Eyes Closed – English Lyrics

• By: Ed Sheeran
• Album: Subtract

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I know it's a bad idea

But how can I help myself?

Been inside for most this year

And I thought a few drinks, they might help

It's been a while, my dear

Dealin' with the cards life dealt

I'm still holdin' back these tears

While my friends are somewhere else

I pictured this year a little bit different when it hit February

I step in the bar, it hit me so hard, oh, how can it be this heavy?

Every song reminds me you're gone and I feel the lump form in my throat

'Cause I'm here alone

Just dancin' with my eyes closed

'Cause everywhere I look, I still see you

And time is movin' so slow

And I don't know what else that I can do

So I'll keep dancin' with my

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Eye-eye-eye-eyes closed

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

So I'll keep dancin' with my

Delusion is here again

And I think you'll come home soon

A word brings me right back in

Then it's only me that's in this room

I guess I could just pretend

The colours are more than blue

But I lost more than my friend

I can't help but missin' you (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I pictured this month a little bit different, no one is ever ready

And when it unfolds, you get in a hole, oh, how can it be this heavy?

Everything changes, nothing's the same, except the truth is now you're gone

And life just goes on

So I'm dancin' with my eyes closed

'Cause everywhere I look, I still see you

And time is movin' so slow

And I don't know what else that I can do

So I'll keep dancin' with my

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Eye-eye-eye-eyes closed

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

So I'll keep dancin' with my

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Eye-eye-eye-eyes closed

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Oh, I keep dancin' with my

They're shutting the bar, they're cleanin' the floor

And everyone is already home

But I'm on my own

Still dancin' with my eyes closed

'Cause everywhere I look, I still see you

Time is movin' so slow

And I don't know what else that I can do

So I'll keep dancin' with my

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Eye-eye-eye-eyes closed

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Oh, I keep dancin' with my

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Eye-eye-eye-eyes closed

Eye-eye-eye-eyes

Oh, I keep dancin' with my

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
help /help/ A2	verb - to give assistance or support
tear /tɪər/ B1	noun - a drop of liquid from the eye
deal /diːl/ B1	verb - to distribute cards in a game
heavy /ˈhevi/ B2	adjective - of great weight; difficult to bear
form /fɔːrm/ B1	verb - to create or shape
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move rhythmically to music
look /lʊk/ A1	verb - to direct one's gaze
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence
move /muːv/ A1	verb - to change position
delusion /dɪˈluːʒən/ C1	noun - a false belief or judgment about external reality
colour /ˈkʌlər/ A2	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ B1	verb - to make or become different
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel sadness at the absence of someone or something
ready /ˈredi/ A2	adjective - in a state of preparedness

Key Grammar Structures

• But how can I help myself?

  ➔ Rhetorical Question with Modal Verb "Can"

  ➔ This is a "rhetorical question," asked for effect rather than to elicit an answer. The modal verb "can" expresses a lack of ability to control one's actions, implying the speaker feels compelled to do something they know is a bad idea.

• Been inside for most this year

  ➔ Elliptical Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ This is an informal, shortened form of "I have been inside..." The "present perfect continuous" (have/has been + V-ing) describes an action that started in the past and continues up to the present, emphasizing duration. The ellipsis (omission of "I have") is common in spoken English and song lyrics.

• And I thought a few drinks, they might help

  ➔ Modal Verb "Might" for Possibility

  ➔ The modal verb "might" is used here to express a "possibility" or a suggestion that something could happen, but with less certainty than "may." It indicates the speaker's tentative hope or belief that drinks "might help" their situation.

• I pictured this year a little bit different when it hit February

  ➔ Verb "Picture" (meaning "Imagine") and Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ The verb "pictured" (past simple of "picture") means to "imagine" or visualize something. The phrase "when it hit February" is an "adverbial clause of time" that specifies when the speaker's expectations were contrasted with reality.

• I feel the lump form in my throat

  ➔ Verb of Perception + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ "Feel" is a "verb of perception." When followed by an object ("the lump") and a "bare infinitive" (the base form of the verb without "to," like "form"), it describes an action or state that the subject perceives. It means the speaker senses the lump beginning to form.

• 'Cause everywhere I look, I still see you

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Place

  ➔ "Everywhere I look" is an "adverbial clause of place." It functions like an adverb, telling us *where* the action ("I still see you") happens. It modifies the main clause and is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "everywhere."

• And I don't know what else that I can do

  ➔ Noun Clause as Object (with optional "that")

  ➔ "What else that I can do" functions as a "noun clause" acting as the direct object of the verb "know." The word "that" here is optional and can be omitted without changing the meaning; it introduces a subordinate clause. This structure expresses uncertainty about available options.

• I can't help but missin' you

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression "Can't help but + V-ing"

  ➔ "Can't help but + V-ing" (or "can't help + V-ing") is an "idiomatic expression" meaning one cannot prevent or avoid doing something. The informal "missin'" is a common colloquialism for "missing." It conveys an uncontrollable feeling of longing.

• And when it unfolds, you get in a hole

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time and Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ "When it unfolds" is an "adverbial clause of time" indicating sequence. "Unfolds" means to develop or become known. "You get in a hole" is an "idiomatic expression" meaning to get into a difficult or depressing situation, often one that is hard to escape.

• except the truth is now you're gone

  ➔ Conjunction "Except" introducing a Clause

  ➔ The word "except" is used here as a "conjunction" (or preposition acting conjunctively) to introduce a clause that states an exception to the preceding statement ("Everything changes, nothing's the same"). It highlights the one unchangeable, painful reality.