From Afar – English Lyrics

• By: Vance Joy
• Album: Dream Your Life Away

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the melancholic beauty of Vance Joy's 'From Afar,' a heartfelt indie folk track that explores the universal experience of unrequited love. Its evocative lyrics and acoustic melodies offer a profound emotional journey, making it a perfect song to connect with English lyrics and explore themes of longing and acceptance in a deeply resonant way.

[English]

They told me, "Boy look the other way"

Told me, "Boy, bite your tongue"

'Cause that's not the way

Yeah, that's not the way

Oh, that's just not the way

That friends behave

Oh, that's just not the way that friends behave

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no

You light me up across the room

Two falling sparks, one willing fool

And I, I always knew

That I would love you from afar

Told me, "Boy, look the other way"

Told me, "Boy, hide those hands"

Well I've been living on the crumbs of your love

And I'm starving now

And that is just the way that

We remain

Oh, that will be the way that we remain

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no

You light me up across the room

Two falling sparks, one willing fool

And I, I always knew

That I would love you from afar

You light me up across the room

Two falling sparks, one willing fool

And I, I always knew

That I would love you from afar

It shouldn't come as a surprise

What I'm feeling, what I'm feeling now

It shouldn't come as a surprise

You got darling hazel eyes

It shouldn't come as a surprise

What I'm feeling, what I'm feeling now

It shouldn't come as a surprise

What I'm feeling, what I'm feeling now

It shouldn't come as a surprise

What I'm feeling, what I'm feeling now

It shouldn't come as a surprise

What I'm feeling, what I'm feeling now

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
boy /bɔɪ/ A2	noun - a male child or young male person
look /lʊk/ A2	verb - to direct one's eyes in order to see
way /weɪ/ A2	noun - a method, style, or manner of doing something
light /laɪt/ B2	noun - electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye verb - to illuminate or make bright with light adjective - having a lot of light; not dark
spark /spɑːrk/ B2	noun - a small fiery particle from a fire or. a flash of light
fool /fuːl/ B2	noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently
away /əˈweɪ/ A2	adverb - to a different place or position
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ B1	noun - an emotional state or reaction
surprise /sərˈpraɪz/ B2	noun - an unexpected or astonishing event or fact
eyes /aɪz/ A2	noun - organs of sight; visual sensory organs
darling /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/ B1	noun - a term of endearment for a loved one

Key Grammar Structures

• They told me, "Boy look the other way"

  ➔ Indirect speech

  ➔ The sentence reports what someone else said without using their exact words.

• Told me, "Boy, look the other way"

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase uses the imperative form to give a command or instruction.

• And I, I always knew

  ➔ Past perfect tense

  ➔ The phrase indicates an action or state that was known or true before another past moment.

• That I would love you from afar

  ➔ Conditional mood (would + verb)

  ➔ Expresses a hypothetical or future-in-the-past desire or intention.

• You got darling hazel eyes

  ➔ Present simple tense for possession

  ➔ The sentence indicates possession or characteristic in the present tense.

• It shouldn't come as a surprise

  ➔ Modal verb + base verb (shouldn't + come)

  ➔ Expresses a suggestion that what is expected or perceived may be natural or anticipated.