Higher Ground

• By: Stevie Wonder
• Album: Innervisions

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
ready /ˈrɛdi/ A1	adjective - prepared for something
learn /lɜːrn/ A1	verb - to gain knowledge or skill
soldier /ˈsoʊldʒər/ A2	noun - a person serving in an army
warn /wɔːrn/ B1	verb - to give notice of danger
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth
turn /tɜːrn/ A1	verb - to move in a circular direction
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the ability to do something
lie /laɪ/ A2	verb - to say something that is not true
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general
die /daɪ/ A1	verb - to stop living
glad /ɡlæd/ A2	adjective - pleased; happy
earth /ɜːrθ/ A1	noun - the planet we live on
sin /sɪn/ B1	noun - an act against religious or moral law
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to have information or be aware of something
reach /riːtʃ/ A2	verb - to arrive at a place
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - of great vertical extent
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A2	noun - the surface of the earth
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have a strong affection for someone
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept something as true
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest with your eyes closed

Grammar:

• People keep on learnin'

  ➔ Present continuous with "keep on" to emphasize continuous action.

  ➔ "Keep on" + verb-ing signifies an action that continues or repeats. Here, it means people are constantly learning.

• World keep on turnin'

  ➔ Present continuous with "keep on" to emphasize continuous action.

  ➔ Similar to the previous line, "keep on turnin'" signifies the world's continuous rotation.

• 'Cause it won't be too long

  ➔ Future simple with "won't" (will not) indicating a prediction about the near future.

  ➔ "Won't be too long" suggests that an event will happen soon. It's a statement about something that is expected to occur in the near future.

• I'm so darn glad He let me try it again

  ➔ "So" + adjective to emphasize the adjective. Past simple "let" (allowing) with an object and infinitive without 'to'.

  ➔ "So darn glad" emphasizes the speaker's happiness. "He let me try" demonstrates the past permission from a higher power for another opportunity. The use of "let" is followed by the base form of the verb (try).

• Gonna keep on tryin'

  ➔ Future intention with "gonna" (going to) + "keep on" + verb-ing to express continuous action in the future.

  ➔ "Gonna" is a colloquial shortening of "going to," expressing a future intention. "Keep on tryin'" emphasizes the continuous effort being made.

• No one's gonna bring me down

  ➔ Negative statement with "no one" as subject. Future intention with "gonna" (going to).

  ➔ "No one" implies a complete lack of people who will perform the action. "Gonna bring me down" expresses the future act of someone causing the speaker to feel depressed or defeated.

• They're sure gonna try

  ➔ Future intention with "gonna" (going to) combined with "sure" to emphasize certainty.

  ➔ "They're sure gonna try" signifies that the speaker is confident others will attempt to bring them down, even if unsuccessfully. "Sure" reinforces the speaker's belief.

• Don't you let nobody take you to a low level

  ➔ Imperative sentence with negative auxiliary "Don't". Double negative (colloquial): "Don't let nobody".

  ➔ The imperative "Don't let" is a command. The double negative "Don't let nobody" is a colloquial way of saying "Don't let anybody" and is used for emphasis.