Counting Stars – English Lyrics

• By: OneRepublic
• Album: Human

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic journey, and OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" is an excellent starting point. The song's clear and repetitive chorus makes it easy to sing along and learn new vocabulary related to dreams, aspirations, and daily life. What makes this song special for learners is its universal message of hope and the pursuit of a meaningful life, themes that are sure to inspire and motivate you on your language-learning path.

[English]

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

♪ Dreaming about the things that we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars ♪

♪ Yeah, we'll be counting stars ♪

("Counting Stars")

(upbeat rock music)

♪ I see this life, like a swinging vine ♪

♪ Swing my heart across the line ♪

♪ And in my face is flashing signs ♪

♪ Seek it out and ye shall find ♪

♪ Old, but I'm not that old ♪

♪ Young, but I'm not that bold ♪

♪ And I don't think the world is sold ♪

♪ On just doing what we're told ♪

♪ I feel something so right ♪

♪ Doing the wrong thing ♪

♪ And I feel something so wrong ♪

♪ Doing the right thing ♪

♪ I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie ♪

♪ Everything that kills me makes me feel alive ♪

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

♪ Dreaming about the things that we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars ♪

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

♪ Dreaming about the things we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars ♪

♪ We'll be, we'll be counting stars ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

♪ I feel your love, and I feel it burn ♪

♪ Down this river, every turn ♪

♪ Hope is our four-letter word ♪

♪ Make that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Old, but I'm not that old ♪

♪ Young, but I'm not that bold ♪

♪ And I don't think the world is sold ♪

♪ On just doing what we're told ♪

♪ And I feel something so wrong ♪

♪ Doing the right thing ♪

♪ I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie ♪

♪ Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly ♪

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

♪ Dreaming about the things that we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars ♪

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

♪ Dreaming about the things that we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars ♪

♪ We'll be, we'll be counting stars ♪

♪ Oh, take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Everything that kills me ♪

♪ Makes me feel alive ♪

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

♪ Dreaming about the things that we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars ♪

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

♪ Dreaming about the things that we could be ♪

♪ But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard ♪

♪ Said no more counting dollars ♪

♪ We'll be, we'll be counting stars ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

♪ Take that money, watch it burn ♪

♪ Sink in the river the lessons I've learned ♪

(ceiling rumbling)

(man loudly crashing)

(light buzzing)

(footsteps lightly rustling)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
counting /ˈkaʊntɪŋ/ A1	verb - to determine the total number of
stars /stɑrz/ A1	noun - a large ball of gas in space that gives off light
losing /ˈluːzɪŋ/ A2	verb - to no longer have something
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - a natural periodic state of rest
dreaming /ˈdriːmɪŋ/ A2	verb - to have a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
praying /ˈpreɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - to speak to a god or gods
swinging /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/ A2	verb - to move backward and forward
vine /vaɪn/ B1	noun - a plant with long stems that grow along the ground or up trees
flashing /ˈflæʃɪŋ/ B1	verb - to shine brightly and suddenly
seek /siːk/ A2	verb - to search for something
bold /boʊld/ B1	adjective - showing a willingness to take risks
burn /bɜrn/ A2	verb - to be damaged or destroyed by fire
hope /hoʊp/ A1	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A1	adjective - living; not dead
drown /draʊn/ B1	verb - to die by taking water into the lungs
fly /flaɪ/ A1	verb - to move through the air with wings
sink /sɪŋk/ A2	verb - to go down below the surface or to the bottom of a liquid
lesson /ˈlɛsən/ A1	noun - something learned through experience

Key Grammar Structures

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

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous Tense

  ➔ The structure "have been + verb-ing" ("I've been losing") indicates an action that started in the past and is still continuing or has recently stopped. It emphasizes the duration of the action.

• Dreaming about the things that we could be

  ➔ Modal Verb 'could' for possibility

  ➔ In this line, "could" is used to express possibility or potential in the future. It suggests what might happen or what potential exists, rather than stating a definite fact.

• Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars

  ➔ Future Continuous Tense

  ➔ The structure "will be + verb-ing" ("we'll be counting") expresses an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. It emphasizes the ongoing nature of the future action.

• And I don't think the world is sold on just doing what we're told

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The passive voice ("is sold") is used when the focus is on the action rather than who performs it. Here, the emphasis is on the world's state of being convinced, not on who convinced it.

• I feel something so right doing the wrong thing

  ➔ Gerund as object of preposition

  ➔ In this phrase, the gerund "doing" follows the preposition (implied) and functions as its object. The structure shows an action related to the feeling of something being "right".

• Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ The relative clause "that kills me" provides additional information about the noun "everything". It's introduced by the relative pronoun "that" and functions as an adjective modifying the noun.

• Take that money, watch it burn

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The imperative mood is used to give commands or instructions. In these lines, "take" and "watch" are base verbs used to directly tell someone what to do, creating a sense of urgency and direction.

• Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ The past perfect tense "I've learned" (I have learned) is used to describe an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. It indicates that the learning happened before the sinking in the river.

• Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly

  ➔ Causative Structure

  ➔ The causative structure "makes me wanna fly" shows that something causes someone to do something. Here, "makes" is the causative verb that indicates the drowning is causing the desire to fly.