Alone – English Lyrics

• By: The Cure
• Album: Songs Of A Lost World

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the rich, poetic language of The Cure's 'Alone,' a powerful gothic rock ballad that marks the band's return after 16 years. Its introspective lyrics and haunting soundscapes offer a unique opportunity to explore themes of loss, memory, and existential reflection in English, making it an evocative piece for language learners to connect with deeply.

[English]

This is the end of every song that we sing

The fire burned out to ash, and the stars grown dim with tears

Cold and afraid, the ghosts of all that we've been

We toast with bitter dregs, to our emptiness

And the birds falling out of our skies

And the words falling out of our minds

And here is to love, to all the love

Falling out of our lives

Hopes and dreams are gone

The end of every song

And it all stops

We were always sure that we would never change

And it all stops

We were always sure that we would stay the same

...

But it all stops

And we close our eyes to sleep

To dream a boy and girl

Who dream the world is nothing but a dream

Where did it go?

Where did it go?

Broken voiced lament to call us home

This is the end of every song we sing

Where did it go?

Where did it go?

...

Where did it go?

Where did it go?

Broken voiced lament to call us home

This is the end of every song we sing, alone

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
end /ɛnd/ A1	noun - the final part of something
burn /bɜːrn/ A2	verb - to be damaged or destroyed by fire
ash /æʃ/ A2	noun - the powder that remains after something burns
dim /dɪm/ B1	adjective - not bright; faint
ghost /ɡoʊst/ A2	noun - the spirit of a dead person
toast /toʊst/ A2	verb - to drink to someone's health or success
bitter /ˈbɪtər/ A2	adjective - having a sharp, unpleasant taste
empty /ˈɛmpti/ A1	adjective - containing nothing
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the area above the earth where clouds and the sun are visible
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience dreams during sleep
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	adjective - having been fractured or damaged
lament /ləˈmɛnt/ B2	noun - a passionate expression of grief or sorrow
sure /ʃʊr/ A1	adjective - having no doubt about something
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	verb - to make or become different
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - a condition of body and mind which typically recurs for several hours each night verb - to be in a state of sleep

Key Grammar Structures

• This is the end of every song that we sing

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'that'

  ➔ The word "that" introduces a relative clause modifying "every song". It acts as the object of the verb "sing".

• The fire burned out to ash, and the stars grown dim with tears

  ➔ Past Participle as an Adjective ('grown dim')

  ➔ "Grown" is the past participle of "grow" and functions as an adjective modifying "stars". "Dim" also functions as an adjective. The stars have become dim.

• Cold and afraid, the ghosts of all that we've been

  ➔ Adjectives as Sentence Openers

  ➔ The adjectives "Cold" and "afraid" are placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, describing the state of the ghosts. It's an inverted sentence structure.

• We toast with bitter dregs, to our emptiness

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase indicating Purpose ('to our emptiness')

  ➔ The prepositional phrase "to our emptiness" explains the purpose or reason for the toast. It indicates what they are toasting *to*.

• And the birds falling out of our skies

  ➔ Present Participle as an Adjective ('falling')

  ➔ "Falling" is the present participle of "fall" and acts as an adjective describing the birds. It indicates the action the birds are performing.

• We were always sure that we would never change

  ➔ Past Continuous Tense with 'always' for emphasis/criticism.

  ➔ The structure "were always sure" uses the past continuous tense with the adverb "always." This can indicate an action that happened repeatedly in the past, often carrying a connotation of irritation or disbelief that they thought they would never change. "That" introduces a noun clause functioning as the object of "sure".

• To dream a boy and girl Who dream the world is nothing but a dream

  ➔ Non-finite clause ('To dream a boy and girl') as subject complement and Relative Clause with 'Who'

  ➔ "To dream a boy and girl" acts as a subject complement, explaining the content of the dream. "Who dream..." is a relative clause modifying "boy and girl," with "Who" acting as the subject of the verb "dream".

• Where did it go?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence, Subject-verb inversion with auxiliary 'did'.

  ➔ This is a direct question using the past simple tense. The auxiliary verb "did" is used to form the question, inverting the subject ("it") and the verb ("go").