Anniversary – English Lyrics

• By: Brandi Carlile
• Album: Returning To Myself

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Give me space from the distance, a break in the silence

A face to the surface and open my eyes

Give me words with a purpose that hurt us and burn us

For brittling, kindling tumbleweed lies

She pulled my eye and touched me twice

I froze when I felt the connecting of wires

So what, I remembered the accidental fires

I guess I must still be alive

Go ahead and pine for the pageantry of youth

Claim it and dream it, all the pretty girls do

I can learn not to care, lose some weight, change my hair

What a waste of the things I've been through

It doesn't happen in the dark or the silence, it's long

It's there, or it isn't, it's right, or it's wrong

I feel smug when it's powerful, when it's wordless, mechanical

Forceful when it's angry and sad when it's gone

Yeah, it's sad when it's gone

Someone new reminds you and that's how it ends

Unfolds and rewinds you, and the years melt away

Of course, it was wrong, you must have known it all along

It wasn't lazy, complacently, words you can't say

And now you don't have to, it's finally right

It was all in the chemistry, now you don't fight

Through the night for connection, acceptance, deception

There's no recollection, only skin, touch, and sight

Thank God for reprieve, for the primitive peace

Discovering beautiful, easier ways

And closing the door on that joyless old bore

Anniversary mercifully fading away

It was just an old promise, a dogma at best

A square on the calendar, a bulletproof vest

Be your own magic feather and put it to rest

Give it back to the keeper of days

It's just an ordinary day

It's just an ordinary day now

It's an ordinary day

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
distance /ˈdɪstəns/ A2	noun - the amount of space between two points
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ A1	noun - a lack of sound
purpose /ˈpɜːrpəs/ A2	noun - the reason for which something is done
brittling /ˈbrɪtlɪŋ/ C1	adjective - becoming hard and likely to break
kindling /ˈkɪndlɪŋ/ B2	noun - wood or other material prepared for starting a fire
tumbleweed /ˈtʌmbəliːd/ C1	noun - a plant that breaks off at the stem and rolls in the wind
pageantry /ˈpædʒəntri/ C1	noun - a display or ceremony, often elaborate or showy
smug /smʌɡ/ B2	adjective - annoyingly self-satisfied
mechanical /məˈkænɪkəl/ B2	adjective - relating to machines or machinery
rewind /riːˈwaɪnd/ B1	verb - to wind a tape, film, etc. back to the beginning
dogma /ˈdɒɡmə/ C1	noun - a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned
bulletproof /ˈbʊlɪtˌpruːf/ B2	adjective - able to resist the penetration of bullets
reprieve /rɪˈpriːv/ C1	noun - a temporary release from punishment
primitive /ˈprɪmɪtɪv/ B2	adjective - relating to the earliest times in history
mercifully /ˈmɜːrsɪfəli/ C1	adverb - in a way that shows or gives mercy