Big Love – English Lyrics

• By: Fleetwood Mac
• Album: Tango In The Night

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the electrifying world of Fleetwood Mac's "Big Love," a dynamic track from their 1987 album "Tango in the Night." This song offers a unique opportunity to experience complex English lyrics exploring themes of love, desire, and emotional independence, delivered through Lindsey Buckingham's unparalleled vocal performance and intricate guitar work. Its layered production and poignant message make it a special song for understanding nuanced English expression and the rich storytelling within rock music.

[English]

Looking out for love

And the night so still

Oh, I'll build you a kingdom

In that house on the hill

Looking out for love

...

Big, big love

...

You said that you love me

And that you always will

Oh, you begged me to keep you

In that house on the hill

Looking out for love

...

Big, big love

...

I wake up alone with it all

I wake up but only to fall

Looking out for love

...

Big, big love

...

Just looking out for love

...

Big, big love

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or emotional attachment
build /bɪld/ A2	verb - to construct or create something
kingdom /ˈkɪŋdəm/ A2	noun - a country or state ruled by a king or queen
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
hill /hɪl/ A1	noun - a roundish raised area of land
big /bɪɡ/ A1	adjective - large in size or degree
wake /weɪk/ A2	verb - to stop sleeping
alone /əˈloʊn/ A1	adjective - without others
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely
still /stɪl/ A1	adjective - not moving or making a sound
beg /beɡ/ A2	verb - to ask for something in a desperate or humble manner
keep /kiːp/ A1	verb - to retain possession of
always /ˈɔːlweɪz/ A1	adverb - at all times; forever
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period between sunset and sunrise
said /sɛd/ A1	verb - past tense of say; to speak

Key Grammar Structures

• Looking out for love

  ➔ Present Participle for ongoing action/intention (implied subject)

  ➔ The present participle "Looking out" implies an ongoing action or state, often without an explicit subject, suggesting 'I am looking out for love' or 'I keep looking out for love.'

• Oh, I'll build you a kingdom

  ➔ Future Simple (will) with Ditransitive Verb

  ➔ "I'll build" expresses a future intention or promise. The verb "build" is ditransitive here, taking an indirect object ("you") and a direct object ("a kingdom").

• You said that you love me

  ➔ Reported Speech (with optional conjunction 'that')

  ➔ This is an example of reported speech, where "that" introduces the reported clause. In casual speech, "that" is often omitted, making it 'You said you love me.'

• And that you always will

  ➔ Ellipsis in Reported Speech (Future Simple)

  ➔ This is an example of ellipsis, where the verb phrase "love me" is omitted, as it is understood from the preceding clause ('you love me'). The full phrase would be 'you always will "love me".'

• Oh, you begged me to keep you

  ➔ Verb + Object + Infinitive

  ➔ This sentence uses the structure 'verb + object + to-infinitive,' where "begged" is the verb, "me" is the object, and "to keep" is the infinitive, indicating what the object was asked to do.

• I wake up alone with it all

  ➔ Phrasal Verb + Adverbial Phrase of state/manner

  ➔ "wake up" is a common phrasal verb meaning to stop sleeping. "alone with it all" is an adverbial phrase describing the state or manner in which the waking occurs.

• I wake up but only to fall

  ➔ Infinitive of Result (with 'only to')

  ➔ The structure 'only to + infinitive' expresses an unexpected, often negative, or ironic result of the preceding action. Here, waking up leads directly to falling (metaphorically, into despair).

• In that house on the hill

  ➔ Prepositional Phrases of Place

  ➔ "In that house" and "on the hill" are prepositional phrases using prepositions "in" and "on" to specify the location of the kingdom.