Afterlife – English Lyrics

• By: Arcade Fire
• Album: Reflektor

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

God, We give you thanks for this meal and

everything you give us. Amen.

Amen.

Let's eat.

Afterlife,

Oh my God, what an awful word

After all the breath and the dirt

and the fires that burn

And after all this time

And after all the ambulances go

And after all the hangers-on are done hanging on

to the dead lights of the afterglow

I've gotta know

Can we work it out?

We scream and shout 'till we work it out

Can we just work it out?

Scream and shout 'till we work it out?

'Till we work it out, 'till we work it out

'Till we work it out, 'till we work it out

Afterlife,

I think I saw what happens next

It was just a glimpse of you,

like looking through a window

Or a shallow sea

Could you see me?

And after all this time

it's like nothing else we used to know

After all the hangers-on are done hanging on

to the dead lights of the afterglow

I've gotta know

Can we work it out?

Let's scream and shout 'till we work it out

Can we just work it out?

If you scream and shout 'till we work it out?

But you say

Oh, when love is gone

Where does it go?

And you say

Oh, when love is gone

Where does it go?

And where do we go?

Where do we go?

Where do we go?

Where do we go?

Where do we go?

Where do we go?

Where do we go?

Where do we go?

And after this

Can it last another night?

After all the bad advice

had nothing at all to do with life

I've gotta know

Can we work it out?

Scream and shout 'till we work it out?

Can we just work it out?

Scream and shout 'till we work it out?

But you say

Oh, when love is gone

Where does it go?

And you say

Oh, when love is gone

Where does it go?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
afterlife /ˈɑːftərlaɪf/ B1	noun - life after death
awful /ˈɔːfəl/ A2	adjective - very bad or unpleasant
scream /skriːm/ A1	verb - to shout loudly, especially in pain, fear, or excitement
shout /ʃaʊt/ A1	verb - to speak or call out very loudly
glimpse /ɡlɪmps/ B1	noun - a brief or partial view of something
window /ˈwɪndoʊ/ A1	noun - an opening in a wall or vehicle for light and air, often with glass
shallow /ˈʃæloʊ/ A2	adjective - not deep
sea /siː/ A1	noun - a large body of salt water
hang /hæŋ/ A1	verb - to suspend something from above
glow /ɡloʊ/ A2	noun - a steady light without flames
advice /ədˈvaɪs/ A2	noun - an opinion or recommendation about what to do
last /læst/ A1	verb - to continue to exist or occur
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or emotional attachment
burn /bɜːrn/ A1	verb - to be on fire or to cause something to be on fire

Key Grammar Structures

• God, We give you thanks for this meal and everything you give us. Amen.

  ➔ Present Simple in a Prayer

  ➔ The use of the present simple tense ('give') in a prayer to express gratitude, which is common in formal and religious contexts.

• After all the breath and the dirt and the fires that burn

  ➔ Present Simple in a Relative Clause

  ➔ The present simple tense ('burn') is used in a relative clause to describe ongoing or general truths.

• I've gotta know

  ➔ Contraction and Modal Verb

  ➔ The contraction 'I've gotta' is informal and means 'I have got to'. 'Gotta' is a modal expression indicating necessity.

• Can we work it out?

  ➔ Modal Verb for Possibility

  ➔ The modal verb 'can' is used to express possibility or ability in the present.

• Oh, when love is gone

  ➔ Present Simple in a Time Clause

  ➔ The present simple tense ('is') is used in a time clause introduced by 'when' to describe a condition.

• Where do we go?

  ➔ Present Simple Question

  ➔ The present simple tense is used in a question to ask about a general or habitual action.

• After all the bad advice had nothing at all to do with life

  ➔ Past Perfect in a Main Clause

  ➔ The past perfect tense ('had') is used in the main clause to describe an action that occurred before another past action.