Ben – English Lyrics

• By: Michael Jackson
• Album: Ben

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Ben, the two of us need look no more

We both found what we were looking for

With a friend to call my own

I'll never be alone

And you my friend will see

You've got a friend in me

(You've got a friend in me)

...

Ben, you're always running here and there

(Here and there)

You feel you're not wanted anywhere

(Anywhere)

If you ever look behind

And don't like what you find

There's something you should know

You've got a place to go

(You've got a place to go)

I used to say "I" and "me"

Now it's "us", now it's "we"

I used to say "I" and "me"

...

Now it's "us", now it's "we"

Ben, most people would turn you away

(Turn you away)

I don't listen to a word they say

(A word they say)

They don't see you as I do

I wish they would try to

I'm sure they'd think again

If they had a friend like Ben

...

(A friend)

Like Ben

(Like Ben)

Like Ben

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
looking /ˈlʊkɪŋ/ A1	verb - directing one's gaze towards someone or something
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A1	verb - moving at a speed faster than a walk
wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/ A1	verb - desired or wished for
behind /bɪˈhaɪnd/ A2	adjective - at or to the further side of something
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or point in space
people /ˈpiːpəl/ A1	noun - human beings in general
listen /ˈlɪsən/ A2	verb - to give one's attention to a sound
wish /wɪʃ/ B1	verb - to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something
sure /ʃʊr/ A2	adjective - confident in what one thinks or knows

Key Grammar Structures

• We both found what we were looking for

  ➔ Relative Clause (Noun Clause)

  ➔ "What we were looking for" acts as the object of the verb found.

• I'll never be alone

  ➔ Future Simple (Negative)

  ➔ Using "will not" (will never) to express a state in the future.

• You feel you're not wanted anywhere

  ➔ Passive Voice (Present Simple)

  ➔ "Are not wanted" uses the passive voice to describe the subject's feeling of being rejected.

• If you ever look behind

  ➔ First Conditional (Structure)

  ➔ The "if" clause establishes a hypothetical condition in the present/future.

• I used to say "I" and "me"

  ➔ Used to (Past habit)

  ➔ "Used to" indicates an action or state that was true in the past but is not now.

• Most people would turn you away

  ➔ Conditional (Hypothetical/Imagined)

  ➔ "Would" is used here to speculate about how others might react.

• I wish they would try to

  ➔ Wish + would (Desire for change)

  ➔ "Wish" + "would" is used to express dissatisfaction with the present and a desire for someone to change their behavior.

• I'm sure they'd think again

  ➔ Second Conditional (Result clause)

  ➔ "They'd" (they would) is the result of the hypothetical condition "if they had a friend like Ben".