Christmas Lights – English Lyrics

• By: Coldplay
• Album: Moon Music

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the melancholic yet hopeful lyrics of Coldplay's 'Christmas Lights,' a modern holiday classic that transcends typical festive tunes. This mid-tempo track, praised for its unique emotional depth rather than traditional sleigh bells, offers a rich vocabulary for expressing complex feelings of loss and resilience, making it a powerful song for language learners interested in nuanced emotional expression in English. Its heartwarming music video, featuring unexpected elements like Elvis impersonators and fan participation, adds another layer of cultural context to explore.

[English]

Christmas night

Another fight

Tears we cried a flood

Got all kinds of poison in

Of poison in my blood

I took my feet to Oxford street

Trying to right a wrong

"Just walk away" those windows say

But I can't believe she's gone

When you're still waiting for the snow to fall

Doesn't really feel like Christmas at all

...

Up above candles on air flicker

Oh, they flicker, and they flow

And I'm up here holding onto

All those chandeliers of hope

And like some drunken Elvis singing

I go singing out of tune

Singing how I always loved you, darling

And I always will

Oh, when you're still waiting for the snow to fall

It doesn't really feel like Christmas at all

Still waiting for the snow to fall

It doesn't really feel like Christmas at all

...

Those Christmas lights

Light up the street

Down where the sea and city meet

May all your troubles soon be gone

Oh, Christmas lights keep shining on

Those Christmas lights

Light up the street

Maybe they'll bring her back to me

And then all my troubles will be gone

Oh, Christmas lights keep shining on

...

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

...

Oh, Christmas lights

Light up the street

Light up the fireworks in me

May all your troubles soon be gone

Those Christmas lights keep shining on

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
fight /faɪt/ A2	noun - a violent confrontation or struggle verb - take part in a violent struggle involving physical force or weapons
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye
flood /flʌd/ B1	noun - an overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines, especially over what is normally dry land
poison /ˈpɔɪzən/ B2	noun - a substance that causes death or injury when swallowed or absorbed into the body
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - the red fluid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body
feet /fiːt/ A1	noun - plural of foot; the lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person stands or walks
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
wrong /rɒŋ/ A1	adjective - not correct or true; incorrect noun - an immoral or unfair act
windows /ˈwɪndoʊz/ A1	noun - an opening in the wall or roof of a building or vehicle that is fitted with glass or other transparent material in a frame to admit light or air and allow people to see out
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer verb - to fall as snow
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level noun - the season after summer and before winter, lasting from about September to November in the northern hemisphere
candles /ˈkændlz/ A2	noun - a cylinder or block of wax or tallow with a central wick that is lit to produce light as it burns
air /eər/ A1	noun - the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen
flicker /ˈflɪkər/ B2	verb - shine unsteadily; vary rapidly in brightness noun - a flickering light or flame
flow /floʊ/ B1	verb - move along in a steady, continuous stream noun - an act of moving steadily and continuously in a current or stream
chandeliers /ˌʃændəˈlɪərz/ B2	noun - a decorative hanging light with branches for several light bulbs or candles
hope /hoʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen verb - want something to happen or be the case
drunken /ˈdrʌŋkən/ B2	adjective - affected by alcohol to the extent of impaired physical and mental control
singing /ˈsɪŋɪŋ/ A1	verb - make musical sounds with the voice, especially words with a set tune noun - the activity of making musical sounds with the voice
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible verb - provide with light or lighting
sea /siː/ A1	noun - the expanse of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface and surrounds its landmasses
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or urban area
meet /miːt/ A1	verb - come into the presence or company of (someone) by chance or arrangement
troubles /ˈtrʌblz/ A2	noun - difficulty or problems
shining /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/ A2	verb - giving out or reflecting light adjective - bright; radiant
fireworks /ˈfaɪərwɜːrks/ B1	noun - a device containing explosive and combustible substances that cause a loud noise and a visual display when ignited, used for celebration or entertainment

Key Grammar Structures

• Tears we cried a flood

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "Tears we cried" uses the past simple tense to describe an action that has already happened.

• I took my feet to Oxford street

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "I took my feet" indicates a completed action in the past.

• But I can't believe she's gone

  ➔ Present simple tense with modal verb

  ➔ The phrase "I can't believe" uses the present simple tense with a modal verb to express disbelief.

• When you're still waiting for the snow to fall

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase "you're still waiting" uses the present continuous tense to indicate an ongoing action.

• Oh, Christmas lights keep shining on

  ➔ Present simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "Christmas lights keep shining" uses the present simple tense to describe a habitual action.

• Maybe they'll bring her back to me

  ➔ Future simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "they'll bring" uses the future simple tense to express a possibility.

• Light up the fireworks in me

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase "Light up" is in the imperative mood, giving a command or request.