I Need You – English Lyrics

• By: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful journey, and 'I Need You' by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds offers a profound, albeit somber, entry point into the English language. The song's simple, repetitive, and emotionally charged lyrics provide a clear window into the expression of deep human feelings like loss and longing. What makes this song special for learners is its raw honesty and the space it leaves for interpretation, allowing you to connect with the universal language of grief while absorbing poignant English vocabulary and phrasing.

[English]

When you're feeling like a lover

...

Nothing really matters anymore

I saw you standing there in the supermarket

With your red dressing falling

And your eyes are to the ground

Nothing really matters

Nothing really matters when the world you love is gone

Stealing me, baby

I need you

...

In my heart, I need you

...

Cause nothing really matters

I'm standing in the doorway

You're walking 'round my place in your red dress, hair hanging down

With your eyes on one, we love the ones we can

Cause nothing really matters when you're standing, standing

...

I need you, need you

...

Cause nothing really matters

We follow the line of the palms of our hands

You're standing in the supermarket, nothing, holding hands

In your red dress, falling, falling in, falling in

A long black car is waiting around

I will miss you when you're gone

I'll miss you when you're gone away forever

Cause nothing really matters

I thought I knew better, so much better

And I need you

...

I need you

...

Cause nothing really matters

On the night we wrecked like a train

Purring cars and pouring rain

Never felt right about, never again

Cause nothing really matters

Nothing really matters anymore, not even today

No matter how hard I try

When you're standing in the aisle, and no, baby

Nothing, nothing, nothing

I need, I need, I need you

...

I need you

...

I need you

Just breathe, just breathe

I need you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
need /niːd/ A1	verb - to require something essential
matter /ˈmætər/ A2	verb - to be important or significant noun - a subject or situation under consideration
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to be in an upright position
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have deep affection for someone noun - deep affection
red /rɛd/ A1	adjective - of a color at the end of the spectrum next to orange
dress /drɛs/ A1	noun - a woman's outer garment verb - to put on clothing
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a muscular organ that pumps blood
follow /ˈfɒləʊ/ A1	verb - to go or come after someone
wreck /rɛk/ B1	verb - to destroy or severely damage noun - something destroyed or severely damaged
pour /pɔːr/ A1	verb - to flow rapidly in a particular direction
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel sadness over someone's absence
breath /brɛθ/ A1	noun - air taken into or expelled from the lungs
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - to stay in place until a particular time or event
hold /həʊld/ A1	verb - to grasp or carry something
line /laɪn/ A1	noun - a long, narrow mark or band

Key Grammar Structures

• When you're feeling like a lover

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase 'you're feeling' uses the present continuous tense to describe an action happening now or around now.

• Nothing really matters anymore

  ➔ Adverb placement

  ➔ The adverb 'really' is placed between the auxiliary verb 'does' (understood in the negative contraction 'doesn't') and the main verb 'matter' to emphasize the degree.

• I saw you standing there in the supermarket

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ The verb 'saw' is in the past simple tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• With your red dressing falling

  ➔ Present participle

  ➔ The phrase 'dressing falling' uses the present participle to describe an ongoing action.

• Cause nothing really matters when you're standing, standing

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ The word 'standing' is repeated for emphasis, highlighting the importance of the action.

• We follow the line of the palms of our hands

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'of the palms of our hands' is a prepositional phrase that provides additional information about the line being followed.

• I will miss you when you're gone

  ➔ Future simple tense

  ➔ The phrase 'will miss' uses the future simple tense to express a future action.

• I thought I knew better, so much better

  ➔ Past tense with comparative adverb

  ➔ The phrase 'knew better' uses the past tense with the comparative adverb 'better' to indicate a higher degree of knowledge in the past.