Baby Can I Hold You – English Lyrics

• By: Tracy Chapman

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sorry /ˈsɒr.i/ A1	noun - an expression of apology adjective - feeling regret
forgive /fəˈɡɪv/ B1	verb - to stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to keep or support with one's hands
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for
baby /ˈbeɪ.bi/ A1	noun - a very young child
tonight /təˈnaɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between this day and tomorrow
years /jɪərz/ A1	noun - periods of twelve months
words /wɜːrdz/ A1	noun - units of language that carry meaning
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the measurable period during which an action occurs
right /raɪt/ A1	adjective - correct or appropriate
mine /maɪn/ A1	pronoun - belonging to me
say /seɪ/ A1	verb - to utter words
told /toʊld/ A2	verb - past tense of tell; to have informed
maybe /ˈmeɪ.bi/ B1	adverb - perhaps; possibly
still /stɪl/ A2	adjective - not moving or changing
like /laɪk/ A1	verb - to enjoy or find pleasing

Key Grammar Structures

• "Sorry" is all that you can't say

  ➔ Inversion with 'all'

  ➔ The sentence structure is inverted to emphasize 'all', highlighting the difficulty in saying 'sorry'.

• Years gone by and still

  ➔ Present perfect with 'gone'

  ➔ The present perfect with 'gone' indicates an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

• Words don't come easily

  ➔ Negative contraction

  ➔ The contraction 'don't' is used to negate the verb 'come', making the sentence more informal and natural.

• But you can say, 'Baby can I hold you tonight?'

  ➔ Direct speech and question tag

  ➔ Direct speech is used to quote the exact words, and the question tag 'can I' seeks confirmation.

• Maybe if I told you the right words

  ➔ Conditional sentence (Type 2)

  ➔ This conditional sentence expresses a hypothetical situation in the present with 'if' and 'told'.

• You'd be mine

  ➔ Contraction of 'you would'

  ➔ The contraction 'you'd' is a shortened form of 'you would', commonly used in informal speech.