I Can Hear the Bells – English Lyrics

• By: Nikki Blonsky
• Album: Hairspray

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the hopeful exuberance of "I Can Hear the Bells" from *Hairspray*, a delightful introduction to musical theatre for learners. This song is sung by Nikki Blonsky, showcases a teenager's dreams of love and acceptance, and offers a fun way to learn English idioms and emotional expression through its lively lyrics .

[English]

I can hear the bells, well, don't you hear 'em chime?

Can't you feel my heartbeat keeping perfect time?

And all because he touched me, he looked at me and stared

Yes, he bumped me, my heart was unprepared

When he tapped me and knocked me off my feet

One little touch, now my life's complete

'Cause when he nudged me, love put me in a fix

Yes, it hit me just like a ton of bricks

Yes, my heart burst, now I know what life's about

One little touch and love's knocked me out

And I can hear the bells, my head is spinning

I can hear the bells, something's beginning

Everybody says that a girl who looks like me

Can't win his love, well, just wait and see

'Cause I can hear the bells, just hear them chiming

I can hear the bells, my temperature's climbing

I can't contain my joy

'Cause I finally found the boy I've been missing

Listen, I can hear the bells

Round one, he'll ask me on a date

And then round two, I'll primp but won't be late

Because round three's when we kiss inside his car

Won't go all the way, but I'll go pretty far

Round four, he'll ask me for my hand

And then round five, we'll book the wedding band

So by round six, Amber, much to your surprise

This heavyweight champion takes the prize

And I can hear the bells, my ears are ringing

I can hear the bells, the bridesmaids are singing

Everybody says that a guy who's such a gem

Won't look my way, well, the laugh's on them

'Cause I can hear the bells, my father will smile

I can hear the bells as he walks me down the aisle

My mother starts to cry

But I can't see 'cause Link and I are French kissing

Listen, I can hear the bells

...

I can hear the bells, my head is reeling

I can hear the bells, I can't stop the pealing

Everybody warns that he won't like what he'll see

But I know that he'll look inside of me, yeah

I can hear the bells, today's just the start 'cause

I can hear the bells and 'til death do us part

And even when we die, we'll look down from up above

Remembering the night that we two fell in love

We both will shed a tear

And he'll whisper as we're reminiscing

Listen, I can hear the bells (We can hear the bells)

I can hear the bells (We can hear the bells)

I can hear the bells

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hear /hɪər/ A2	verb - to perceive sound with the ears
bells /bɛlz/ A2	noun - devices that make a ringing sound, usually made of metal
chime /tʃaɪm/ B1	verb/noun - to produce a musical sound; a ringing sound produced by a bell
heartbeat /ˈhɛartˌbɪt/ B2	noun - the pulsation of the heart
touch /tʌtʃ/ A2	verb/noun - to make contact with; a physical sensation detected by the skin
love /lʌv/ A1	noun/verb - a strong feeling of affection; to feel deep affection for someone
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body
timing /ˈtaɪmɪŋ/ B2	noun - the selection or control of when something happens
touch /tʌtʃ/ A2	verb/noun - to make contact with; a physical sensation detected by the skin
complete /kəmˈpliːt/ B2	adjective/verb - having all parts; to make whole or finish something
touch /tʌtʃ/ A2	verb/noun - to make contact with; a physical sensation detected by the skin
knock /nɒk/ B1	verb/noun - to hit something to make a sound; a sharp blow
burst /bɜːrst/ B2	verb/noun - to suddenly break apart or open with force; a sudden explosion
knocked /nɒkt/ B2	verb (past form of knock) - hit to make a sound, with emphasis on past action

Key Grammar Structures

• When he tapped me and knocked me off my feet

  ➔ Past simple tense with 'when' to indicate an action that interrupts another

  ➔ The phrase describes a specific moment in the past that interrupted the ongoing event

• My heart burst, now I know what life's about

  ➔ Past simple tense with 'burst' and 'know' used for realization

  ➔ The singer has realized an important truth about life through this experience

• And we'll look down from up above

  ➔ Future tense 'will' + verb to indicate future action

  ➔ Expresses a confident prediction about their future after death

• Remembering the night that we two fell in love

  ➔ Gerund phrase 'Remembering' to act as a noun, with defining relative clause

  ➔ The act of recalling a specific moment in the past when love began

• 'Cause' when used as a contraction of 'because' to explain the reason

  ➔ Contraction ''Cause' as a casual form of 'because'

  ➔ Used to introduce a reason or explanation informally

• My head is spinning

  ➔ Present continuous tense to describe a current ongoing sensation

  ➔ Indicates that the singer is experiencing a feeling of dizziness or excitement at the moment

• Everybody warns that he won't like what he'll see

  ➔ Future simple tense with 'will' to express a future event and third person singular 'warns'

  ➔ Expresses a prediction that others have warned about a future negative outcome