Heartbreak Hotel – English Lyrics

• By: Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, Kelly Price

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a soulful journey with "Heartbreak Hotel," a powerful R&B collaboration by Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, and Kelly Price. This song is perfect for English language learners, offering clear, emotive storytelling and relatable themes of love, betrayal, and resilience. Its accessible lyrics and harmonious vocals provide an excellent opportunity to grasp contemporary R&B vocabulary and expressions while appreciating the vocal mastery that makes this track a timeless classic.

[English]

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪

♪ You said you'd be here by nine ♪

♪ Instead you took your time ♪

♪ You didn't think to call me, boy ♪

♪ Here I sit trying not to cry ♪

♪ Asking myself why ♪

♪ You do this to me, oh baby ♪

♪ Since you're not around for me ♪

♪ To tell you, baby face to face ♪

♪ I'm writing you this letter ♪

♪ And this is what I have to say ♪

♪ All I really wanted was some of your time ♪

♪ Instead you told me lies ♪

♪ When someone else was on your mind ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪

♪ What'd you do ♪

♪ Look what you did to me ♪

♪ Oh baby ♪

♪ I thought that you were someone who would do me right ♪

♪ Until you played with my ♪ ♪ Do me right ♪

♪ Emotions and you made me cry ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪ ♪ Made me cry ♪

♪ Can't take what you did to me ♪

♪ Now I see what you've been doing wrong ♪

♪ Played me all along ♪

♪ And made a fool of me, baby ♪

♪ You got it all wrong ♪

♪ To think that I wouldn't find out ♪

♪ That you were cheating on me, baby ♪

♪ How could you do it to me ♪

♪ Since you're not around for me ♪

♪ To tell you, baby face to face ♪

♪ Mmmmm ♪

♪ I'm writing you this letter ♪

♪ And this is what I have to say ♪

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ All I really wanted was some of your time ♪

♪ Instead you told me lies ♪

♪ When someone else was on your mind ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪

♪ All you did was lie to me ♪

♪ Baby yeah ♪ ♪ Look what you did to me ♪

♪ Can't believe what you did to me, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ I thought that you were someone who would do me right ♪

♪ Until you played with my emotions and you made me cry ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪

♪ Why'd you do it ♪

♪ Can't take what you did to me ♪

♪ You didn't have to do it to me, baby ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪ ♪ Oh, Why'd you do it ♪

♪ This is the Heartbreak Hotel ♪

♪ Oh, ooh ♪

♪ All I really wanted was some of your time ♪

♪ Instead you told me lies ♪ ♪ Oh, baby ♪

♪ When someone else was on your mind ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪ ♪ Ooh, I really want it now ♪

♪ Look what you did to me ♪

♪ I really want it, baby ♪

♪ I thought that you were someone ♪

♪ Who would do me right ♪

♪ Until you played with my emotions ♪

♪ And you made me cry ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪ ♪ Can't take it no more ♪

♪ Can't take what you did to me ♪

♪ I wanted your love ♪

♪ All I really wanted ♪ ♪ All I really want ♪

♪ Was some of your time ♪

♪ Instead you told me lies ♪

♪ When someone else ♪ ♪ But you told me lies ♪

♪ Was on your mind ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪

♪ Can't take it no more ♪

♪ Look what you did to me ♪

♪ Why did you do me that way ♪

♪ I thought that you were someone ♪

♪ Who would do me right ♪ ♪ Thought you'd do me right ♪

♪ Until you played with my emotions ♪

♪ And you made me cry ♪ ♪ Till you made me cry ♪

♪ What'd you do to me ♪

♪ Oh, ooh, oh ♪

♪ Can't take what you did to me ♪

♪ I ain't gon' take it, I ain't gon' take it no more ♪

♪ I ain't gon' take it, boy ♪

♪ I ain't gon' take it no more ♪

♪ Oh, everything that you said was a lie to me ♪

♪ Don't lie to me, tell me what it is ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Heartbreak /ˈhɑːrtbreɪk/ B2	noun - great sorrow or distress
Hotel /hoʊˈtel/ A1	noun - an establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travelers and tourists.
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - shed tears noun - a fit of weeping.
lie /laɪ/ A2	verb - to make a statement that one knows to be untrue. noun - a statement that is known to be untrue.
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin. verb - to be confronted with
letter /ˈletər/ A1	noun - a written or printed message addressed to a person or organization and usually sent by mail.
say /seɪ/ A1	verb - utter words in order to convey information, an opinion, a feeling, or intention.
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child.
wrong /rɔːŋ/ A2	adjective - not correct; incorrect.
emotions /ɪˈməʊʃənz/ B1	noun - a strong feeling deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.
fool /fuːl/ A2	noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a stupid person. verb - to trick or deceive (someone).
cheating /ˈtʃiːtɪŋ/ B1	verb - act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination.
wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/ A1	verb - to feel a need or desire for; wish to have.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection.
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method, style, or manner of doing something.

Key Grammar Structures

• You said you'd be here by nine

  ➔ Conditional 'would' expressing a past future action.

  ➔ The sentence describes a promise made in the past that was expected to happen in the future (relative to the past).

• Instead you took your time

  ➔ Adverbial phrase of contrast 'Instead'.

  ➔ Instead introduces a contrasting action or situation to the previous statement.

• Asking myself why

  ➔ Present participle clause modifying the subject.

  ➔ The present participle 'asking' describes an action happening simultaneously with the main verb.

• Since you're not around for me

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'Since' introducing a reason.

  ➔ 'Since' provides the reason for the following action or statement.

• I'm writing you this letter

  ➔ Present continuous tense indicating an action happening now.

  ➔ The singer is currently writing the letter.

• All I really wanted was some of your time

  ➔ Inversion after a focus adverbial.

  ➔ While not strictly inversion, the phrase 'All I really wanted' functions as a fronted adverbial. The main clause is 'was some of your time'.

• Instead you told me lies

  ➔ Simple past tense.

  ➔ Describes a completed action in the past.

• When someone else was on your mind

  ➔ Subordinate clause introduced by 'when' describing a time/condition.

  ➔ 'When' introduces a time or condition related to the main clause.

• Look what you did to me

  ➔ Exclamatory sentence with inversion for emphasis.

  ➔ This is an exclamation expressing the singer's feelings about what happened. The inversion is not strict but serves to emphasize the 'what'.

• I ain't gon' take it no more

  ➔ Colloquial contraction and negation.

  ➔ 'Ain't' is a non-standard contraction of 'am not', 'is not', or 'are not' and is generally considered informal.