Flowers – English Lyrics

• By: Lauren Spencer Smith

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Lauren Spencer-Smith's "Flowers" offers a compelling and emotional entry point into modern English. The song's clear and narrative-driven lyrics beautifully articulate the complex feelings of looking back at a painful experience with newfound wisdom. Through its relatable story of heartbreak and healing, you can learn vocabulary related to relationships, emotions, and self-worth. The song's structure, which compares a past unhealthy relationship with a current positive one, provides a great opportunity to understand contrasts and nuanced expressions in English.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ TOOK ME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE TO MEET YOUR FAMILY ♪

♪ INTRODUCE ME TO THEM, SAYING THAT YOU'D MARRY ME ♪

♪ THEN YOU'D LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND SAY, "IT'S JUST A JOKE" ♪

♪ THEN YOU'D KISS ME AND I'D SMILE, DID YOU EVEN KNOW? ♪

♪ WHEN YOU'D SAY THAT KINDA THING, I'D BE EXCITED ♪

♪ GOT ME HOPING MAYBE ONE DAY YOU WOULD MEAN IT ♪

♪ ALWAYS THOUGHT I'D ONLY MAKE A FOOL OF SOMEONE ELSE ♪

♪ NOW YOU'VE ONLY GONE AND MADE ME MAKE ONE OF MYSELF ♪

♪♪♪

♪ I GUESS THAT FLOWERS AREN'T JUST USED FOR BIG APOLOGIES ♪

♪ I GUESS I SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE CONSCIOUS HOW YOU SPOKE TO ME ♪

♪ 'CAUSE WHEN WE'D FIGHT, YOU'D GIVE ME SPACE AND NOT COMMUNICATE ♪

♪ AND FOR A WHILE I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD APPRECIATE ♪

♪ MAYBE I WAS HOLDING ONTO WHAT I THOUGHT YOU WERE ♪

♪ BUT WHEN YOU THINK TOO HARD, EVENTUALLY IT STARTS TO HURT ♪

♪ THE VERSION OF YOU IN MY HEAD, NOW I KNOW WASN'T TRUE ♪

♪ YOUNG PEOPLE FALL FOR THE WRONG PEOPLE, GUESS MY ONE WAS YOU ♪

♪♪♪

♪ I WAS GETTING ANY FLIGHT SO WE COULD MAKE IT WORK ♪

♪ YOU'D IGNORE ME, COULDA TOLD ME YOU WERE SEEING HER ♪

♪ KINDA HATE MYSELF FOR JUSTIFYING YOUR MISTAKES ♪

♪ TOOK A MINUTE BUT I LEARNED THAT SHIT THE HARD WAY ♪

♪ WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME I CAN'T BE HEARTBROKEN? ♪

♪ BABE, YOU HAD THE CHANCE, THE DOOR FOR YOU WAS OPEN ♪

♪ IF IT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO TELL YOURSELF TO SLEEP AT NIGHT ♪

♪ PRETEND I HAVEN'T FOUND A MAN WHO FINALLY TREATS ME RIGHT ♪

♪ I GUESS THAT FLOWERS AREN'T JUST USED FOR BIG APOLOGIES ♪

♪ I GUESS I SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE CONSCIOUS HOW YOU SPOKE TO ME ♪

♪ 'CAUSE WHEN WE'D FIGHT, YOU'D GIVE ME SPACE AND NOT COMMUNICATE ♪

♪ AND FOR A WHILE I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD APPRECIATE ♪

