Broken Together – English Lyrics

• By: Casting Crowns
• Album: Healer

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a deeply moving experience, and Casting Crowns' "Broken Together" offers a unique opportunity to explore themes of love, struggle, and faith. The song's honest and direct lyrics about the challenges of marriage provide a powerful context for understanding nuanced emotional expression. What makes this song special for language learners is its heartfelt narrative and the universal message of finding strength in vulnerability, making the language both accessible and profoundly meaningful.

[English]

What do you think about when you look at me?

I know we're not the fairytale you dreamed we'd be

You wore the veil, you walked the aisle, you took my hand

And we dove into a mystery

...

How I wish we could go back to simpler times

Before all our scars and all our secrets were in the light

Now on this hallowed ground, we've drawn the battle lines

Will we make it through the night?

It's going to take much more than promises this time

Only God can change our minds

Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete

Could we just be broken together?

If you can bring your shattered dreams and I'll bring mine

Could healing still be spoken and save us?

The only way we'll last forever is broken together

...

How it must have been so lonely by my side

We were building kingdoms and chasing dreams and left love behind

I'm praying God will help our broken hearts align

And we won't give up the fight

...

It's going to take much more than promises this time

Only God can change our minds

Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete

Could we just be broken together?

If you can bring your shattered dreams and I'll bring mine

Could healing still be spoken and save us?

The only way we'll last forever is broken together

...

Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete

Could we just be broken together?

If you can bring your shattered dreams and I'll bring mine

Could healing still be spoken and save us

The only way we'll last forever is broken together

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
think /θɪŋk/ A2	verb - to have a particular opinion or belief
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep verb - to imagine or hope for something
broken /ˈbroʊ.kən/ B1	adjective - having been fractured or damaged
healing /ˈhiː.lɪŋ/ B2	noun - the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
battle /ˈbæt.əl/ B1	noun - a sustained fight between large organized armed forces
promise /ˈprɒm.ɪs/ B1	noun - a declaration or assurance that one will do something
scar /skɑːr/ B2	noun - a mark left on the skin after a wound has healed
kingdom /ˈkɪŋ.dəm/ B2	noun - a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen
align /əˈlaɪn/ B2	verb - to arrange in a straight line or in correct relative positions
mystery /ˈmɪs.tər.i/ B2	noun - something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain
forever /fərˈɛv.ər/ B1	adverb - for all future time; for always

Key Grammar Structures

• What do you think about when you look at me?

  ➔ Indirect Question/Embedded Question

  ➔ The sentence uses an indirect question structure. Instead of asking a direct question like "What do you think?", it's embedded within another question: "What do you think about *when you look at me*?". The 'when you look at me' clause acts as the object of the preposition 'about'.

• I know we're not the fairytale you dreamed we'd be

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Implied)

  ➔ The phrase "you dreamed we'd be" implies a subjunctive mood. It's expressing a wish or a hypothetical situation that isn't the reality. The full form could be "you dreamed we would be", where 'would' indicates the conditional/subjunctive.

• How I wish we could go back to simpler times

  ➔ Wish + Past Simple (regret about the present)

  ➔ The structure "How I wish + past simple" expresses a regret about the present or a desire for something to be different in the present. Here, the speaker wishes they could return to simpler times. The use of "could go back" expresses this unreal desire.

• Will we make it through the night?

  ➔ Future Simple (Question form)

  ➔ This is a simple future question using the auxiliary verb "will". It asks about the possibility of successfully enduring a challenging situation (implied by "the night").

• It's going to take much more than promises this time

  ➔ "Going to" future

  ➔ This sentence uses the "going to" future to express a prediction or a planned action. It implies that promises alone are insufficient to resolve the current situation and something more substantial is needed.

• Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete

  ➔ Past Simple Passive (with "meant to")

  ➔ The passive voice construction "were meant to be" indicates that there was a predetermined plan or destiny. The sentence suggests the possibility that they were not destined to be perfectly whole or complete individuals within the relationship.

• Could we just be broken together?

  ➔ Modal verb "Could" (suggestion/possibility)

  ➔ The modal verb "could" expresses a suggestion or a possibility. It asks whether they can accept their imperfections and remain together, even in a broken state. It's a hypothetical question exploring an alternative.

• If you can bring your shattered dreams and I'll bring mine

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1 - Possible condition)

  ➔ This is a Type 1 conditional sentence. "If you can bring your shattered dreams" establishes a possible condition. The result clause, "I'll bring mine," indicates a likely outcome if the condition is met. The shortened form "I'll" implies "I will".