Baby Can I Hold You – English Lyrics

• By: Tracy Chapman

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

"Sorry"

Is all that you can't say

...

Years gone by and still

...

Words don't come easily

...

Like sorry, like sorry

...

"Forgive me"

Is all that you can't say

...

Years gone by and still

...

Words don't come easily

...

Like forgive me, forgive me

...

But you can say, "Baby

Baby, can I hold you tonight?

...

Maybe if I told you the right words

Ooh, at the right time

You'd be mine"

...

"I love you"

Is all that you can't say

...

Years gone by and still

...

Words don't come easily

Like I love you, I love you

...

But you can say, "Baby

Baby, can I hold you tonight?

...

Maybe if I told you the right words

Ooh, at the right time, you'd be mine"

...

Baby, can I hold you tonight?

...

Maybe if I told you the right words

Ooh, at the right time, you'd be mine

...

You'd be mine

...

You'd be mine

...

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.