Burn – English Lyrics

• By: Usher
• Album: Confessions

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful and enjoyable method, and Usher's 'Burn' offers a great opportunity to dive into the emotional nuances of English. The song's clear narrative of heartbreak and its use of metaphors like 'let it burn' can help you understand figurative language and the expression of complex feelings. The conversational tone of the lyrics also provides insight into natural-sounding English phrasing, making it a special and effective song for language learners.

[English]

(gentle R&B music)

- I don't understand why.

See, it's burning me to hold onto this.

(sighs) I know this is something I gotta do,

but that don't mean I want to.

What I'm trying to say is that I love you,

I just feel like this is coming to an end

and it's better for me to let it go now

than hold on and hurt you.

I gotta let it burn.

♪ It's gonna burn for me to say this ♪

♪ But it's coming from my heart ♪

♪ It's been a long time coming ♪

♪ But we done been fell apart ♪

♪ Really wanna work this out ♪

♪ But I don't think you're gonna change ♪

♪ I do but you don't think it's best we go our separate ways ♪

♪ Tell me why I should stay in this relationship ♪

♪ When I'm hurting, baby ♪

♪ I ain't happy, baby ♪

♪ Plus there's so many other things I gotta deal with ♪

♪ I think that you should let it burn ♪

♪ When your feeling ain't the same ♪

♪ And your body don't want to ♪

♪ But you know gotta let it go ♪

♪ Because the party ain't jumping like it used to ♪

♪ Even though this might bruise you ♪

♪ Let it burn ♪

♪ Let it burn ♪

♪ Gotta let it burn ♪

♪ Deep down you know it's best for yourself ♪

♪ But you hate the thought of her being with someone else ♪

♪ But you know that it's over ♪

♪ We know that's it through ♪

♪ Let it burn, let it burn ♪

♪ Let it burn, let it burn ♪

♪ Gotta let it burn ♪

♪ Sending pages I ain't supposed to ♪

♪ Got somebody here but I want you ♪

♪ Because the feeling ain't the same ♪

♪ Find myself calling her your name ♪

♪ Ladies tell me do you understand ♪

♪ Now all my fellas, do you feel my pain ♪

♪ It's the way I feel ♪

♪ I know I made a mistake ♪

♪ Now it's too late ♪

♪ I know she ain't coming back ♪

♪ What I gotta do now to get my shorty back ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Man, I don't know what I'm gonna do without my boo ♪

♪ You've been gone for too long ♪

♪ It's been fifty-leven days, umpteen hours ♪

♪ I'ma be burning until you return ♪

♪ When your feeling ain't the same ♪

♪ And your body don't want to ♪

♪ But you know gotta let it go ♪

♪ Because the party ain't jumping like it used to ♪

♪ Even though this might bruise you ♪

♪ Let it burn, let it burn ♪

♪ You gonna learn, let it burn ♪

♪ Gotta let it burn, oh ♪

♪ Deep down you know it's best for yourself ♪

♪ But you hate the thought of her being with someone else ♪

♪ But you know that it's over ♪

♪ We know that it's through ♪

♪ Let it burn ♪

♪ Let it burn ♪

♪ Gotta let it burn ♪

♪ I'm twisted because one side of me ♪

♪ Is telling me that I need to move on ♪

♪ On the other side I wanna break down and cry, oh ♪

♪ I'm twisted because one side of me ♪

♪ Is telling me that I need to move on ♪

♪ On the other side I wanna break down and cry ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Can you feel me burning ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Can you feel me burning ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Can you feel me burning ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ So many days, so many hours ♪

♪ I'm still burning until you return ♪

♪ When your feeling ain't the same ♪

♪ And your body don't want to ♪

♪ But you know gotta let it go ♪

♪ Because the party ain't jumping like it used to ♪

♪ Even though this might bruise you ♪

♪ Let it burn, let it burn ♪

♪ Let it burn ♪

♪ Gotta let it burn ♪

♪ Deep down you know it's best for yourself ♪

♪ But you hate the thought of her being with someone else ♪

♪ But you know that it's over ♪

♪ We know that it's through ♪

♪ Let it burn, let it burn ♪

♪ Let it burn, let it burn ♪

♪ Gotta let it burn ♪

(gentle R&B music)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
burn /bɜːrn/ B2	verb - to be on fire; to combust verb - to produce heat and light by combustion
hold /hoʊld/ B1	verb - to keep or grasp something
love /lʌv/ A2	verb - to feel deep affection or attachment
break /breɪk/ B1	verb - to separate into pieces or parts
end /ɛnd/ A2	noun - a final part of something verb - to be the last part or point
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
want /wɑːnt/ A2	verb - to desire or wish for something
leave /liːv/ B1	verb - to go away from a place
bring /brɪŋ/ B1	verb - to carry to a place
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ B2	verb - to make or become different
become /bɪˈkʌm/ B2	verb - to begin to be
feelings /ˈfiːlɪŋz/ B2	noun - emotions or sensations experienced

Key Grammar Structures

• It's been a long time coming

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous tense

  ➔ Expresses an action that started in the past and is still ongoing or has recently finished.

• Gotta let it burn

  ➔ Colloquial contraction of 'got to' meaning 'must' or 'have to'

  ➔ Indicates obligation or necessity in a casual or colloquial way.

• Feel me burning

  ➔ Imperative present tense used for emphasis, colloquially expressing 'you can feel'

  ➔ A colloquial or expressive way to say 'you can feel' or 'you should feel', emphasizing the sensation.

• I do but you don't think it's best we go our separate ways

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction 'but' showing contradiction between 'I do' and 'you don't think'

  ➔ Shows a contrast or contradiction between two ideas or preferences.

• I've made a mistake

  ➔ Present Perfect tense indicating an action completed in the recent past with relevance to the present

  ➔ Expresses that the speaker has recently committed an error with consequences affecting the current situation.

• When your feeling ain't the same

  ➔ Negative form of 'is' using 'ain't' (informal contractions) indicating negation of 'feeling is the same'

  ➔ Uses an informal contraction 'ain't' to negate the state of 'feeling' being the same.

• Deep down you know it's best for yourself

  ➔ Adverbial phrase 'Deep down' indicating a person's true feelings beneath the surface

  ➔ Indicates that at the core or deepest feelings, one knows what is truly best for oneself.