Back To December – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartfelt lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Back to December," a song that masterfully explores themes of regret and apology. Through its vulnerable storytelling and melancholic melody, you can learn how to express complex emotions in English, from admitting fault to wishing for a second chance, making it a powerful and relatable piece for language learners.

[English]

(birds chirping)

(upbeat music)

♪ I'm so glad you made time to see me ♪

♪ How's life? Tell me, how's your family ♪

♪ I haven't seen them in a while ♪

♪ You've been good, busier than ever ♪

♪ We small talk, work and the weather ♪

♪ Your guard is up and I know why ♪

♪ Because the last time you saw me ♪

♪ Is still burned in the back of your mind ♪

♪ You gave me roses and I left them there to die ♪

♪ So this is me swallowin' my pride ♪

♪ Standin' in front of you ♪

♪ Sayin' I'm sorry for that night ♪

♪ And I go back to December all the time ♪

♪ It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you ♪

♪ Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine ♪

♪ I'd go back to December ♪

♪ Turn around and make it alright ♪

♪ I go back to December all the time ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ These days, I haven't been sleepin' ♪

♪ Stayin' up playin' back myself leavin' ♪

♪ When your birthday passed and I didn't call ♪

♪ Then I think about summer, all the beautiful times ♪

♪ I watched you laughin' from the passenger's side ♪

♪ And realized I loved you in the fall ♪

♪ And then the cold came, the dark days ♪

♪ When fear crept into my mind ♪

♪ You gave me all your love ♪

♪ And all I gave you was goodbye ♪

♪ So this is me swallowin' my pride ♪

♪ Standin' in front of you ♪

♪ Sayin' I'm sorry for that night ♪

♪ And I go back to December all the time ♪

♪ It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you ♪

♪ Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine ♪

♪ I'd go back to December ♪

♪ Turn around and change my own mind ♪

♪ I go back to December all the time ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile ♪

♪ So good to me, so right ♪

♪ And how you held me in your arms that September night ♪

♪ The first time you ever saw me cry ♪

♪ Maybe this is wishful thinkin' ♪

♪ Probably mindless dreamin' ♪

♪ But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right ♪

♪ I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't ♪

♪ So if the chain is on your door, I understand ♪

(gentle music)

♪ But this is me swallowin' my pride ♪

♪ Standin' in front of you ♪

♪ Sayin' I'm sorry for that night ♪

(upbeat music)

♪ And I go back to December ♪

♪ It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you ♪

♪ Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine ♪

♪ I'd go back to December ♪

♪ Turn around and make it alright ♪

♪ I'd go back to December ♪

♪ Turn around and change my own mind ♪

♪ I go back to December all the time ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ All the time ♪

(air hisses)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
roses /ˈroʊzɪz/ A2	noun - plural of rose; a flower
pride /praɪd/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of one's close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ B1	noun - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance.
days /deɪz/ A1	noun - plural of day; each of the twenty-four-hour periods, reckoned from one midnight to the next, into which a year is divided, and corresponding to one rotation of the earth on its axis.
summer /ˈsʌmər/ A1	noun - the warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February.
fall /fɔːl/ A2	noun - autumn
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature.
fear /fɪər/ B1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger, real or imagined.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - feel deep affection for (someone).
skin /skɪn/ A2	noun - the organ that forms the outer covering of the body
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a pleased, kind, or amused facial expression. verb - form one's features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression.
arms /ɑːrmz/ A1	noun - plural of arm; each of the two upper limbs of the human body from the shoulder to the hand.
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours.
door /dɔːr/ A1	noun - a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle; any opening or entrance.
sorry /ˈsɒri/ A1	adjective - feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or compassion
burned /bɜːrnd/ A2	verb - past tense of burn; be damaged or destroyed by fire

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm so glad you made time to see me

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (in the 'that' clause omitted after 'glad')

  ➔ While not explicitly visible, the underlying structure implies 'I'm so glad that you *made* time...' The indicative ('made') is commonly used in spoken English instead of the subjunctive ('make') after certain verbs of emotion like "glad". A more formal construction might use the base form of the verb after 'that'.

• I haven't seen them in a while

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense with 'for/since' implications, usage of 'a while'

  ➔ The present perfect "haven't seen" suggests an action that started in the past and continues to the present or has relevance to the present. 'A while' indicates an unspecified period of time, implying 'for a while' or 'since a certain time'.

• Is still burned in the back of your mind

  ➔ Passive Voice (is burned), prepositional phrase (in the back of your mind)

  ➔ "Is burned" is in the passive voice, indicating that the action is being done *to* the memory, rather than the memory doing something. The prepositional phrase 'in the back of your mind' is an idiom meaning something is being remembered subconsciously.

• It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you

  ➔ Double Negative (ain't nothin'), gerund as object (missin' you)

  ➔ 'Ain't nothin'' is a double negative. While grammatically incorrect in standard English, it's used for emphasis, meaning 'is only' or 'is nothing else but'. 'Missin' you' is a gerund phrase acting as the object of the preposition 'but'.

• Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine

  ➔ Ellipsis ('I was' omitted), Past Perfect Subjunctive ('I'd realized')

  ➔ The full phrase could be 'Wishin' *that* I *was* realized...'. 'That' and 'I was' are omitted for brevity and informality. 'I'd realized' (I had realized) in the past perfect tense expresses a regret about something that should have happened before another point in the past.

• Stayin' up playin' back myself leavin'

  ➔ Gerunds and present participle, shortened form

  ➔ The verbs 'staying' and 'playing' are shortened to 'stayin' and 'playin''. 'Stayin' up playin'' uses two gerunds in a sequence. 'Leavin'' is a present participle.