Forever Young – English Lyrics

• By: Alphaville
• Album: Forever Young

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the iconic 80s synth-pop sound of Alphaville's "Forever Young." This powerful track offers a unique window into the Cold War era's anxieties and the universal yearning for eternal youth, making it a compelling song to explore for English language learners due to its clear, emotive lyrics and cultural significance. You can learn vocabulary related to emotions, time, and societal concerns, while appreciating its enduring message about living life to the fullest.

[English]

Let's dance in style, let's dance for awhile

Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies

Hoping for the best but expecting the worst

Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

Let us die young or let us live forever

We don't have the power, but we never say never

Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip

The music's for the sad men

Can you imagine when this race is won?

Turn our golden faces into the sun

Praising our leaders, we're getting in tune

The music's played by the

The madman

Forever young, I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever

Forever

Or never

Forever young

I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever young

Some are like water, some are like the heat

Some are a melody and some are the beat

Sooner or later they all will be gone

Why don't they stay young?

It's so hard to get old without a cause

I don't want to perish like a fleeing horse

Youth's like diamonds in the sun

And diamonds are forever

So many adventures couldn't happen today

So many songs we forgot to play

So many dreams swinging out of the blue

We let them come true

Forever young, I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever

Forever

Or never?

Forever young, I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever

Or never?

Forever young, I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dɑːns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - in an early stage of life
forever /fəˈrɛvər/ A1	adverb - for all time
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to be alive
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the ability to control or influence
never /ˈnɛvər/ A1	adverb - not at any time
golden /ˈɡoʊldən/ A2	adjective - made of gold or having a bright yellow color
leaders /ˈlidərz/ A2	noun - people who lead or guide others
madman /ˈmædˌmæn/ B1	noun - a crazy or insane person
imagine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ A2	verb - to form a mental image of something
melody /ˈmɛlədi/ B1	noun - a sequence of notes that is musically pleasing
perish /ˈpɛrɪʃ/ B2	verb - to die or be destroyed
diamonds /ˈdaɪəməndz/ A2	noun - a precious stone made of crystallized carbon
adventures /ədˈvɛntʃərz/ A2	noun - exciting or unusual experiences
dreams /driːmz/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts or images experienced during sleep

Key Grammar Structures

• Let's dance in style, let's dance for awhile

  ➔ Contraction (Let's) and Present Simple with 'for awhile'

  ➔ 'Let's' is a contraction of 'let us', and 'for awhile' indicates a duration of time in the Present Simple tense.

• Hoping for the best but expecting the worst

  ➔ Present Continuous (Hoping, expecting)

  ➔ The Present Continuous tense is used to describe actions happening now or around now. 'Hoping' and 'expecting' are both in this form.

• Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

  ➔ Present Continuous for future plans (going to)

  ➔ 'Going to' is used here to express a future plan or intention. It’s a common way to talk about the future in English.

• We don't have the power, but we never say never

  ➔ Present Simple Negative (don't have) and Adverb of Frequency (never)

  ➔ 'Don't have' is the negative form of the Present Simple, and 'never' is an adverb of frequency indicating zero occurrence.

• Can you imagine when this race is won?

  ➔ Modal Verb (Can) and Present Simple in 'when' clause

  ➔ 'Can' is a modal verb used to express ability or possibility. The 'when' clause uses the Present Simple to refer to a future time.

• Forever young, I want to be forever young

  ➔ Adverb of Time (Forever) and Infinitive (to be)

  ➔ 'Forever' is an adverb of time indicating an indefinite period. 'To be' is the infinitive form of the verb 'be'.