Every Beat of My Heart – English Lyrics

• By: Rod Stewart
• Album: Every Beat of My Heart

Lyrics & Translation

Rod Stewart's "Every Beat of My Heart" is a profoundly emotional ballad that serves as an excellent gateway for English language learners. Its clear, poignant lyrics beautifully articulate themes of love, devotion, and homesickness, making the vocabulary both accessible and deeply resonant. The song's blend of rock and pop, complemented by evocative instrumentation including traditional bagpipes, enriches its storytelling and offers a unique cultural dimension, making the emotional narrative particularly engaging for those looking to learn English through music.

[English]

Through these misty eyes

...

I see lonely skies

Lonely roads to Babylon

There's my family and my country

Heaven knows where I belong

Pack my bags tonight

...

Here's one Jacobite

Who must leave or surely die

Put me on a train

...

In the pouring rain

Say farewell, don't say goodbye

Seagull carry me

Over land and sea

To my old folk

Thats where I wanna be

Every beat of my heart

...

Tears me furthur apart

I'm lost and alone in the dark

I'm going home

...

One more glass of wine

Just for Auld Lang Syne

And the girl I left behind

How I miss you now, in my darkest hour

And the way, our arms entwined

Seagull carry me

Over land and sea

To my old folk

That's where I wanna be

Every beat of my heart

Tears me further apart

I'm lost and I'm alone in the dark

I'm going home

...

And we'll drink a toast

...

To the blood red rose

Tear awhile the Emerald Isle

Until the northern lights

And the swollen pipes

How they make a grown man cry

Seagull carry me

Over land and sea

To my old folk

That's where I wanna be

Every beat of my heart

Tears me further apart

I'm lost and alone in the dark

I'm going home

...

Every beat of my heart

Tears me further apart

I'm lost and alone in the dark

I'm going home

I'm going home

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
misty /ˈmɪsti/ B1	adjective - covered with mist; foggy
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ B1	adjective - feeling sad because one has no company
Babylon /ˈbæbəlɒn/ B2	noun - ancient city of Mesopotamia; symbolic of decadence
Jacobite /ˈdʒeɪkəbʌɪt/ C2	noun - member or supporter of the Jacobite movement (Scottish) adjective - relating to the Jacobite movement
seagull /ˈsiːɡʌl/ B1	noun - a seabird that lives near the sea
carry /ˈkæri/ A1	verb - to transport or support while moving
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - organ that pumps blood; centre of emotions
tear /tɪər/ A2	verb - to rip or pull apart noun - a drop of liquid from the eye
dark /dɑːrk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
wine /waɪn/ A2	noun - alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes
auld /ɔːld/ C1	adjective - old; former (Scottish usage)
emerald /ˈɛmərəld/ B2	noun - a precious green gemstone; green colour adjective - having the deep green colour of an emerald
northern /ˈnɔːrðən/ B1	adjective - situated in the north
lights /laɪts/ A2	noun - sources of illumination
swollen /ˈswoʊlən/ B2	adjective - enlarged due to fluid accumulation
pipe /paɪp/ B1	noun - tube for conveying fluids or gases
grown /ɡroʊn/ B2	verb - to have become larger or mature
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to produce tears; to shout loudly
entwine /ɪnˈtwaɪn/ C1	verb - to twist together; interlace

Key Grammar Structures

• I see lonely skies

  ➔ Simple Present

  ➔ The verb "see" is used in the simple present to describe a current perception.

• Pack my bags tonight

  ➔ Imperative

  ➔ "Pack" is the base form of the verb used to give a direct command.

• Who must leave or surely die

  ➔ Modal verb 'must' + infinitive

  ➔ "must" expresses strong obligation and is followed by the base verb "leave".

• Say farewell, don't say goodbye

  ➔ Negative imperative with "don't" + base verb

  ➔ "don't" + "say" forms a negative command, telling someone not to do something.

• I'm lost and alone in the dark

  ➔ Present Continuous (be + adjective) for state

  ➔ "I'm" = "I am" + adjective; it describes a current emotional state.

• How I miss you now, in my darkest hour

  ➔ Exclamatory sentence with "how" + clause

  ➔ "How" introduces a strong feeling, emphasizing the intensity of "miss".

• Until the northern lights

  ➔ Preposition "until" introducing temporal clause

  ➔ "Until" sets a time limit, indicating that something will happen up to the moment of the northern lights.

• Seagull carry me

  ➔ Imperative addressed to a non‑human (seagull)

  ➔ "carry" is used as a direct command to the seagull, asking it to transport the speaker.

• I'm going home

  ➔ Present Continuous for future intention (be going to)

  ➔ "going" together with "am" forms a future meaning, indicating the speaker's plan to return home.