Don't Let Me Be Yours – English Lyrics

• By: Zara Larsson
• Album: So Good

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic way to connect with culture, and Zara Larsson's 'Don't Let Me Be Yours' is a great place to start with Swedish pop. While the song is in English, it's a perfect example of the catchy, well-crafted pop music that is a major export from Sweden. Through this song, you can explore themes of internal conflict and vulnerability, all while enjoying a memorable melody. The collaboration with Ed Sheeran also adds an interesting dimension to the track, showcasing how artists from different backgrounds can come together to create something special.

[English]

I may know myself, but I realize that I can be led astray

I know, I know that you're bad for my health

But I don't care, I want you anyway

Ay, yeah

Boy, you think that you know me

Oh, but you can't see my lonely heart

Things look different in the mornin', oh

That's when we find out who we are

Would you still want me

Without no makeup on my face?

Without alcohol in your veins?

Oh, would you, baby?

Would you still love me

With all the promises you made?

Would you still mean the words you say?

Oh, would you, baby?

Yeah

You know everybody makes mistakes, mhmm

Don't let me be yours

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours, no, don't let me be

We may look like hell when it's 6 a.m.

But it's heaven in this bed

I know, I know, I know that you can tell

That we're more than friends

And it's not just in our heads

Yeah, yeah

Boy, you think that you know me

Oh, but you can't see my lonely heart

Things look different in the mornin', yeah

That's when we find out who we are

Would you still want me

Without no makeup on my face?

Without alcohol in your veins?

Oh, would you, baby?

Would you still love me

With all the promises you made?

Would you still mean the words you say?

Oh, would you, baby?

Yeah

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours, no, don't let me be

Boy, you think that you know me

Oh, but you can't see my lonely heart

Things look different in the mornin', ah

That's when we find out who we are

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours, no, don't let me be

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours

You know everybody makes mistakes

Don't let me be yours, no, don't let me be

...

Key Grammar Structures

• I may know myself, but I realize that I can be led astray

  ➔ Passive Voice with Modal Verb

  ➔ The phrase "**can be led astray**" uses the modal verb "can" (expressing ability/possibility) followed by "be" and the past participle "led," forming the passive voice. It shows that the subject "I" is the receiver of the action, not the doer.

• That's when we find out who we are

  ➔ Phrasal Verb

  ➔ The verb phrase "**find out**" is a phrasal verb meaning to discover or learn information. Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a preposition or adverb (or both) to create a new meaning.

• Would you still want me / Without no makeup on my face?

  ➔ Conditional Question (Type 2 Implied)

  ➔ The question "**Would you still want me**" uses "would" to ask about a hypothetical or imaginary situation (e.g., if things were different, if I had no makeup). This structure often implies a second conditional (unreal present/future).

• With all the promises you made?

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ The phrase "**promises you made**" is a reduced relative clause. It's a shortened version of "promises *that* you made" or "promises *which* you made," where the relative pronoun (that/which) is omitted because it's the object of the verb in the relative clause.

• Don't let me be yours

  ➔ Imperative with Causative Verb 'Let'

  ➔ "**Don't let me be** yours" is a negative imperative sentence using the causative verb "let." "Let" means to allow or permit. Here, it's a plea not to allow the speaker to become 'yours'.

• That's when we find out who we are

  ➔ Noun Clause as Object

  ➔ The clause "**who we are**" functions as a noun clause, specifically as the object of the phrasal verb "find out." Noun clauses can start with 'wh-' words (who, what, when, where, why, how) and act like a noun in a sentence.

• Without no makeup on my face?

  ➔ Double Negative (Informal/Poetic Usage)

  ➔ The phrase "**Without no makeup**" is a double negative. In standard English, this would typically be "without any makeup" or "with no makeup." Its use here is informal or poetic, often for emphasis, though grammatically incorrect in formal contexts.

• I may know myself, but I realize that I can be led astray

  ➔ Modal Verb 'May' for Possibility

  ➔ The modal verb "**may know**" expresses a possibility or a certain degree of uncertainty about the speaker's self-knowledge. It suggests 'it's possible that I know myself'.

• We may look like hell when it's 6 a.m.

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ The clause "**when it's 6 a.m.**" is an adverbial clause of time. It starts with the subordinating conjunction "when" and tells us *when* the main action (looking like hell) occurs.

• Things look different in the mornin'

  ➔ Linking Verb + Adjective

  ➔ In "Things **look different**," "look" is a linking verb that connects the subject "Things" to the descriptive adjective "different." It describes the state or quality of the subject, rather than an action.