A Thousand Years – English Lyrics

• By: Christina Perri

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the enchanting world of eternal love with Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years." Originally written for the Twilight saga, this song has transcended its cinematic roots to become a global anthem for unwavering devotion. Explore its heartfelt lyrics and learn how it captures the essence of a love that defies time, making it a perfect choice for expressing your deepest emotions.

[English]

Heart beats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don't be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

...

Time stands still

Beauty in all she is

I will be brave

I will not let anything take away

What's standing in front of me

Every breath, every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don't be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

...

One step closer

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don't be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
beat /biːt/ A1	verb - to strike repeatedly noun - a regular rhythmic sound
fast /fæst/ A1	adjective - moving or capable of moving at high speed
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have a strong feeling of affection for someone. noun - an intense feeling of affection.
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ A1	adjective - feeling fear or anxiety; frightened.
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to drop down unintentionally.
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to have or maintain an upright position, supported by one's feet.
doubt /daʊt/ B1	noun - a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction. verb - to feel uncertain about
waiting /ˈweɪtɪŋ/ A2	verb - staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.
thousand /ˈθaʊzənd/ A1	noun - the number equivalent to the product of ten and one hundred; 1,000.
years /jɪərz/ A1	noun - the time taken by the Earth to make one revolution around the sun.
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
still /stɪl/ A2	adjective - not moving or making a sound
beauty /ˈbjuːti/ B1	noun - the quality of being pleasing, especially to look at.
brave /breɪv/ B1	adjective - ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage.
breath /breθ/ A2	noun - the air inhaled or exhaled in respiration.
find /faɪnd/ A1	verb - to discover or perceive by chance or unexpectedly.

Key Grammar Structures

• How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

  ➔ Modal Verb 'can' + Conditional 'when' + 'be afraid to' structure

  ➔ 'Can' expresses ability or possibility. 'When' introduces a conditional clause, implying that the loving is conditional on overcoming the fear. 'Be afraid to' expresses a fear of a specific action.

• All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

  ➔ Use of Adverb 'suddenly' + Adverb 'somehow'

  ➔ 'Suddenly' describes how quickly the doubt disappears. 'Somehow' indicates that the reason for the disappearance is unknown or unexplained.

• I have died every day waiting for you

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous ('have died') + 'every day' + 'waiting for'

  ➔ The present perfect continuous emphasizes the continuous and repeated nature of dying metaphorically while waiting. 'Every day' reinforces the repetition.

• I will not let anything take away what's standing in front of me

  ➔ Future Tense ('will') + 'let' (causative verb) + Noun clause ('what's standing in front of me')

  ➔ 'Will' expresses a future intention. 'Let' indicates allowing something to happen. The noun clause functions as the object of 'take away'.

• Every breath, every hour has come to this

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement (Singular verb 'has' with singular subjects 'breath' and 'hour') + 'come to this'

  ➔ Even though there are two subjects ('breath' and 'hour'), 'every' makes each subject singular in sense, therefore requiring a singular verb ('has'). 'Come to this' signifies reaching a culminating point.

• And all along I believed I would find you

  ➔ Past Tense ('believed') + Conditional 'would' + Implied Subjunctive mood

  ➔ 'Would find' expresses a belief about a future event from a past perspective. It suggests that at a point in the past, the speaker had the firm conviction of finding the other person. While not explicitly subjunctive, there's an element of wishing/hoping.