It Must Have Been Love – English Lyrics

• By: Roxette
• Album: Pretty Woman

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant beauty of Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love," a classic ballad that explores the depths of heartbreak and lost romance. This song offers a chance to delve into the nuances of emotional expression in English, with its powerful lyrics and unforgettable melody making it a standout choice for language learners .

[English]

It must have been love

But it's over now

Lay a whisper on my pillow

Leave the winter on the ground

I wake up lonely, this air of silence

In the bedroom and all around

Touch me now

I close my eyes and dream away

It must have been love, but it's over now

It must have been good, but I lost it somehow

It must have been love, but it's over now

From the moment we touched till the time had run out

Make believing we're together

That I'm sheltered by your heart

But in and outside, I turn to water

Like a teardrop in your palm

And it's a hard winter's day

I dream away

It must have been love, but it's over now

It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without

It must have been love, but it's over now

It's where the water flows

It's where the wind blows

...

It must have been love, but it's over now

It must have been good, but I lost it somehow

It must have been love, but it's over now

From the moment we touched till the time had run out

Yeah, it must have been love, but it's over now

It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without

It must have been love, but it's over now

It's where the water flows

It's where the wind blows

Oh

It must have been love

(But it's over now) but it's over now

Now

(Must have been love) it must have been love

(But it's over now) but it's over now

Now

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
over /ˈoʊvər/ A1	adjective - finished
whisper /ˈwɪspər/ B2	noun - a soft or hushed speech verb - to speak very softly
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - to go away from
winter /ˈwɪntər/ A1	noun - the coldest season of the year
wake /weɪk/ A1	verb - to stop sleeping
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
air /eər/ A1	noun - the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ B1	noun - the state of not speaking
bedroom /ˈbedruːm/ A1	noun - a room for sleeping in
touch /tʌtʃ/ A2	verb - to come into contact with something
dream /driːm/ A2	verb - to experience images, emotions, or sensations during sleep
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality
lost /lɒst/ A1	verb - past tense of lose
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - solid, firm, and rigid; difficult to do or accomplish.
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - a colorless, transparent, odorless, and tasteless liquid
wind /wɪnd/ A1	noun - the perceptible natural movement of the air

Key Grammar Structures

• It must have been love

  ➔ Modal verb of deduction in the past (must have + past participle)

  ➔ Expresses a strong deduction about something in the past. The speaker is concluding that it "must" have been love based on past experiences. "Must have been" suggests a high degree of certainty, but it's still a deduction, not a known fact.

• But it's over now

  ➔ Present Simple tense (to be + adjective) to describe a current state.

  ➔ Expresses the current state of the relationship. "It" (the relationship) "is over" meaning it has ended and is no longer ongoing.

• Lay a whisper on my pillow

  ➔ Imperative Mood (verb in base form) expressing a request or command.

  ➔ A figurative expression using the imperative to request something (probably from a memory or feeling). "Lay" is the base form of the verb, making it an imperative. It's a poetic request for a gentle, quiet presence (a whisper) on the pillow.

• Leave the winter on the ground

  ➔ Imperative Mood (verb in base form) expressing a request or command.

  ➔ Another imperative phrase. "Leave" is the base form of the verb, indicating a request. It suggests a desire for the lingering coldness or emotional state to remain present, perhaps as a reminder.

• I wake up lonely, this air of silence

  ➔ Adjective describing the subject and noun phrase for emphasis/description.

  ➔ "Lonely" is an adjective describing how the speaker feels. "This air of silence" is a noun phrase adding detail and emphasis to the feeling of loneliness. 'Air' is used metaphorically here.

• Make believing we're together

  ➔ Gerund as a noun (making believing)

  ➔ "Make believing" acts as a single unit functioning as a noun. It represents the act of pretending or imagining. Technically, "make" is a verb and "believing" acts as a gerund serving as the direct object of make. The whole phrase means engaging in the act of pretending.

• That I'm sheltered by your heart

  ➔ Passive voice (be + past participle)

  ➔ The subject (I) is receiving the action of being sheltered. It's not the speaker who's actively sheltering, but rather they are being sheltered BY someone else's heart (figuratively).

• It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without

  ➔ Past Simple vs. Present Continuous to contrast past desire with current reality

  ➔ "It was" (past simple) refers to the relationship as something the speaker desired in the past. "I'm living without" (present continuous) describes the speaker's current state of living without that relationship, implying an ongoing situation and a contrast to the past desire.