Counting Stars – English Lyrics

• By: OneRepublic

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into 'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic to explore the English language through themes of ambition and idealism. With its clear diction and repetitive, rhythmic phrasing, this song is perfect for learners to practice conditional expressions and metaphors related to life's choices.

[English]

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

Yeah, we'll be counting stars

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Make that money, watch it burn

Old, but I'm not that old

Young, but I'm not that bold

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
losing /ˈluːzɪŋ/ A2	verb - to no longer have something or to fail to win
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - the natural state of rest for the body and mind verb - to rest with eyes closed and mind unconscious
dreaming /ˈdriːmɪŋ/ A2	verb - to experience images/thoughts during sleep or to imagine
counting /ˈkaʊntɪŋ/ A1	verb - to determine the total number of something
stars /stɑːrz/ A1	noun - luminous points in the night sky
kills /kɪlz/ A2	verb - to cause the death of someone or something
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living, not dead; full of energy
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - coins or notes used to buy things
burn /bɜːrn/ A2	verb - to be on fire or to consume with fire
bold /boʊld/ B1	adjective - showing an ability to take risks; brave
sink /sɪŋk/ B1	verb - to go down below the surface of liquid
river /ˈrɪvər/ A1	noun - a large natural stream of water
lessons /ˈlɛsənz/ A2	noun - things to be learned or experiences that teach
learned /lɜːrnd/ A2	verb - acquired knowledge or skill through experience

Key Grammar Structures

• Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ Used "have been losing" to describe an action that started in the past and is still continuing up to the present.

• Dreaming about the things that we could be

  ➔ Modal verb "could" for possibility

  ➔ "Could" is used here to speculate about future potential or hypothetical identities.

• Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

  ➔ Relative Clause / Subject-Verb Agreement

  ➔ "That kills me" is a relative clause modifying "everything". "Everything" is singular, so the verb "makes" ends in -s.

• Old, but I'm not that old

  ➔ Adverb of degree "that"

  ➔ In this context, "that" acts as an adverb meaning "so" or "to such an extent".

• Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ The full phrase is "the lessons (that) I have learned". The relative pronoun "that" is omitted.