUGH ♪

♪ YOU LOVE AND I LOVE PUFF ♪

♪ AND LIFE IS LIKE A PIPE ♪

♪ AND I'M A TINY PENNY ROLLING UP THE WALLS INSIDE ♪

♪ WE ONLY SAID GOODBYE WITH WORDS ♪

♪ I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES ♪

♪ YOU GO BACK TO HER ♪

♪ AND I GO BACK TO ♪

♪ WE ONLY SAID GOODBYE WITH WORDS ♪

♪ I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES ♪

♪ YOU GO BACK TO HER ♪

♪ AND I GO BACK TO ♪

[DRUMS]

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

♪ I GO BACK TO ♪

♪ I GO BACK TO ♪

♪ WE ONLY SAID GOODBYE WITH WORDS ♪

♪ I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES ♪

♪ YOU GO BACK TO HER ♪

♪ AND I GO BACK TO ♪

♪ WE ONLY SAID GOODBYE WITH WORDS ♪

♪ I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES ♪

♪ YOU GO BACK TO HER ♪

♪ AND I GO BACK TO ♪

♪ BLACK ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
regret /rɪˈɡret/ B2	verb - to feel sorrow or remorse for something that has happened noun - a feeling of sadness or disappointment about something that has happened
safe /seɪf/ A2	adjective - protected from danger or risk
bet /bet/ B1	noun - an act of gambling verb - to risk something, usually money, on a game or event
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of liquid that come from your eyes when you cry
guy /ɡaɪ/ A1	noun - a man
removed /rɪˈmuːvd/ B2	adjective - distant, detached verb - past participle of remove: take away, eliminate
tread /tred/ C1	verb - to walk in a specified way noun - the pattern on the surface of a tire or shoe that provides grip
troubled /ˈtrʌbəld/ B2	adjective - having problems or difficulties
track /træk/ A2	noun - a path or course that is followed
odds /ɒdz/ B2	noun - the probability that something will happen
stacked /stækt/ B2	adjective - arranged in a pile verb - to arrange in a pile
black /blæk/ A1	adjective - of the darkest color noun - the darkest color
died /daɪd/ A1	verb - past tense of die: to stop living
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have a strong affection for someone noun - a strong feeling of affection
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
pipe /paɪp/ A2	noun - a tube used to convey water, gas, or other fluid
walls /wɔːlz/ A1	noun - a continuous vertical brick or stone structure that encloses or divides an area of land.

Key Grammar Structures

• HE LEFT NO TIME TO REGRET

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase uses the past simple tense to indicate an action that has already been completed.

• AND MY TEARS DRY

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The present simple tense is used to express habitual actions or general truths.

• YOU WENT BACK TO WHAT YOU KNEW

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ This line also uses the past simple tense to describe a completed action in the past.

• I DIED A HUNDRED TIMES

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The use of the past simple tense emphasizes the frequency of the action in the past.

• AND LIFE IS LIKE A PIPE

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ This line uses the present simple tense to express a general truth or metaphor.

• I GO BACK TO BLACK

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The present simple tense indicates a habitual action or a recurring theme.

• YOU GO BACK TO HER

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ This line uses the present simple tense to describe a habitual action.

• I LOVE YOU MUCH

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The present simple tense is used here to express a strong feeling or emotion.