I've Been Loving You Too Long – English Lyrics

• By: Otis Redding
• Album: The Very Best of Otis Redding

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a journey into the depths of soul music and raw emotion with Otis Redding's 'I've Been Loving You Too Long.' This iconic ballad offers a profound exploration of enduring love, vulnerability, and steadfast commitment. Through its powerful lyrics and Otis Redding's unparalleled vocal delivery, you can learn to appreciate the nuance of expressing deep feelings in English, understanding how a master of soul conveys heartache and devotion with every note and inflection. Dive into a song that has captivated generations and discover the language of the heart.

[English]

I've been loving you

Too long to stop now

You were tired

And you want to be free

My love is growing stronger

As you become a habit to me

Ooh, I've been loving you too long

I don't wanna stop now, oh

With you, my life has been so wonderful

I can't stop now

You were tired

And your love is growing cold

My love is growing stronger

As our affair, affair grows old

I've been loving you

Oh, too long to stop now

Oh, oh-oh

I've been loving you

A little too long

I don't wanna stop now

Oh-oh, oh

Don't make me stop now

Oh, baby, I'm down on my knees

Please, don't make me stop now

I love you, I love you

I love you with all my heart and I can't stop now

Please, please

Please, please don't make me stop now, girl, no

Talkin' 'bout heart and soul

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
loving /ˈlʌvɪŋ/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing love. verb - to feel affection for
stop /stɒp/ A1	verb - to cease moving or operating
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - in need of sleep or rest
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not under the control or power of someone else
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
stronger /ˈstrɒŋɡər/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.
habit /ˈhæbɪt/ B1	noun - a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up
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.
wonderful /ˈwʌndərfl/ B1	adjective - inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous.
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature
affair /əˈfeər/ B2	noun - an event or sequence of events of a specified kind or that has previously been referred to.
old /oʊld/ A1	adjective - having lived for a long time; no longer young.
knees /niːz/ A1	noun - the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.

Key Grammar Structures

• I've been loving you Too long to stop now

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous Tense; "too" + adjective/adverb + "to" + infinitive

  ➔ Uses the Present Perfect Continuous to express an action that started in the past and continues to the present. "Too long to stop" expresses that the duration of the love is excessive, making it difficult to end. "I've **been loving**" shows it's an ongoing action. "Too long **to stop**" expresses the consequence.

• You were tired And you want to be free

  ➔ Simple Past Tense; "want" + "to" + infinitive

  ➔ Uses the Simple Past to describe a past state. "Want to be free" illustrates a desire. "You **were tired**" states a past condition. "Want **to be free**" expresses the desire to achieve freedom.

• My love is growing stronger As you become a habit to me

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense; "as" (conjunction) introducing a clause indicating reason or time.

  ➔ Uses the Present Continuous to show an ongoing process. "As" connects two events that are happening simultaneously. "Love **is growing**" describes the progression of love. "As you **become**" explains the circumstance influencing the growth of love.

• I don't wanna stop now, oh

  ➔ Informal contraction 'wanna' (want to); Negative imperative in the present tense

  ➔ 'Wanna' is an informal contraction of 'want to'. 'Don't stop now' is a plea not to end something that's already in motion. 'I **don't wanna stop**' expresses a wish. '**Don't stop**' is an instruction.

• With you, my life has been so wonderful

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense; Adverb of degree 'so'

  ➔ The Present Perfect highlights a past period of time that has relevance to the present. "So wonderful" shows an exceptional quality. "Life **has been**" emphasizes the time period. "So **wonderful**" indicates a high degree of enjoyment.

• And your love is growing cold

  ➔ Present Continuous; Adjective describing a state (cold)

  ➔ The Present Continuous describes an ongoing change. The adjective 'cold' describes the changing state of the love. "Love **is growing**" emphasizes a process. "Growing **cold**" shows the direction of the change.

• As our affair grows old

  ➔ Simple Present Tense; "As" conjunction indicating a simultaneous event

  ➔ Simple Present to describe a general truth or a fact. 'As' indicates that the aging of the affair is happening together with another event (mentioned earlier). "Affair **grows**" highlights the change. "As our affair **grows old**" sets the context for another event happening concurrently.

• Oh, baby, I'm down on my knees

  ➔ Present Simple; Prepositional phrase indicating location (down on my knees)

  ➔ Simple Present states a current condition. The prepositional phrase specifies where the speaker is. "I'm **down on my knees**" shows a position. "Down on my **knees**" gives a specific location and posture.