A Girl Like You – English Lyrics

• By: Edwyn Collins
• Album: Gorgeous George

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the seductive soundscape of Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You", a song that masterfully blends alternative rock with glam and Northern soul influences. Unlock the layers of its intriguing lyrics and discover how Collins' unique storytelling can enrich your understanding of English. With its haunting melody and dark undertones, this song is a perfect gateway to appreciate the nuances of language and emotion in music.

[English]

I've never known a girl like you before

Now just like in a song from days of yore

Here you come knocking, knocking on my door

Well, I've never met a girl like you before

...

You give me just a taste so I want more

Now my hands are bleeding and my knees are raw

'Cause now you got me crawling, crawling on the floor

And I've never known a girl like you before

...

You made me acknowledge the devil in me

I hope to God I'm talking metaphorically

Hope that I'm talking alegorically

Know that I'm talking about the way I feel

And I've never known a girl like you before

Never, never, never, never

Never known a girl like you before

...

This old town's changed so much

Don't feel like I belong

Too many protest singers

Not enough protest songs

And now you've come along

Yes, you've come along

And I've never met a girl like you before

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

It's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah, it's alright, yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
metaphorically /ˌmɛtəˈfɒrɪkli/ C1	adverb - in a way that uses metaphor
alegorically /ˌæləˈɡɔːrɪkli/ C2	adverb - in an allegorical manner, representing abstract ideas through symbols
knocking /ˈnɒkɪŋ/ A2	verb - to strike a surface to attract attention, especially on a door
knock /nɒk/ A2	noun/verb - a sound made by hitting something / to strike a surface
bleeding /ˈbliːdɪŋ/ B1	verb - to lose blood
raw /rɔː/ A2	adjective - uncooked or untreated
crawling /ˈkrɔːlɪŋ/ B1	verb - to move on hands and knees or slowly
knock /nɒk/ A2	noun/verb - a sound from hitting / to strike
know /nəʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to perceive emotion or physical sensation
song /sɒŋ/ A1	noun - a musical composition with lyrics
door /dɔːr/ A1	noun - a movable barrier used to open or close an entryway
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - a populated area smaller than a city
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	noun/verb - the process of becoming different / to make different

Key Grammar Structures

• I've never known a girl like you before

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense with 'never'

  ➔ Uses the present perfect tense ('I've known') to express an experience up to the present moment. 'Never' emphasizes that this experience has not occurred at any point in the speaker's life until now.

• Here you come knocking, knocking on my door

  ➔ Inverted sentence structure; present participle as an adjective.

  ➔ The typical sentence structure would be 'You come knocking...'. The word order is inverted for emphasis. 'Knocking' acts as a participle describing 'you'.

• You give me just a taste so I want more

  ➔ Simple Present Tense; 'so' as a conjunction indicating cause and effect.

  ➔ The sentence uses the simple present to express habitual actions. 'So' connects the two clauses, indicating that the first clause (giving a taste) causes the second clause (wanting more).

• 'Cause now you got me crawling, crawling on the floor

  ➔ 'Got' used as a causative verb; present participle for continuous action.

  ➔ 'Got me crawling' means 'you made me crawl'. 'Crawling' is a present participle emphasizing the continuous nature of the action.

• You made me acknowledge the devil in me

  ➔ Simple Past Tense; 'made' as a causative verb followed by the bare infinitive 'acknowledge'.

  ➔ 'Made me acknowledge' signifies that the girl's actions caused the speaker to recognize something about themselves. 'Acknowledge' is in its base form due to 'made' being a causative verb.

• I hope to God I'm talking metaphorically

  ➔ Simple Present Tense with 'hope'; Adverb of manner ('metaphorically')

  ➔ Expresses a desire or wish in the present. The adverb 'metaphorically' modifies the verb 'talking', describing *how* the speaker is talking.

• This old town's changed so much

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense (implied); possessive apostrophe with contraction ('town's').

  ➔ Although the auxiliary verb 'has' is missing, the sentence implies the present perfect: 'This old town has changed so much.' The contraction 'town's' is a shortened form of 'town has'.

• Don't feel like I belong

  ➔ Negative imperative (used colloquially); Verb 'belong' with preposition 'to' implied.

  ➔ 'Don't feel like I belong' is a colloquial way of saying 'I don't feel like I belong *here/to this place*'. The preposition 'to' and the object of the preposition are omitted. While grammatically not correct, this use is widespread.