How Were We To Know – English Lyrics

• By: Emeli Sandé
• Album: How Were We To Know

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant beauty of Emeli Sandé's "How Were We To Know", a soulful ballad that delves into the complexities of love and relationships. With its haunting melody and heartfelt lyrics, this song offers a glimpse into the emotional landscape of heartbreak and healing, providing a valuable opportunity to explore themes of vulnerability, self-compassion, and the unpredictable nature of human connections.

[English]

I won't think about it

Cos I don't know how to handle this shit

Yeah we both could have done better

But come on come on

How were we to know?

How were we to grow?

We gave it all we had

So come on don’t feel bad

Cos how were we to know?

Please don’t come round to my place

Cos I don’t want you to see me like this

We know it ended in disaster

But we tried we tried

Yet how were we to know?

How were we to grow?

We gave it all we had

So come on don’t feel bad

See how were we to know?

How were we to know?

We could have done better but sooner

or later we stopped all love letters

with things that we dreaded

We're standing in front of us

Staring us dead in the eye

We should have been patient

but who the hell’s got any time to be patient

When it’s just a matter of time? Of time but

How were we to know?

How were we to grow?

We gave it all we had

So come on don’t feel bad

How were we to know?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information
grow /ɡroʊ/ A1	verb - to increase in size or amount
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion
bad /bæd/ A1	adjective - unpleasant; undesirable
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or point in space
see /siː/ A1	verb - to perceive with the eyes; discern visually
disaster /dɪˈzæstər/ B1	noun - a sudden event that causes great damage or loss of life
tried /traɪd/ A2	verb - attempted to do something
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection
letters /ˈletərz/ A2	noun - a written or printed message addressed to a person or organization
things /θɪŋz/ A1	noun - an object that one need not, cannot, or does not wish to give a specific name to
dreaded /ˈdredɪd/ B2	verb - anticipate with great apprehension or fear
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
matter /ˈmætər/ B1	noun - a thing or situation under consideration.
patient /ˈpeɪʃənt/ B1	adjective - able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
eye /aɪ/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
front /frʌnt/ A2	noun - the side or part of a thing that faces forward

Key Grammar Structures

• I won't think about it

  ➔ Future simple negative (won't + base verb)

  ➔ The word "won't" is the contraction of "will not", used to express a future negative.

• Cos I don't know how to handle this shit

  ➔ "don't know how to + infinitive" structure

  ➔ "don't" is the negative of "do", and "how to handle" is an infinitive phrase showing the action that is unknown.

• We both could have done better

  ➔ Modal perfect (could have + past participle)

  ➔ "could have" + past participle expresses a possibility or ability that existed in the past but did not happen.

• How were we to know?

  ➔ "be to" in past form expressing expectation or obligation

  ➔ "were to know" means that it was expected or supposed that we would know, but the knowledge was absent.

• Please don’t come round to my place

  ➔ Imperative negative with "don't"

  ➔ "don’t" + base verb forms a polite but firm request not to do something.

• We know it ended in disaster

  ➔ "know" + that‑clause (zero‑article omission)

  ➔ The verb "know" is followed by a clause "it ended in disaster" that states a fact; the conjunction "that" is often omitted in informal English.

• We should have been patient

  ➔ Modal perfect (should have + past participle)

  ➔ "should have been" expresses regret or criticism about a past situation that did not happen as expected.

• We stopped all love letters with things that we dreaded

  ➔ Relative clause introduced by "that"

  ➔ The clause "that we dreaded" modifies "things" and tells us which things are being referred to.