Golden – English Lyrics

• By: Brandon Beal, Lukas Graham

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the power of perseverance through "Golden." This collaboration between American artist Brandon Beal and Danish star Lukas Graham offers a universally inspiring message of hope. The song's clear, narrative-driven lyrics about overcoming obstacles make it a great and uplifting piece for learning English, reminding you that no matter your beginnings, you too can be 'golden'.

[English]

We can be golden

Why don't we show them

All of the life there's meant to be

We can be golden

Look what we holdin'

Better than angels if you believe

Yeah, hah

Grew up kinda tough like

No wheels on my first bike

Second hand was a kinda new, yeah

Now nigga livin' life

You can be anything you wanna be

But nothing comes easily

You gotta do what you gotta do, yeah

And I've been broke

I've been window shoppin'

My high was always my low

Nigga, I've been around

But I'm coming up you know

We can be golden

Why don't we show them

All of the life there's meant to be

We can be golden

Look what we holdin'

Better than angels if you believe

...

Look, I'm finally in first place

Should have been there in the first place

Runner up is the first to lose, yes

So I'm now at a new phase

You can be anything you wanna be

But nothing comes easily

You gotta do what you gotta do, yeah, yeah

'Cause I stay working, I stay hustlin'

All the way to the top

And nigga, I've been around

But I'm coming back, yeah

We can be golden

Why don't we show them

All of the life there's meant to be

We can be golden

Look what we holdin'

Better than angels if you believe

I don't believe that you never cared

You used to say we can go anywhere

Back on our feet where we belong

'Cause we can be anything that we want

We can be golden

Why don't we show them

All of the life there's meant to be

We can be golden

Look what we holdin'

Better than angels if you believe

Yeah!

We can be golden

Why don't we show them

All of the life there's meant to be

We can be golden

Look what we holdin'

Better than angels if you believe

'Cause I would never see myself gettin' off the block

And gettin' all the shots that I got

I would never see myself gettin' of the block

And look now we standin' on top

I would never see myself gettin' off the block

And gettin' all the shots that I got

Baby, there's a reason why we got off the block

'Cause now we standing on top, yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
golden /ˈɡoʊldən/ B1	adjective - made of gold; valuable
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept something as true
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp or support
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition of being alive
tough /tʌf/ B1	adjective - difficult
wheels /wiːlz/ A2	noun - circular objects that rotate on an axle
easily /ˈiːzɪli/ B1	adverb - without difficulty
broke /broʊk/ B1	adjective - having no money
shopping /ˈʃɑːpɪŋ/ A2	noun - the activity of buying goods
phase /feɪz/ B2	noun - a stage in a process
working /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ/ A2	verb - performing a job
hustlin' /ˈhʌslɪŋ/ B2	verb - working energetically
cared /keərd/ A2	verb - felt concern or interest
belong /bɪˈlɒŋ/ B1	verb - to be the property of
reason /ˈriːzn/ B1	noun - a cause or explanation
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to be in an upright position

Key Grammar Structures

• We can be golden

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Can' for possibility

  ➔ "Can" expresses that something is possible or that someone has the ability to do something. Here, it suggests the potential for a positive future.

• Why don't we show them

  ➔ Negative Question for Suggestion

  ➔ "Why don't we...?" is a common way to make a suggestion or proposal.

• All of the life there's meant to be

  ➔ Passive Voice with 'be meant to'

  ➔ "Is meant to be" (contracted as "there's meant to be") indicates destiny, purpose, or what is intended for something.

• Better than angels if you believe

  ➔ Comparative Adjective + First Conditional

  ➔ "Better than" compares two things. "If you believe" is a conditional clause stating a condition for the main clause to be true.

• Grew up kinda tough

  ➔ Phrasal Verb 'Grow up' + Informal Adverb 'Kinda'

  ➔ "Grew up" (past tense of grow up) means to become an adult. "Kinda" is an informal short form of "kind of," meaning somewhat or rather.

• And I've been broke

  ➔ Present Perfect for Experience (State)

  ➔ "I've been" (I have been) is used to talk about experiences or states that started in the past and continue to be relevant or have an effect in the present. Here, it describes a past state of being without money.

• Should have been there in the first place

  ➔ Modal Perfect 'Should have' for Past Regret/Obligation

  ➔ "Should have been" expresses that something was expected or desirable in the past but did not happen, often implying regret or criticism.

• You used to say we can go anywhere

  ➔ 'Used to' for Past Habits/States

  ➔ "Used to" describes an action or state that was regular or true in the past but is no longer the case.

• I would never see myself gettin' off the block

  ➔ Conditional 'Would' + Reflexive Pronoun + Gerund

  ➔ "Would never see myself doing something" expresses a strong personal conviction or a prediction about one's own actions or perceived future. The informal "gettin'" is a shortened form of "getting", functioning as a gerund here.