In My Life (Remastered 2009) – English Lyrics

• By: The Beatles
• Album: Rubber Soul

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical depth of The Beatles' "In My Life," a classic track from 1965 that offers a beautiful journey through memory and affection. This song is an excellent resource for English language learners, showcasing thoughtful vocabulary related to personal reflection and emotional expression. Its clear, narrative lyrics provide a strong through-line, making it easier to follow the song's meaning, while the subtle shifts in tone offer insights into nuanced English phrasing. The elegant and introspective nature of the lyrics, combined with a timeless melody, makes it a rewarding piece for language study, inviting listeners to appreciate both its poetic quality and its emotional resonance.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
remember /rɪˈmem.bər/ A2	verb - to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind, or to keep a piece of information in your memory
changed /tʃeɪndʒd/ A1	verb - to become different
gone /ɡɔːn/ A1	verb - past participle of 'go'; moved away or disappeared
remain /rɪˈmeɪn/ B1	verb - to stay in the same place or in the same condition
moments /ˈmoʊ.mənts/ A2	noun - a very short period of time
lovers /ˈlʌv.əz/ A2	noun - people who are in love with each other
friends /frendz/ A1	noun - a person who you know well and like, and who is not a member of your family
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ B2	verb - to bring the memory of a past event into your mind, and often to give a description of what you remember
dead /ded/ A1	adjective - no longer alive
living /ˈlɪv.ɪŋ/ A1	adjective - alive
compares /kəmˈpeərz/ B1	verb - to examine or judge two or more things in order to discover the similarities or differences between them
memories /ˈmem.əriz/ A2	noun - something that you remember
meaning /ˈmiː.nɪŋ/ B1	noun - the message or idea that is expressed by something
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to like someone very much noun - a strong feeling of affection
affection /əˈfek.ʃən/ B2	noun - a feeling of liking for a person or place
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - to have an opinion or belief about something

Key Grammar Structures

• There are places I'll remember

  ➔ Relative Clause with Omission of Relative Pronoun (that/which)

  ➔ The full sentence would be 'There are places *that* I will remember.' The relative pronoun 'that' is omitted because it's the object of the verb 'remember'.

• All my life though some have changed

  ➔ Conjunction 'though' introducing a contrasting idea.

  ➔ 'Though' acts as a conjunction indicating a contrast with the previous statement. It means 'although' or 'even though'.

• Some forever, not for better

  ➔ Ellipsis: Omission of words for brevity and poetic effect.

  ➔ The implied full sentences could be 'Some changed forever' and 'Some changed, but not for better'. This adds a poetic and concise feel.

• All these places have their moments

  ➔ Possessive Pronoun 'their'

  ➔ 'Their' indicates that the moments belong to the places.

• With lovers and friends I still can recall

  ➔ Inversion (subject-verb) for emphasis.

  ➔ The normal word order would be '...I can still recall lovers and friends'. The inversion puts emphasis on 'lovers and friends'.

• But of all these friends and lovers, there is no one compares with you

  ➔ Comparative Structure ('no one compares with you')

  ➔ This implies that you are superior to all other friends and lovers. It's an implicit superlative statement.

• And these memories lose their meaning

  ➔ Present Simple tense to express a general truth.

  ➔ The present simple ('lose') is used to describe a state that is generally true when thinking about new love.

• Though I know I'll never lose affection

  ➔ Future Tense ('I'll never lose') with 'Though' showing contrast.

  ➔ 'I'll never lose' expresses a future intention. 'Though' introduces a contrasting idea - despite loving the present, the speaker won't completely forget the past.

• For people and things that went before

  ➔ Past Simple ('went') in a relative clause

  ➔ The phrase 'that went before' is a relative clause describing 'people and things'. The past simple 'went' indicates that these people and things are from the past.

• I know I'll often stop and think about them

  ➔ Adverb of Frequency 'often' placed between auxiliary and main verb.

  ➔ 'Often' indicates how frequently the action (stopping and thinking) occurs. Its position is typical for adverbs of frequency.