Goodbye My Lover – English Lyrics

• By: James Blunt
• Album: Back To Bedlam

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the emotional depth of James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" and discover how this powerful ballad can be a gateway to understanding English expressions of loss and resilience. Its heartfelt lyrics and clear, emotional delivery offer an excellent opportunity to grasp vocabulary related to love, separation, and inner feelings, making the learning experience both meaningful and memorable. You'll learn to express complex emotions while appreciating the song's honest and universal message of enduring heartbreak.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ Did I disappoint you or let you down ♪

♪ Should I be feeling guilty ♪

♪ Or let the judges frown ♪

♪ 'Cause I saw the end, before we'd begun ♪

♪ Yes, I saw you were blind ♪

♪ And I knew I had won ♪

♪ So I took what's mine by eternal right ♪

♪ Took your soul out into the night ♪

♪ It may be over but it won't stop there ♪

♪ I am here for you if you'd only care ♪

♪ You touched my heart, you touched my soul ♪

♪ Changed my life and all my goals ♪

♪ And love is blind, and that I knew when ♪

♪ My heart was blinded by you ♪

♪ I've kissed your lips and held your head ♪

♪ Shared your dreams and shared your bed ♪

♪ I know you well, I know your smell ♪

♪ I've been addicted to you ♪

♪ Goodbye my lover ♪

♪ Goodbye my friend ♪

♪ You have been the one ♪

♪ You have been the one for me ♪

♪ Goodbye my lover ♪

♪ Goodbye my friend ♪

♪ You have been the one ♪

♪ You have been the one for me ♪

[GENTLE MUSIC]

♪ I am a dreamer and when I wake ♪

♪ You can't break my spirit ♪

♪ It's my dreams you take ♪

♪ And as you move on, remember me ♪

♪ Remember us and all we used to be ♪

♪ I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile ♪

♪ I've watched you sleeping for a while ♪

♪ I'd be the father of your child ♪

♪ I'd spend a lifetime with you ♪

♪ I know your fears and you know mine ♪

♪ We've had our doubts but now we're fine ♪

♪ And I love you, I swear that's true ♪

♪ I cannot live without you ♪

♪ Goodbye my lover ♪

♪ Goodbye my friend ♪

♪ You have been the one ♪

♪ You have been the one for me ♪

♪ Goodbye my lover ♪

♪ Goodbye my friend ♪

♪ You have been the one ♪

♪ You have been the one for me ♪

[GENTLE MUSIC]

♪ And I still hold your hand in mine ♪

♪ In mine when I'm asleep ♪

♪ And I will bear my soul in time ♪

♪ When I'm kneeling at your feet ♪

♪ Goodbye my lover ♪

♪ Goodbye my friend ♪

♪ You have been the one ♪

♪ You have been the one for me ♪

♪ Goodbye my lover ♪

♪ Goodbye my friend ♪

♪ You have been the one ♪

♪ You have been the one for me ♪

♪ I'm so hollow baby ♪

♪ I'm so hollow ♪

♪ I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow ♪

♪ I'm so hollow baby ♪

♪ I'm so hollow ♪

♪ I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow ♪

♪♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
disappoint /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪnt/ B1	verb - to fail to fulfill the hopes or expectations of (someone).
guilty /ˈɡɪlti/ B1	adjective - culpable; having done something wrong
end /end/ A2	noun - the final part of something verb - to finish; to come to a final part
blind /blaɪnd/ B2	adjective - unable to see adjective - unable or unwilling to understand something
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation. noun - the center of emotion
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - feel deep affection for (someone).
kiss /kɪs/ A2	verb - touch or caress with the lips as a sign of affection. noun - an act of touching with the lips as a sign of affection.
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. verb - to contemplate the possibility of doing something or that something might be the case
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection.
dreamer /ˈdriːmər/ B2	noun - a person who dreams.
spirit /ˈspɪrɪt/ B2	noun - the nonphysical part of a person regarded as their true self and as capable of surviving physical death or separation.
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow. noun - an act of weeping
smile /smaɪl/ A2	verb - form one's features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed. noun - an amused, pleased, or kind facial expression.
fears /fɪərz/ B1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger, real or imagined.
doubts /daʊts/ B1	noun - a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.
hollow /ˈhɑːloʊ/ B2	adjective - having a hole or empty space inside adjective - without real or sincere feeling

Key Grammar Structures

• Did I disappoint you or let you down

  ➔ Past Simple (Interrogative)

  ➔ Use of 'Did' to form a question in the past simple tense. It inquires whether the speaker's actions caused someone to feel disappointed or let down.

• Should I be feeling guilty

  ➔ Modal Verb + Continuous Aspect (Present)

  ➔ The use of the modal verb "should" suggests a sense of obligation or advisability, while the continuous aspect "be feeling" indicates an ongoing emotional state. It questions whether the speaker has a responsibility to feel guilty.

• I saw the end, before we'd begun

  ➔ Past Simple and Past Perfect

  ➔ This sentence uses both the past simple ("I saw") and the past perfect ("we'd begun"). The past perfect indicates an action that happened before another action in the past (seeing the end). "we'd begun" means 'we had begun'

• So I took what's mine by eternal right

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'what' + Possessive Adjective

  ➔ "what's mine" functions as a noun clause, meaning "that which is mine". "mine" is possessive adjective.

• It may be over but it won't stop there

  ➔ Modal verb (may) + Future Simple (will)

  ➔ "may" expresses possibility, while "won't" (will not) expresses a future negation. The sentence contrasts a possible end with an assertion that things won't simply conclude.

• You touched my heart, you touched my soul

  ➔ Past Simple (Repetition for Emphasis)

  ➔ The repetition of "You touched" emphasizes the profound impact the person had on the speaker's emotions and being. Both verbs are in the past simple, indicating completed actions.

• Love is blind, and that I knew when my heart was blinded by you

  ➔ Passive voice (past simple) + Relative Clause

  ➔ The passive voice "was blinded" indicates the speaker's heart was the recipient of the action. "when my heart was blinded by you" is a relative clause that describes the situation.

• I've been addicted to you

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous (Passive Meaning)

  ➔ While structurally Present Perfect Continuous, "I've been addicted" conveys a state resulting from a past action that continues to the present. The emphasis is on the prolonged state of being addicted rather than the action of becoming addicted.