Bottle It Up – English Lyrics

• By: Sara Bareilles

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

There'll be girls across the nation that will eat this up

Babe, I know that it's your soul, but could you bottle it up?

Get down to the heart of it

No, it's my heart

You're shit out of your luck

Don't make me tell you again, my love

Love, love, love

Love, love, love, love

I am aiming to be somebody this somebody trusts

With her delicate soul, I don't claim to know much

Except, soon as you start to make room for the parts

That aren't you, it gets harder

To bloom in a garden of love

Love, love, love

Love, love, love, love

Only thing I ever could need

Only one good thing worth trying to be

And it's love, love, love, love

I do it for love, love, love, love

We can understand the sentiment you're saying to us

Oh, but sensible sells, so could you kindly shut up?

And get started at keeping your part of the bargain

Aw, please, little darlin'

You're killing me sweetly with love

Love, love, love

Love, love, love, love

Only thing I ever could need

Only one good thing worth trying to be

And it's love, love, love, love

I do it for love, love, love, love

Started as a flicker meant to be a flame

Skin has gotten thicker, but it burns the same

Still a baby in a cradle, got to take my first fall

Baby's getting next to nowhere with a back against the wall

You meant to make me happy, make me sad

Want to make it better, better so bad

But save your resolutions for your never new year

There is only one solution I can see here

Love, you're all I ever could need

Only one good thing worth trying to be, and it's love

Love, love, love

I do it for love, love, love, love

Oh, only gonna get, get what you give away

So give love, love

Only gonna get, get what you give away

Love

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood noun - the emotional or spiritual center
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a person
bottle /ˈbɑː.t̬əl/ A2	verb - to contain or hold back
bloom /bluːm/ B1	verb - to produce flowers
garden /ˈɡɑːrdən/ A2	noun - a piece of ground where flowers, fruits, or vegetables are grown
thing /θɪŋ/ A1	noun - an object that one need not or cannot give a specific name to
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality or standard
thing /θɪŋ/ A1	noun - an object that one need not or cannot give a specific name to
flicker /ˈflɪk.ər/ B2	noun - a brief or unsteady light
flame /fleɪm/ A2	noun - a hot, glowing mass of burning gas
skin /skɪn/ A1	noun - the outer covering of the body
baby /ˈbeɪ.bi/ A1	noun - a very young child
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to drop down from a higher place
happy /ˈhæp.i/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow
better /ˈbet̬.ɚ/ A1	adjective - of a higher quality or more desirable
solution /səˈluː.ʃən/ B1	noun - a means of solving a problem

Key Grammar Structures

• There'll be girls across the nation that will eat this up

  ➔ Future Simple (will) + Phrasal Verb

  ➔ The phrase "will eat this up" uses the future simple tense with "will" to predict an action, and the phrasal verb "eat up" means to consume eagerly or believe something easily.

• Babe, I know that it's your soul, but could you bottle it up?

  ➔ Modal Verb 'could' for polite request + Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Could" is used here to form a polite request or suggestion, asking someone to "bottle it up," which is a phrasal verb meaning to suppress or conceal emotions or feelings.

• Don't make me tell you again, my love

  ➔ Causative Verb 'make' (make + object + base form) + Negative Imperative

  ➔ The structure "don't make me tell" uses the causative verb "make" to show that someone is forcing or causing another person to do something. The negative imperative "Don't make..." expresses a command not to cause that action.

• I am aiming to be somebody this somebody trusts

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive (aiming to be) + Implied Relative Pronoun

  ➔ "Aiming to be" uses a verb followed by an infinitive to express intention or purpose. There's an implied relative pronoun (who/that) after "somebody" in "somebody [who/that] this somebody trusts," forming a relative clause.

• Only one good thing worth trying to be

  ➔ Adjective 'worth' + Gerund

  ➔ The adjective "worth" is followed by a gerund ("trying") to indicate that something is deserving of the effort or value of an action.

• And get started at keeping your part of the bargain

  ➔ Phrasal Verb ('get started at') + Gerund

  ➔ The phrasal verb "get started at" means to begin an activity, and it is followed by a gerund ("keeping") to specify what activity is being started.

• Started as a flicker meant to be a flame

  ➔ Past Participle ('meant') + Infinitive ('to be')

  ➔ The past participle "meant" is used here to indicate purpose or intention, followed by the infinitive "to be" to describe the intended state or outcome.

• got to take my first fall

  ➔ Informal Obligation ('got to' / 'have to')

  ➔ "Got to" is an informal way of saying "have to," expressing an obligation, necessity, or inevitability. It means "must" or "it is necessary to."

• You meant to make me happy, make me sad

  ➔ Verb 'mean' + Infinitive ('to make') + Causative 'make' (without 'to')

  ➔ The first part, "meant to make," uses "mean" followed by an infinitive to express intention. The second "make me happy/sad" uses the causative verb "make" followed by an object and a bare infinitive (without "to") to show causing someone to feel something.

• There is only one solution I can see here

  ➔ 'There is/are' construction + Implied Relative Pronoun

  ➔ The "there is" construction introduces the existence of something. There is an implied relative pronoun (that/which) after "solution" in "one solution [that/which] I can see here," forming a relative clause.