How Long – English Lyrics

• By: Charlie Puth

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Alright

Ooh-oh, yeah

I'll admit, I was wrong, what else can I say, girl?

Can't you blame my head and not my heart

I was drunk, I was gone, that don't make it right, but

Promise there were no feelings involved, mmh

She said, boy, tell me honestly

Was it real or just for show? (Yeah)

She said, save your apologies

Baby, I just gotta know

How long has this been goin' on?

You've been creepin' 'round on me

While you're callin' me, "baby"

How long has this been goin' on?

You've been actin' so shady (shady)

I've been feelin' it lately, baby

Ooh-ooh-ooh (yeah)

Ooh-ooh-hoo (encore)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-ooh-ooh

I'll admit (I'll admit), it's my fault (my fault), but you gotta believe me

When I say it only happened once, mmh

I try, and I try, but you'll never see that

You're the only one I wanna love, oh-yeah

She said, boy, tell me honestly

Was it real or just for show? (Yeah)

She said, save your apologies

Baby, I just gotta know

How long has this been goin' on? huh

You've been creepin' 'round on me (on me)

While you're callin' me, "baby"

How long has this been goin' on?

You've been actin' so shady (shady)

I've been feelin' it lately (lately), baby

Ooh-ooh-ooh (yeah)

Ooh-ooh-hoo (encore)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-ooh-ooh

How long has this been goin' on baby?

Ooh-ooh-ooh (woo)

Ooh-ooh-ooh, you gotta go tell me now

Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-ooh-ooh

She said, "Boy, tell me honestly

Was it real or just for show?" Yeah

She said, "Save your apologies

Baby, I just gotta know"

How long has this been goin' on? (On)

You've been creepin' 'round on me

While you're callin' me, "baby"

How long has this been goin' on?

You've been actin' so shady (shady)

I've been feelin' it lately

Ooh-ooh-ooh, yeah (how long has this been goin' on?)

Ooh-ooh-hoo, encore (you've been creepin' 'round on me)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-ooh-ooh

How long has it been goin' on baby

Ooh-ooh-ooh (how long has this been goin' on)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, encore (you gotta go tell me now)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-ooh-ooh (you've been actin' so shady)

(I've been feelin' it lately)

Baby

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
admit /əˈdmɪt/ B1	verb - to confess to be true or to do something that is wrong
blame /bleɪm/ B1	verb - to assign responsibility for a fault or wrong noun - responsibility for a fault or wrong
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood around the body noun - the center of emotion
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
honest /ˈɒnɪst/ B1	adjective - free of deceit; truthful
real /riːl/ A2	adjective - actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact
show /ʃoʊ/ A1	noun - a performance or display verb - to allow something to be seen
apology /əˈpɒlədʒi/ B1	noun - a regretful acknowledgement of an offense or wrong
creep /kriːp/ B2	verb - move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed
shady /ˈʃeɪdi/ B2	adjective - of doubtful honesty or legality
fault /fɔːlt/ B1	noun - a mistake or failing
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - accept that something is true
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to have a strong affection for
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - to attempt to do something
lately /ˈleɪtli/ B1	adverb - recently
go /ɡoʊ/ A1	verb - move or travel

Key Grammar Structures

• I'll admit, I was wrong, what else can I say, girl?

  ➔ Modal verb + Infinitive, Past Simple, Interrogative Tag

  ➔ "I'll admit" uses the future with 'will' to express a willingness to concede. "Was" is the past simple indicating a completed action. "What else can I say?" is a rhetorical question functioning as a tag.

• Can't you blame my head and not my heart?

  ➔ Inversion in Interrogative, Coordinating Conjunction

  ➔ The sentence starts with an auxiliary verb ('Can't') for emphasis and to form a question. "And" connects two contrasting ideas – blaming the 'head' versus the 'heart'.

• Was it real or just for show?

  ➔ Past Simple in Interrogative, Disjunctive Question (OR)

  ➔ "Was" forms a question in the past simple. The 'or' creates a disjunctive question, presenting two alternatives.

• You've been creepin' 'round on me

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ "You've been creepin'" uses the present perfect continuous to describe an action that started in the past and continues up to the present, implying a duration and ongoing nature of the 'creeping'.

• I try, and I try, but you'll never see that

  ➔ Repetition for Emphasis, Future with 'will' + Negative

  ➔ The repetition of "I try" emphasizes the speaker's effort. "You'll never see" uses the future with 'will' and 'never' to express certainty about the other person's inability to understand.