Don't Fade – English Lyrics

• By: Vance Joy
• Album: In Our Own Sweet Time

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of simple, heartfelt language with Vance Joy's "Don't Fade." The song's clear, romantic, and repetitive lyrics about holding onto a perfect moment make it a great and enjoyable way for English learners to pick up new vocabulary and practice comprehension, all while being enveloped in its warm, pop-folk melody.

[English]

♪♪

♪♪

♪ I could hold you like this, all day ♪

♪ Didn't get much sleep that's ok ♪

♪ Not a single thing needs to change ♪

♪ We can be the light that, don't fade away ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ I wish you could see what I see when I'm seeing you ♪

♪ I want you to know how I know that I need you ♪

♪ No one can do what you do when you get me through ♪

♪ So I wish you could see what I see when I'm seeing you ♪

♪ I could hold you like this, all day ♪

♪ Didn't get much sleep that's ok ♪

♪ Not a single thing needs to change ♪

♪ We can be the light that, don't fade ♪

♪ Baby we can keep our own time ♪

♪ Forget about what's going on outside ♪

♪ People say that nothing gold can stay ♪

♪ We can be the light that, don't fade away ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ Hmmmmmm babe ♪

♪ I wish you could see what I see when I'm seeing you ♪

♪ I want you to know how I know that I need you ♪

♪ No one can do what you do when you get me through ♪

♪ So I wish you could see what I see when I'm seeing you ♪

♪ I could hold you like this, all day ♪

♪ Didn't get much sleep that's ok ♪

♪ Not a single thing needs to change ♪

♪ We can be the light that, don't fade ♪

♪ Baby we can keep our own time ♪

♪ Forget about what's going on outside ♪

♪ People say that nothing gold can stay ♪

♪ We can be the light that, don't fade away ♪

♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp or carry something
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - a state of rest
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest in a state of sleep
thing /θɪŋ/ A1	noun - an object that one need not, cannot, or does not wish to give a specific name to
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	verb - to become different
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	noun - the act or instance of making or becoming different
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
light /laɪt/ A1	adjective - having a lot of light
fade /feɪd/ B1	verb - to gradually disappear
see /siː/ A1	verb - to perceive with the eyes
need /niːd/ A1	verb - require something because it is essential or very important
need /niːd/ A1	noun - something that is necessary
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
gold /ɡoʊld/ B1	noun - a precious shiny yellow metal
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of 24 hours as a unit of time
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child

Key Grammar Structures

• I could hold you like this, all day

  ➔ Modal verb ‘could’ + base verb (ability / hypothetical)

  ➔ The word "could" expresses a hypothetical ability: "I "could" hold you..."

• Didn't get much sleep, that's ok

  ➔ Negative past simple with auxiliary ‘didn’t’ + base verb

  ➔ "Didn't" is the contracted form of "did not" used to make the past tense negative: "She "didn't" get much sleep."

• Not a single thing needs to change

  ➔ Negative quantifier ‘not a single’ + singular noun + present simple verb

  ➔ "Not a single" emphasizes total negation: "Not a single "thing" needs to change."

• We can be the light that don't fade away

  ➔ Relative clause with ‘that’ + present simple verb (describing the noun)

  ➔ "that" introduces a relative clause: "the light "that" don't fade away".

• I wish you could see what I see when I'm seeing you

  ➔ Wish + could + infinitive (expressing a desire for someone’s ability)

  ➔ "wish" + "could" shows an unreal desire: "I "wish" you "could" see..."

• I want you to know how I know that I need you

  ➔ Want + object + infinitive (verb pattern after ‘want’)

  ➔ "want" is followed by an object and an infinitive: "I want you "to know"..."

• No one can do what you do when you get me through

  ➔ Relative clause with ‘what’ + present simple verb (object of ‘do’)

  ➔ "what" introduces a clause that functions as the object of ‘do’: "do "what" you do..."

• People say that nothing gold can stay

  ➔ Reporting verb ‘say’ + that‑clause; negative indefinite pronoun ‘nothing’ + modal ‘can’

  ➔ "say" introduces a reported clause: "People say "that" nothing gold "can" stay."