Drive – English Lyrics

• By: Ed Sheeran
• Album: F1 The Album

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language can be an exciting journey, much like the high-speed escape depicted in Ed Sheeran's "Drive." This song, with its clear and powerful lyrics about breaking free and starting over, offers a fantastic opportunity to learn English. The repetitive and catchy chorus makes it easy to sing along and memorize new vocabulary, while the song's story of resilience will keep you motivated. What makes "Drive" special is its blend of heartfelt storytelling and energetic rock music, a combination that will make your language-learning experience both emotional and fun.

[English]

Fly through the city with the speakers up loud

Speedin’ by with the top down

Fast lane livin’ til they put me in the ground and I don’t wanna stop now

I’ll be gone with the click of a finger

Say the word the give a call I’ll be comin’ back around

Flying through the city I got God on my side

But the real world is not far

Push to the limit I’ll be burning all night gettin’ tailed by a cop car

Pull away wind blowin’ now I’m cruisin’

Put the past in the past, a new day is comin’

Ha-la-lay-la

We can ride

Four wheels you and I

Gotta get out of here

Ha-la-lay-la

My savior

Ha-la-lay-la

We can fly

Out of this burning fire

Just take me anywhere

Ha-la-lay-la

My savior

Pedal down and drive

Drive

Pedal down and

Drive

Out of the city now we’re switchin’ four lanes

Got our eyes on a fresh start

The world as we knew it that was caught up in flames

Get ready for the next part

You know I’m good if I’m back in the gutter

‘Cause this life it was never ‘bout the money

Ha-la-lay-la

We can ride

Four wheels you and I

Gotta get out of here

Ha-la-lay-la

My savior

Ha-la-lay-la

We can fly

Out of this burning fire

Just take me anywhere

Ha-la-lay-la

My savior

Pedal down and drive

Drive

Pedal down and

Drive

Just drive

Pedal down and drive

Just drive

Pedal down and drive

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
drive /draɪv/ A1	verb - to operate and steer a car or other vehicle. noun - a journey in a car.
fly /flaɪ/ A1	verb - to move through the air using wings or an engine.
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town.
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the Earth, the planet on which we live.
burning /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ B1	adjective - producing flames and heat. verb - being consumed by fire or heat (present participle of 'burn').
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - the phenomenon of combustion or burning, in which gases are heated to incandescence.
pedal /ˈpedl/ B1	noun - a lever operated by the foot to control a mechanism. verb - to operate a mechanism with a pedal.
ride /raɪd/ A1	verb - to sit on and control the movement of a bicycle, motorcycle, horse, etc. noun - a journey in a vehicle or on an animal.
savior /ˈseɪviər/ B2	noun - a person who saves someone or something from danger or difficulty.
loud /laʊd/ A2	adjective - producing a great deal of noise.
fast /fæst/ A1	adjective - moving or capable of moving at high speed.
lane /leɪn/ A2	noun - a narrow road, track, or path; a division of a road.
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A1	noun - the solid surface of the earth.
limit /ˈlɪmɪt/ B1	noun - a point or level beyond which something does not or may not extend. verb - to restrict the size, amount, or extent of something.
fresh /freʃ/ A2	adjective - newly made or acquired; not stale or spoilt.
start /stɑːrt/ A1	verb - to begin to do something. noun - the beginning of something.
flames /fleɪmz/ B1	noun - hot glowing bodies of ignited gas that are visible during combustion (plural of 'flame').
gutter /ˈɡʌtər/ B2	noun - a shallow trough along the side of a street or roof, designed to carry away water. (Often used metaphorically for a low or degraded social state).
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes.

Key Grammar Structures

• Speedin’ by with the top down

  ➔ Reduced Adverbial Clause (Present Participle) & Prepositional Phrase of Accompanying Circumstance

  ➔ "Speedin’" is a colloquial/informal reduction of "speeding," functioning as a present participle that implies a simultaneous action ("While I am speeding..."). The phrase "with the top down" indicates the accompanying condition or manner of the action.

• Fast lane livin’ til they put me in the ground

  ➔ Gerund as a Noun & Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ "Livin’" (living) is a gerund used as a noun, describing a lifestyle. The clause "til they put me in the ground" (until they put me in the ground) is an adverbial clause of time, specifying the duration or endpoint of the "fast lane living."

• I’ll be gone with the click of a finger

  ➔ Future Simple Passive Voice & Idiom

  ➔ "I’ll be gone" is an example of the future simple passive voice, indicating an action that will be performed on the subject (I) rather than by the subject. "With the click of a finger" is an idiom meaning "very quickly" or "instantly."

• Say the word the give a call I’ll be comin’ back around

  ➔ Imperative Mood & Future Continuous (Informal)

  ➔ "Say the word" and "give a call" are in the imperative mood, giving commands or instructions. "I’ll be comin’ back around" (I'll be coming back around) uses the future continuous tense, indicating an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future, often implying a routine or expected return. "Comin'" is an informal spelling of "coming."

• Push to the limit I’ll be burning all night gettin’ tailed by a cop car

  ➔ Future Continuous & Passive Voice (with 'get')

  ➔ "I’ll be burning all night" is the future continuous tense, describing an action that will be ongoing. "Gettin’ tailed by a cop car" (getting tailed by a cop car) uses the informal passive voice construction with "get" (instead of "be"), indicating that the subject is experiencing the action of being followed. This is a complex sentence structure, suitable for advanced learners.

• Put the past in the past, a new day is comin’

  ➔ Imperative Mood & Present Continuous for Future

  ➔ "Put the past in the past" is an imperative phrase, giving a direct command. "A new day is comin’" (a new day is coming) uses the present continuous tense to talk about a definite future event or plan, emphasizing its imminence.

• Gotta get out of here

  ➔ Informal Contraction & Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Gotta" is an informal contraction of "got to," meaning "have to" or "must." "Get out of here" is a phrasal verb meaning "to leave a place" or "to escape," often with a sense of urgency.

• The world as we knew it that was caught up in flames

  ➔ Relative Clauses & Passive Voice

  ➔ This sentence uses two relative clauses: "as we knew it" (an adverbial relative clause, meaning "in the way we knew it") and "that was caught up in flames" (a defining relative clause, specifying which world). "Was caught up in flames" is an example of the passive voice, indicating that the world was the recipient of the action (being consumed by flames).

• You know I’m good if I’m back in the gutter

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 0/1) & Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ The clause "if I’m back in the gutter" is a conditional clause (Type 0 or 1), indicating a general truth or a likely future outcome. "Back in the gutter" is an idiom meaning to be in a very bad or difficult situation, often financially or socially.

• ‘Cause this life it was never ‘bout the money

  ➔ Informal Contractions & Double Subject (for emphasis/informality)

  ➔ "'Cause" is an informal contraction of "because," and "'bout" is an informal contraction of "about." The phrase "this life it" is an example of a "double subject" or "left dislocation," where a noun phrase is introduced and then a pronoun refers back to it. This is common in informal spoken English for emphasis or clarification.