♪ MAYBE I WAS HOLDING ONTO WHAT I THOUGHT YOU WERE ♪

♪ BUT WHEN YOU THINK TOO HARD, EVENTUALLY IT STARTS TO HURT ♪

♪ THE VERSION OF YOU IN MY HEAD, NOW I KNOW WASN'T TRUE ♪

♪ YOUNG PEOPLE FALL FOR THE WRONG PEOPLE, GUESS MY ONE WAS YOU ♪

♪♪♪

♪ IF THERE'S ANYTHING I'VE LEARNED, IT'S YOU SHOULD WATCH YOURSELF ♪

♪ IF IT'S HURTING YOU, THEN LEAVE AND GO AND GET SOME HELP ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
marry /ˈmæri/ A2	verb - to take someone as your husband or wife in a marriage ceremony
joke /dʒoʊk/ A2	noun - something said or done to make people laugh, often not meant seriously
kiss /kɪs/ A1	verb - to touch someone or something with your lips as a sign of love, greeting, or respect noun - an act of touching someone or something with your lips
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to make your mouth wide at the corners, showing pleasure, amusement, or friendliness noun - a pleased, kind, or amused facial expression in which the corners of the mouth turn up
excited /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing great enthusiasm and eagerness
hope /hoʊp/ A1	verb - to want something to happen or be true and think that it is possible
fool /fuːl/ B1	noun - a person who acts unwisely or stupidly; someone easily tricked or made to look ridiculous
flowers /ˈflaʊərz/ A1	noun - the part of a plant that is often brightly coloured, grows at the end of a stem, and lasts for a short time (plural of flower)
apology /əˈpɑːlədʒi/ B1	noun - a statement saying that you are sorry for something wrong you have done
conscious /ˈkɑːnʃəs/ B2	adjective - aware of something; noticing something
fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - to engage in a physical struggle or an angry argument noun - an angry argument or a physical struggle
communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ B1	verb - to share or exchange information, news, or ideas with someone
appreciate /əˈpriːʃieɪt/ B1	verb - to recognize the full worth of someone or something; to be grateful for something
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain or injury to (oneself or someone else); to feel pain adjective - feeling physical or emotional pain; injured or damaged
version /ˈvɜːrʒn/ B2	noun - a particular form of something that is different from other forms of the same type
wrong /rɔːŋ/ A1	adjective - not correct or true; incorrect
ignore /ɪɡˈnɔːr/ B1	verb - to intentionally disregard; to pay no attention to someone or something
justify /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ B2	verb - to show or prove to be right or reasonable; to provide a good reason for something
heartbroken /ˈhɑːrtˌbroʊkən/ B2	adjective - extremely sad and distressed, especially due to grief or loss of love

Key Grammar Structures

• TOOK ME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE / TO MEET YOUR FAMILY

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "TO MEET" is used here to express the purpose or reason for the action "TOOK ME OVER".

• SAYING THAT YOU'D MARRY ME

  ➔ Present Participle Clause / "Would" for Future in the Past

  ➔ "SAYING THAT YOU'D MARRY ME" is a present participle clause providing additional information about the main action. "YOU'D" (you would) indicates an action that was considered future from a past perspective (future in the past) or a hypothetical past action.

• THEN YOU'D LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND SAY, 'IT'S JUST A JOKE'

  ➔ "Would" for Past Habitual Actions

  ➔ The use of "YOU'D" (you would) indicates an action that the subject repeatedly did in the past, similar to "used to" but often implying a less regular or more irritating habit.

• NOW YOU'VE ONLY GONE AND MADE ME MAKE ONE OF MYSELF

  ➔ Idiomatic "Go and Do" / Causative Verb "Make"

  ➔ The phrase "GONE AND MADE" is an idiomatic expression emphasizing that the subject recklessly or deliberately performed an action, often with negative consequences. "MADE ME MAKE" is a causative construction, meaning the subject caused someone else to do something.

• I GUESS THAT FLOWERS AREN'T JUST USED FOR BIG APOLOGIES

  ➔ Passive Voice (Present Simple)

  ➔ The passive voice "AREN'T JUST USED" is employed here to emphasize the action (being used) rather than the agent performing the action. The subject "FLOWERS" is the recipient of the action.

• I GUESS I SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE CONSCIOUS HOW YOU SPOKE TO ME

  ➔ Modal Perfect ("Should Have" + Past Participle)

  ➔ "SHOULD'VE BEEN" (should have been) is a modal perfect verb phrase used to express regret or to say that something was a good idea in the past but didn't happen, implying a mistake was made.

• SO WE COULD MAKE IT WORK

  ➔ Purpose Clause with "So" / Modal Verb "Could"

  ➔ The clause "SO WE COULD MAKE IT WORK" expresses the purpose or intention of a previous action. "COULD" indicates possibility or ability in a past context.

• WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME I CAN'T BE HEARTBROKEN?

  ➔ Idiomatic Question ("Who are you to...") / Modal Verb "Can't"

  ➔ The phrase "WHO ARE YOU TO TELL" is an idiomatic way to express indignation, challenge someone's authority, or question their right to do something. "CAN'T BE" is a modal verb expressing impossibility or strong disbelief.

• IF THERE'S ANYTHING I'VE LEARNED, IT'S YOU SHOULD WATCH YOURSELF

  ➔ First Conditional / Present Perfect / Modal Verb "Should"

  ➔ "IF THERE'S ANYTHING I'VE LEARNED" is part of a first conditional structure, talking about a real possibility in the future based on past experience ("I'VE LEARNED" - present perfect). "SHOULD WATCH" is a modal verb expressing advice or recommendation.

• IF IT'S HURTING YOU, THEN LEAVE AND GO AND GET SOME HELP

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 0/1) with Present Continuous / Imperative Verbs

  ➔ "IF IT'S HURTING YOU" uses the present continuous in a conditional clause to describe an ongoing condition. "LEAVE" and "GO AND GET" are imperative verbs, giving direct commands or advice.