Half As Good As You – English Lyrics

• By: Tom Odell, Alice Merton
• Album: Best Day Of My Life

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I'm sick to death of eating breakfast on my own

Starting out my daily blues

I'm sick to death of spilling coffee on my phone

Scrolling through pictures of you

I'd like to say that maybe we could work it out

But I know that it's no use

If I ever find anyone half as good as you

I think maybe that will do

I kissed a stranger in the hallway late last night

He was wearing purple shoes

I asked him when he kissed me, could he close his eyes?

But he just looked at me confused

And people say my expectations are too high

But I'm not asking for the moon

If I ever find anyone half as good as you

I think maybe that will do

If I ever find anyone half as good as you

I think maybe that will do

Oh, I'm so sick of laying here

So sick of counting tears

Comparing everyone to you

Oh, oh

Oh, I'm so sick of waiting here

So frustrated

My suspicions are you're laying there and thinking of me too

I learned the lyrics yesterday to all your songs

There was one I couldn't do

I think the lyric went

You'll miss me when I'm gone

But the cords, I was confused

I'd ask you 'round and you could tell me where I'm wrong

But then I know you'd just refuse

Refuse

If I ever find anyone half as good as you

I think maybe that will do

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sick /sɪk/ A2	adjective - ill, unwell
death /dɛθ/ A2	noun - the end of life
breakfast /ˈbrɛkfəst/ A1	noun - the first meal of the day
coffee /ˈkɒfi/ A1	noun - a brewed drink made from roasted coffee beans
phone /fəʊn/ A1	noun - a device for voice communication
pictures /ˈpɪktʃəz/ A1	noun - visual representations, images
find /faɪnd/ A1	verb - to discover or locate something
half /hɑːf/ A2	adjective - being one of two equal parts
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - having desirable qualities
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒər/ B1	noun - a person unknown to one
hallway /ˈhɔːlweɪ/ B1	noun - a passage in a building that connects rooms
purple /ˈpɜːpl/ B1	adjective - a color intermediate between red and blue
shoes /ʃuːz/ A1	noun - footwear covering the whole foot
confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ B2	adjective - unable to think clearly; bewildered
expectations /ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃənz/ C1	noun - beliefs about what will happen in the future
high /haɪ/ A2	adjective - of great vertical extent
laying /ˈleɪɪŋ/ B1	verb - to put something down in a horizontal position
tears /tɪəz/ A2	noun - drops of liquid from the eyes
frustrated /frʌˈstreɪtɪd/ B2	adjective - feeling upset because of inability to change or achieve something
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel the absence of someone or something

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm sick to death of eating breakfast on my own

  ➔ Present continuous; Gerund after a preposition

  ➔ The sentence uses the present continuous **"I'm"** to describe a temporary state, and the gerund **"eating"** follows the preposition **"of"**.

• I'd like to say that maybe we could work it out

  ➔ Modal verb + infinitive (would like, could)

  ➔ The expression **"I'd like to"** uses the modal verb **"would"** + infinitive **"like"** to make a polite request, and **"could"** expresses possibility in **"we could work it out"**.

• If I ever find anyone half as good as you

  ➔ First conditional (if + present simple)

  ➔ The clause starts with **"If"** followed by the present simple **"find"**, which is typical for a first conditional expressing a possible future situation.

• I kissed a stranger in the hallway late last night

  ➔ Simple past

  ➔ The verb **"kissed"** is in the simple past, indicating a completed action that happened at a specific time (**"late last night"**).

• People say my expectations are too high

  ➔ Simple present (stative)

  ➔ The verb **"say"** is in the simple present, used for a general truth or habitual statement about people’s opinion.

• I'm so sick of laying here

  ➔ Gerund after a preposition (laying)

  ➔ The noun‑like verb **"laying"** follows the preposition **"of"**, forming a gerund phrase that functions as the object of the preposition.

• I learned the lyrics yesterday to all your songs

  ➔ Simple past with a past time expression

  ➔ The verb **"learned"** is in the simple past, and the adverb **"yesterday"** clearly marks the action as completed in the past.

• I think the lyric went

  ➔ Reporting verb + that‑clause (reported speech)

  ➔ The verb **"think"** introduces a that‑clause (**"the lyric went"**) that reports the speaker’s belief, a typical structure of reported speech.