Cold – English Lyrics

• By: Annie Lennox

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the poignant beauty of Annie Lennox's 'Cold,' a powerful ballad that delves into the depths of emotional isolation and longing. Through its haunting melody and evocative lyrics, this song offers a profound lesson in understanding and expressing the complexities of love and loss .

[English]

Come to me

Run to me

Do and be done with me

Cold, cold, cold

Don't I exist for you?

Don't I still live for you?

Cold, cold, cold

Everything I possess

Given with tenderness

Wrapped in a ribbon of glass

Time it may take us but God only knows

How I've paid for those things in the past

Dying is easy it's living that scares me to death, ooh, yeah

I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath, ooh, yeah

Cold is the colour of crystal the snowlight

That falls from the heavenly skies

Catch me and let me dive under

For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes

I wanna be with you baby

Oh-oh, slip me inside of your heart

Don't I belong to you baby?

Don't you know that nothing can tear us apart?

Come on now, come on now, come on now

Telling you that

I loved you right from the start

But the more I want you the less I get

Ain't that just the way things are? Ooh-ooh

Winter has frozen us

Let love take hold of us

(Cold, cold, cold)

Now we are shivering

Blue ice is glittering

(Cold, cold, cold)

Cold is the colour of crystal the snowlight

That falls from the heavenly skies

Catch me and let me dive under

For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes

Don't you know it's

Cold, cold

Cold, cold, cold

Cold, cold, cold

Ooh-ooh, ooh, yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature noun - a low temperature
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to remain alive
possess /pəˈzɛs/ B2	verb - to have or own something
tenderness /ˈtɛndərnəs/ B2	noun - gentleness and kindness
glass /ɡlæs/ A1	noun - a hard, transparent substance
paid /peɪd/ A2	verb - past tense of pay (to give money for goods or services)
dying /ˈdaɪɪŋ/ B1	verb - ceasing to live; approaching death
easy /ˈiːzi/ A1	adjective - achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A2	verb - the state of being alive
scares /skɛərz/ B1	verb - cause great fear or nervousness in; frighten
death /dɛθ/ A2	noun - the end of life
content /kənˈtɛnt/ B2	adjective - in a state of peaceful happiness.
sound /saʊnd/ A1	noun - vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear.
breath /brɛθ/ A2	noun - the air inhaled or exhaled
crystal /ˈkrɪstl/ B2	noun - a clear, transparent mineral or glass adjective - resembling crystal; clear and bright
heavenly /ˈhɛvnli/ B2	adjective - of or relating to heaven
dive /daɪv/ B1	verb - plunge head first into water
swim /swɪm/ A1	verb - propel oneself through water by using the limbs or fins
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation
loved /lʌvd/ A1	verb - felt deep affection for (someone)
frozen /ˈfroʊzən/ B1	adjective - turned into ice; subjected to extreme cold
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp or grip
shivering /ˈʃɪvərɪŋ/ B1	verb - trembling slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being cold, frightened, or excited
blue /bluː/ A1	adjective - of a colour such as that of a clear unclouded sky
glittering /ˈɡlɪtərɪŋ/ B2	verb - shining with a shimmering or sparkling light

Key Grammar Structures

• Come to me Run to me Do and be done with me

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ Uses imperative verbs to express direct commands or requests. Each line starts with a verb in its base form to instruct the listener. "Come", "Run", "Do"

• Don't I exist for you?

  ➔ Negative interrogative

  ➔ Using a negative interrogative "Don't I", the speaker questions their significance in the listener's life, implying a desire for validation or recognition.

• Everything I possess Given with tenderness

  ➔ Passive voice (implied)

  ➔ "Given" is a past participle functioning as an adjective, implying something was 'given' to the implied subject. There is an implied 'was' or 'were'. 'Everything I possess was given with tenderness.'

• Time it may take us but God only knows How I've paid for those things in the past

  ➔ Fronting + Inversion; Present Perfect

  ➔ "Time it may take us" - 'Time' is fronted for emphasis and 'may take' inverts with 'it'. "How I've paid" - Uses the present perfect tense "I've paid" (I have paid) to indicate an action that started in the past and has relevance to the present.

• Dying is easy it's living that scares me to death, ooh, yeah

  ➔ Cleft sentence (it + be + emphasized element + that/who clause)

  ➔ The structure "it's living that" is a cleft sentence emphasizing the fear of living. It draws attention to 'living' as the specific element causing fear.

• For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'for'

  ➔ The word "for" introduces a reason or explanation for the previous statement. Similar to 'because', but often more literary.

• But the more I want you the less I get

  ➔ The + comparative, the + comparative

  ➔ This is a correlative construction expressing a proportional relationship. "The more I want you," indicates an increase in wanting, while "the less I get" signifies a corresponding decrease in obtaining.

• Winter has frozen us

  ➔ Present Perfect tense

  ➔ Uses "has frozen" which is the present perfect tense. It indicates an action that started in the past (winter starting) and has an effect in the present (us being frozen).