Call Your Girlfriend – English Lyrics

• By: Robyn
• Album: Body Talk

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful and immersive experience, and Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend" is a perfect song to start with if you're learning Swedish. The song's clear and direct lyrics, which tell a compelling story of a modern relationship, offer a great opportunity to pick up conversational phrases and vocabulary. What makes this song special is its unique perspective and empathetic tone, turning a potentially dramatic situation into a lesson in emotional intelligence, all set to an infectious synth-pop beat.

[English]

Call your girlfriend

It's time you had the talk

Give your reasons

Say it's not her fault

But you just met somebody new

Tell her not to get upset

Second-guessing everything you said and done

And then when she gets upset

Tell her how you never meant to hurt no one

Then you tell her that the only way her heart will mend

Is when she learns to love again

And it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend

And then you let her down easy

Call your girlfriend

It's time you had the talk

Give your reasons

Say it's not her fault

But you just met somebody new

Don't you tell her how I give you something

That you never even knew you missed

Don't you even try and explain

How it's so different when we kiss

You just tell her that the only way her heart will mend

Is when she learns to love again

And it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend

And then you let her down easy

Call your girlfriend

It's time you had the talk

Give your reasons

Say it's not her fault

But you just met somebody new

And now it's gonna be me and you

And you tell her that the only way her heart will mend

Is when she learns to love again

And it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend

And then you let her down easy

Call your girlfriend

It's time you had the talk

Give your reasons

Say it's not her fault

Call your girlfriend

It's time you had the talk

Give your reasons

Say it's not her fault

But you just met somebody new

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to give someone or something a name
girlfriend /ˈɡɜːrlˌfrɛnd/ A1	noun - a female friend or acquaintance
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
talk /tɔːk/ A2	verb - speak in order to give information or express ideas or feelings; converse or communicate by spoken words. noun - a conversation or discussion.
reasons /ˈriːzənz/ A2	noun - a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.
fault /fɔːlt/ B1	noun - an unattractive or unsatisfactory feature; a defect or disadvantage.
met /mɛt/ A1	verb - past tense of meet: encounter (someone) unexpectedly.
upset /ʌpˈsɛt/ B1	adjective - unhappy, disappointed, or worried.
said /sɛd/ A1	verb - past tense of say: utter words so as to express something to (someone).
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - cause physical pain or injury to.
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
mend /mɛnd/ B2	verb - repair (something that is broken or damaged).
learns /lɜːrnz/ A2	verb - past tense of learn: gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong affection for.
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.
easy /ˈiːzi/ A1	adjective - achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties.
kiss /kɪs/ A2	verb - touch or caress with the lips as a sign of love, sexual desire, or greeting.

Key Grammar Structures

• it's time you had the talk

  ➔ Modal verb phrase expressing a scheduled or appropriate time for an action.

  ➔ "it's time" indicates that the moment to do something is now or soon, often suggesting the action is overdue or appropriate.

• Say it's not her fault

  ➔ Imperative sentence used to instruct or suggest what to say.

  ➔ The verb 'say' in the imperative form is used here to advise or instruct someone to tell a specific phrase.

• you just met somebody new

  ➔ Simple past tense used to describe a recent event.

  ➔ The phrase 'met somebody new' is in the simple past tense, indicating a recent or completed action.

• And then when she gets upset

  ➔ Conjunction 'and then' followed by a subordinate clause with present tense.

  ➔ The phrase 'when she gets upset' is a time clause indicating a future or conditional event.

• and you tell her that the only way her heart will mend

  ➔ Complex sentence with a conditional clause introduced by 'that' and future tense in 'will mend'.

  ➔ The phrase 'her heart will mend' uses the auxiliary 'will' to indicate the future, expressing a predicted outcome.

• And it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend

  ➔ Negative future form 'won't make sense' combined with a concessive clause 'but...'.

  ➔ 'won't make sense' expresses that something will not be logical or understood now, despite the ongoing relationship.

• And then you let her down easy

  ➔ Phrasal verb 'let down' in the past tense with adverb 'easy'.

  ➔ 'Let her down easy' is a phrasal verb meaning to handle a difficult situation gently or tactfully.