I Got You Babe

• By: UB40, Chrissie Hynde
• Album: Baggariddim

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child or infant
ring /rɪŋ/ A2	noun - a circular band, especially one worn on a finger as jewelry
money /ˈmʌni/ A2	noun - coins or bills used as a medium of exchange
flower /ˈflaʊər/ A2	noun - the colorful part of a plant that produces seeds
spring /sprɪŋ/ A2	noun - the season when flowers bloom and weather gets warmer
clown /klaʊn/ B1	noun - a comic performer who wears exaggerated costumes and makeup
mountain /ˈmaʊntən/ B1	noun - a large landform that rises high above the surrounding land
climb /klaɪm/ B2	verb - to go up something, such as stairs or a hill
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to have or keep in the hands
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot

Grammar:

• They say we're young and we don't know

  ➔ Indirect speech (reporting speech) with 'say'.

  ➔ This reports what people generally say. The 'that' conjunction is omitted. "They "say" "that" we are young..."

• Won't find out until we grow

  ➔ Future simple negative contraction ('won't') with a time clause ('until').

  ➔ 'Won't' is a contraction of 'will not'. The action of finding out is dependent on the condition of growing up, expressed by the 'until' clause.

• Cause you've got me and baby I've got you

  ➔ Present perfect contracted ('you've got', 'I've got') used to express possession or a state. 'Cause' as an informal shortening of 'because'.

  ➔ 'You've got me' and 'I've got you' use the present perfect to indicate a lasting state of having each other. 'Cause' is a very common informal way to say 'because'.

• They say our love won't pay the rent

  ➔ Indirect speech again with 'say', and future simple negative (won't) .

  ➔ Similar to the first line, this reports a common sentiment. 'Won't' indicates a future negative prediction.

• Before it's earned our money's always spent

  ➔ Present perfect passive ('it's earned'), possessive 's ('money's'), adverb of frequency ('always').

  ➔ 'It's earned' uses present perfect passive to suggest that money is spent before it *has been* earned. 'Money's' shows possession. 'Always' indicates a consistent pattern.

• At least I'm sure of all the things we've got

  ➔ Superlative construction (implied: more sure than others), present perfect contracted 'we've got' (possession).

  ➔ The speaker emphasizes certainty with 'I'm sure'. The implied comparison suggests they are *more* sure than others. 'We've got' refers to possessions and experiences they share.

• With you I can't go wrong

  ➔ Modal verb of ability with negative connotation ('can't'), idiom ('go wrong').

  ➔ 'Can't' expresses an inability or impossibility. 'Go wrong' is an idiom meaning to make mistakes or have negative outcomes. The sentence means that being with the person guarantees success and happiness.

• There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb

  ➔ Double negative ('ain't no' and 'can't'), modal verb of ability ('can't'), colloquialism ('ain't').

  ➔ 'Ain't' is a very informal and often grammatically incorrect contraction of 'is not', 'are not', or 'am not'. The double negative ('ain't no' and 'can't') reinforces the positive idea: *We can climb any hill or mountain*.