I Look to You – English Lyrics

• By: Whitney Houston

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the profound emotions of Whitney Houston's "I Look to You," a soulful ballad that showcases her incredible vocal prowess and heartfelt delivery. Learning English through this song offers a unique opportunity to grasp expressions of faith, resilience, and personal struggle. Its clear, emotive lyrics and powerful chorus make it an excellent choice for understanding vocabulary related to hope, adversity, and spiritual comfort, all wrapped in a timeless melody.

[English]

(soft music)

♪ As I lay me down ♪

♪ Heaven hear me now ♪

♪ I'm lost without a cause ♪

♪ After giving it my all ♪

♪ Winter storms have come ♪

♪ And darkened my sun ♪

♪ After all that I've been through ♪

♪ Who on earth can I turn to ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ After all my strength is gone ♪

♪ In you I can be strong ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ And when melodies are gone ♪

♪ In you I hear a song ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ After losing my breath ♪

♪ There's no more fighting left ♪

♪ Sinking to rise no more ♪

♪ Searching for that open door ♪

♪ And every road that I've taken ♪

♪ Led to my regret ♪

♪ And I don't know if I'm gonna make it ♪

♪ Nothing to do but lift my head ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ And when all my strength is gone ♪

♪ In you I can be strong ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ And when melodies are gone ♪

♪ In you I hear a song ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ My levees are broken, oh Lord ♪

♪ My walls have come, coming down on me ♪

♪ They're running down on me, all the rain is falling ♪

♪ The rain is falling, woo ♪

♪ Defeat is calling, set me free ♪

♪ I need you to set me free ♪

♪ Take me far away from the battle ♪

♪ I need you ♪

♪ Shine on me ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ After all my strength has gone ♪

♪ In you I can be strong ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ And when melodies are gone ♪

♪ In you I hear a song ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

♪ I look to you ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lay /leɪ/ A1	verb - to put something down in a flat position
lost /lɔːst/ A2	adjective - unable to find one's way
strength /strɛŋkθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being strong
storm /stɔːrm/ B1	noun - a violent disturbance of the atmosphere
darkened /ˈdɑːrkənd/ B2	verb - to make or become dark
searching /ˈsɜːrʧɪŋ/ B2	verb - to look for something
battle /ˈbætəl/ B2	noun - a fight between armed forces
melody /ˈmɛlədi/ B2	noun - a sequence of notes that is musically satisfying
regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/ B2	noun - a feeling of sadness or disappointment about something that has happened
free /friː/ B1	adjective - not under the control or in the power of another
shine /ʃaɪn/ B1	verb - to give off light
make /meɪk/ A1	verb - to create or form something

Key Grammar Structures

• After giving it my all

  ➔ prepositional phrase indicating a point in time or condition

  ➔ The phrase 'after giving it my all' shows an action completed before another point in time.

• Who on earth can I turn to

  ➔ interrogative sentence with a modal verb expressing possibility or ability

  ➔ The sentence uses a question form with 'can' to ask about ability or possibility.

• In you I can be strong

  ➔ prepositional phrase with inversion for emphasis

  ➔ This structure emphasizes the subject 'you' by placing it after the preposition 'in'.

• And when melodies are gone

  ➔ subordinate clause indicating a condition or time

  ➔ The clause 'when melodies are gone' sets a temporal or conditional context for the main idea.

• Nothing to do but lift my head

  ➔ expression with infinitive 'to do' indicating lack of alternative action

  ➔ The phrase 'Nothing to do but lift my head' implies that no other actions are possible besides the stated one.

• My levees are broken, oh Lord

  ➔ possessive pronoun plus plural noun indicating ownership; passive voice construction

  ➔ The phrase uses 'my' to show possession and presents an image of damage or loss.