Higher Power – English Lyrics

• By: Coldplay
• Album: Moon Music

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
power /ˈpaʊər/ B2	noun - the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way
electric /ɪˈlɛktrɪk/ B2	adjective - relating to electricity; having a lively, energetic quality
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, perceives, and decides
connect /kəˈnɛkt/ B2	verb - to join together; to establish a link
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move the body rhythmically to music
rise /raɪz/ B1	verb - to move upward or to a higher position
know /noʊ/ A2	verb - to have information or understanding about something
sing /sɪŋ/ A2	verb - to produce musical sounds with voice
move /muːv/ A2	verb - to change position or go to another place
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
lift /lɪft/ B2	verb - to raise or move something upward

Key Grammar Structures

• Sometimes I just can't take it

  ➔ Modal Verb (can't)

  ➔ In this phrase, "can't take it" uses the modal verb "can't" (cannot) to express inability or impossibility, meaning the speaker is unable to cope with a situation.

• I'm not gonna make it

  ➔ Informal Future (gonna)

  ➔ "gonna make it" is an informal contraction of "going to make it," used to express a future intention or prediction. Here, it suggests the speaker's belief that they will not succeed or survive a situation.

• I'm like a broken record

  ➔ Simile (using 'like')

  ➔ The phrase "like a broken record" uses "like" to create a simile, comparing the speaker's repetitive or stuck state to a broken record that keeps playing the same part over and over.

• 'Til you tell me on your heavenly phone

  ➔ Contraction ('Til)

  ➔ ""'Til"" is an informal and poetic contraction of the preposition and conjunction "until", indicating a point in time up to which something occurs.

• That you've got a higher power

  ➔ Informal 'have got' for possession

  ➔ "you've got" is a contracted form of "you have got," which is a common informal way to express possession or existence, meaning "you have."

• Got me singin' every second, dancin' every hour

  ➔ Causative verb 'get' + object + present participle

  ➔ "Got me singin'" and "dancin'" use the causative verb "get" (past tense "got") followed by an object ("me") and a present participle (informal "singin'", "dancin'"). This structure means "caused me to sing/dance" or "made me sing/dance."

• And you're really someone I wanna know

  ➔ Omission of relative pronoun

  ➔ In "someone I wanna know", the relative pronoun "that" or "whom" is omitted before "I wanna know". This omission is common in informal English when the pronoun is the object of the verb in the relative clause. Additionally, "wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to".

• And I'm buzzin' night after night after night

  ➔ Present Continuous (for ongoing state/action) & Repetition for Emphasis

  ➔ "I'm buzzin'" uses the present continuous tense (informal "buzzin'" for buzzing) to describe an ongoing state or action. The repetition of "night after night after night" emphasizes the continuous and relentless nature of the buzzing sensation.

• Happy I'm alive at the same time as you

  ➔ Ellipsis of 'that' (in a dependent clause)

  ➔ The sentence "Happy I'm alive" is an example of ellipsis, where the conjunction "that" is omitted. The full phrase would be "Happy that I'm alive." This omission is common in informal speech and writing.

• When for so long, I'd been down on my knees

  ➔ Past Perfect Simple (had been)

  ➔ "I'd been down" is a contraction of "I had been down," using the past perfect simple tense. This tense indicates a state or action that began in the past and continued up to a specific point in the past ("When for so long"). The idiom "down on my knees" means in a state of desperation or humility.