August – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: The Eras Tour Film

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the art of storytelling in English through Taylor Swift's 'August.' This song offers a rich tapestry of descriptive language and emotional depth, making it an excellent piece for language learners to explore narrative perspectives and figurative language. Its annual resurgence in popularity also provides a unique cultural context for learning.

[English]

Salt air

and the rust on your door

I never needed anything more

Whispers

of "Are you sure?"

"Never have I ever before"

But I can see us lost in the memory

August slipped away to a moment in time

'Cause it was never mine

And I can see us twisted in bedsheets

August slipped away like a bottle of wine

'Cause you were never mine

Your back

beneath the sun

Wishin' I could write my name on it

Will you call

when you're back at school?

I remember thinking I had you

But I can see us lost in the memory

August slipped away to a moment in time

'Cause it was never mine

And I can see us twisted in bedsheets

August slipped away like a bottle of wine

'Cause you were never mine

Back when we were still changing for the better

Wanting was enough

For me, it was enough

To live for the hope of it all

Canceled plans just in case you'd call

And say, "Meet me behind the mall"

So much for summer love and saying, "us"

'Cause you weren't mine to lose

You weren't mine to lose

But I can see us lost in the memory

August slipped away to a moment in time

'Cause it was never mine

And I can see us twisted in bedsheets

August slipped away like a bottle of wine

'Cause you were never mine

'Cause you never were mine

Never mine

But do you remember?

Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car"

And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call

Back when I was living for the hope of it all

For the hope of it all

"Meet me behind the mall"

Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car"

And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call

Back when I was living for the hope of it all

For the hope of it all

For the hope of it all

For the hope of it all

For the hope of it all

For the hope of it all

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
memory /ˈmɛməri/ B1	noun - the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences
twisted /ˈtwɪstɪd/ B2	adjective - contorted; distorted in shape
hope /hoʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen verb - to want something to happen or be true
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to speak to someone by phone noun - a telephone communication
moment /ˈmoʊmənt/ B1	noun - a very brief period of time
lost /lɔːst/ A2	adjective - no longer in possession or unable to find verb - to fail to keep or maintain

Key Grammar Structures

• I never needed anything more

  ➔ Past Simple with negative adverb "never"

  ➔ The verb "needed" is in the past simple, and "never" makes the statement negative.

• Are you sure?

  ➔ Present Simple interrogative

  ➔ "Are" is the present simple form of "be" used to form a yes‑no question.

• Never have I ever before

  ➔ Negative inversion with present perfect

  ➔ "Never" is placed before the auxiliary "have", creating an inverted structure for emphasis.

• I can see us lost in the memory

  ➔ Modal + bare infinitive + past participle used as adjective

  ➔ "can" is a modal verb followed by the bare infinitive "see"; "lost" is a past participle describing "us".

• August slipped away to a moment in time

  ➔ Past Simple with phrasal verb "slip away"

  ➔ "slipped away" is the past form of the phrasal verb "slip away", meaning to disappear gradually.

• Will you call when you're back at school?

  ➔ Future Simple with time clause (present simple after "when")

  ➔ "Will" forms the future; in the "when" clause we use the present simple "you're back" because it refers to a future time.

• I remember thinking I had you

  ➔ Gerund after "remember" + past perfect

  ➔ "thinking" is a gerund (verb + ‑ing) after "remember"; "had" is past perfect showing an earlier past state.

• Back when we were still changing for the better

  ➔ Past continuous (was/were +‑ing)

  ➔ "were changing" shows an ongoing action in the past, describing a continuous state.

• I canceled plans just in case you'd call

  ➔ "just in case" + conditional clause with "would"

  ➔ "just in case" expresses precaution; "you'd call" is a short form of "you would call" forming a conditional past‑future reference.

• I pulled up and said, "Get in the car"

  ➔ Reported speech with imperative inside quotation marks

  ➔ "said" introduces quoted speech; the quoted part "Get in the car" is an imperative command.