Crawl – English Lyrics

• By: Chris Brown

Lyrics & Translation

Learning English through Chris Brown's "Crawl" offers a deep dive into the language of emotion and metaphor. The song's central concept uses the physical progression of crawling, walking, running, and flying as a powerful metaphor for the stages of mending a broken relationship. This provides a unique and memorable way to understand how English can be used to express complex feelings of regret, hope, and the difficult journey back to love.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
crawl /krɔːl/ A2	verb - move on hands and knees or by dragging the body along the ground.
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - move at a speed faster than a walk.
fly /flaɪ/ A2	verb - move through the air using wings.
jump /dʒʌmp/ A2	verb - push oneself off a surface and into the air by using the muscles in one's legs and feet.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection.
fear /fɪər/ B1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger, real or imagined.
pace /peɪs/ B1	noun - the speed or rate at which someone or something moves. verb - walk at a steady and consistent speed.
hearts /hɑːts/ A1	noun - the organ in your chest that pumps blood around your body.
space /speɪs/ A2	noun - a continuous area or expanse which is free and available for use.
faults /fɔːlts/ B1	noun - a flaw or weakness in someone's character.
chance /tʃɑːns/ A2	noun - an opportunity to do something.
view /vjuː/ B1	noun - the ability to see or to think about something in a particular way.
reach /riːtʃ/ A2	verb - be able to reach something.
strong /strɔːŋ/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.
end /end/ A1	noun - the final part of something.

Key Grammar Structures

• Everybody sees this you

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement

  ➔ "Everybody" is a singular pronoun, so it takes the singular verb "sees".

• I'm the one that lost the view

  ➔ Relative Clause (defining)

  ➔ "that lost the view" is a defining relative clause specifying which "one" is being referred to.

• So where do we go from here?

  ➔ Inversion in Questions

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "do" is placed before the subject "we" to form a question.

• We've been so far down

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous (used metaphorically)

  ➔ Indicates a state or experience that started in the past and continues to the present, here used to express a prolonged difficult situation.

• We can still touch the sky

  ➔ Modal Verbs of Possibility

  ➔ "Can" expresses the ability or possibility to achieve something, even in a difficult context.

• If we crawl

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 1)

  ➔ Starts a conditional sentence. The 'if' clause sets up a hypothetical situation that could lead to the main clause's outcome.

• Until we're strong enough to jump

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time ('until')

  ➔ Specifies the duration or point in time before an action in the main clause happens. "Enough to" indicates sufficiency.

• So let's crawl, crawl, crawl

  ➔ Imperative with 'Let's'

  ➔ Used to make a suggestion or proposal to a group including the speaker.

• Why did I change the pace?

  ➔ Past Simple in Questions

  ➔ Used to ask about a completed action or a state in the past. The structure is "Did + subject + base verb?".

• Always felt the need for space

  ➔ Past Simple (habitual action in the past)

  ➔ While 'always' can indicate present habits, in this context with the past simple 'felt', it describes a recurring feeling or behavior in the past.