Give Me The Reason – English Lyrics

• By: James Bay

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and James Bay's "Give Me The Reason" offers a great opportunity to explore emotive and descriptive English. The song's clear narrative of holding onto a fading love allows learners to connect with heartfelt vocabulary and expressions. What makes this song special for learning is its blend of simple, direct pleas and more poetic, imagery-laden lyrics, providing a rich context for understanding nuances in language.

[English]

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON ♪

♪ AM I STAYING OR LEAVING? ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪♪♪

♪ FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY ♪

♪ YOU AND I WE WERE WALKING AROUND NEW YORK CITY ♪

♪ HAND IN HAND, MAN IT WAS SO PRETTY THAT DAY ♪

♪♪♪

♪ STANDING ON THE CORNER IN YOUR FAVOURITE DRESS ♪

♪ I WAS TRYING TO TAKE OUR PICTURE, MY HAIR WAS SUCH A MESS ♪

♪ OH BUT WE LAUGHED SO HARD ♪

♪♪♪

♪ THEN YOU BROKE MY HEART ♪

♪ I CAN’T STAND TO SEE THOSE TEARS IN YOUR EYES ♪

♪ WE SHOULD BE DANCING LIKE WE DID THAT NIGHT ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE SHOT ♪

♪ AND I’LL GIVE IT ALL THAT I GOT ♪

♪♪♪

♪ OH I’D HATE TO LAY THAT WEIGHT ON YOUR HEART ♪

♪ AFTER ALL THAT WE DID TO EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON ♪

♪ AM I STAYING OR LEAVING ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪♪♪

♪ COZ I’VE GOT NOTHING LEFT ♪

♪ WITHOUT YOUR FOOT ON THE DRUM THAT BEATS INSIDE MY CHEST ♪

♪ I FEEL LIKE MIRRORS AND SMOKE ♪

♪ ALL OF MY WORDS ARE BROKE ♪

♪ I WANNA JUST THROW ME IN THE OCEAN ♪

♪ IT’S NOT THAT I COULDN’T SEE YOU WERE IN PAIN ♪

♪ I WISH WE COULD TALK, MAYBE NO ONES TO BLAME ♪

♪ I STILL WANT YOU NOW, I STILL NEED YOU NOW ♪

♪ I’M NOT FOOLING AROUND ♪

♪♪♪

♪ I CAN’T STAND TO SEE THOSE TEARS IN YOUR EYES ♪

♪ WE SHOULD BE DANCING LIKE WE DID THAT NIGHT ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ AND I’LL GIVE IT ALL THAT I GOT ♪

♪ OH I’D HATE TO LAY THAT WEIGHT ON YOUR HEART ♪

♪ AFTER ALL THAT WE DID TO EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON ♪

♪ AM I STAYING OR LEAVING ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪♪♪

♪ I CAN’T STAND TO SEE THOSE TEARS IN YOUR EYES ♪

♪ WE SHOULD BE DANCING LIKE WE DID THAT NIGHT ♪

♪ I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ♪

♪ WE DON’T HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON ♪

♪ AM I STAYING OR LEAVING ♪

♪ GIVE ME THE REASON TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY ♪

♪ DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
reason /ˈriːzən/ A2	noun - a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.
stay /steɪ/ A1	verb - to remain in the same place or position.
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - to go away from a place or person.
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - to attempt to do something. noun - an attempt to do something.
goodbye /ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ/ A1	noun - an act of saying farewell.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system; the centre of a person's emotions or affections.
tear /tɪər/ B1	noun - a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from the eye.
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain. verb - to cause great emotional pain to (someone), especially in an idiom like 'break someone's heart'. adjective (broke, past participle) - damaged or not working correctly.
shot /ʃɒt/ B1	noun - an attempt to do something or a chance to achieve something, especially in phrases like 'give it a shot'.
weight /weɪt/ B1	noun - a heavy object; a burden or responsibility.
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical or emotional suffering or discomfort.
blame /bleɪm/ B1	verb - to assign responsibility for a fault or wrong. noun - responsibility for a fault or wrong.
wish /wɪʃ/ A2	verb - to desire or hope for something to happen or be true.
ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ A2	noun - a very large expanse of sea.
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ B1	noun - a reflective surface, typically glass coated with a metallic amalgam, that reflects a clear image.
smoke /smoʊk/ B1	noun - visible vapor and gases given off by something burning.
drum /drʌm/ B1	noun - a percussion instrument sounded by being struck; a cylindrical container.
chest /tʃɛst/ A2	noun - the front surface of a person's body between the neck and the stomach.
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to be in an upright position on one's feet. verb - to tolerate or endure something, often used in negative contexts like 'can't stand'.
pretty /ˈprɪti/ A2	adjective - attractive in a delicate or graceful way.

Key Grammar Structures

• GIVE ME THE REASON

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The sentence starts with a verb (give) in the imperative mood, used to express a command, request, or instruction.

• AM I STAYING OR LEAVING?

  ➔ Present Continuous tense; Question form with auxiliary verb inversion

  ➔ Uses the present continuous tense to describe an action happening now, and inverts the subject and auxiliary verb to form a question.

• FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY

  ➔ Verb 'feels' with a linking structure

  ➔ The verb 'feels' links the subject to a descriptive element. It doesn't describe an action but a state of being or a sensation.

• YOU AND I WE WERE WALKING

  ➔ Past Continuous tense with a duplicated subject

  ➔ Past Continuous tense used to describe an action in progress in the past. The subject is duplicated for emphasis.

• HAND IN HAND, MAN IT WAS SO PRETTY THAT DAY

  ➔ Inversion for emphasis

  ➔ The subject and verb are inverted for emphasis. 'Man' is used informally to create emphasis.

• I WAS TRYING TO TAKE OUR PICTURE

  ➔ Past Continuous tense

  ➔ Used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific point in the past.

• THEN YOU BROKE MY HEART

  ➔ Simple Past tense

  ➔ Describes a completed action in the past.

• I CAN’T STAND TO SEE THOSE TEARS

  ➔ Modal Verb 'can't' + infinitive with 'to'

  ➔ The modal verb 'can't' expresses inability, followed by the infinitive form of the verb with 'to'.

• WE SHOULD BE DANCING LIKE WE DID THAT NIGHT

  ➔ Modal verb 'should' + continuous form and a comparative clause

  ➔ The modal verb 'should' suggests a recommendation or expectation. The structure uses the continuous form ('be dancing') and the comparative clause ('like we did that night') for comparison.

• COZ I’VE GOT NOTHING LEFT

  ➔ Contraction, Present Perfect tense

  ➔ Uses a contraction ('coz' for 'because') and the present perfect tense to indicate a state resulting from a past action.