Keeping Your Head Up – English Lyrics

• By: Birdy
• Album: Beautiful Lies

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Birdy's "Keeping Your Head Up," a beautiful and encouraging track that serves as an excellent resource for English language learners. Its clear vocals and direct, empathetic lyrics provide an authentic context for understanding expressions of support, resilience, and comfort. Listen closely to how Birdy conveys a powerful message of hope through simple yet profound phrases, making it special for its emotional depth and accessible language.

[English]

Times that I've seen you lose your way

You're not in control, and you won't be told

All I can do to keep you safe is hold you close

Hold you close till you can breathe on your own

Till you can breathe on your own

Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up

And I won't let you down

Everyone keeps a darker place

To lose control, you're not alone

And when you come looking for embrace

I know your soul, I'll be your home

Till you can breathe on your own

Till you can breathe on your own

Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up

And I won't let you down

You never think that you can fly

You'll always swim against the tide

Don't you know your pain is mine?

And I would die a thousand times to ease your mind

To ease your mind

Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling

Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up

And I won't let you down

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to be deprived of something
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method or style of doing something
safe /seɪf/ A2	adjective - protected from or not exposed to danger or risk
hold /hoʊld/ A1	verb - to grasp and keep in position noun - the act or manner of holding something
close /kloʊs/ A1	adjective - near in space or time
breathe /briːð/ A1	verb - to take air into the lungs and expel it
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck
haunted /ˈhɔːntɪd/ B2	adjective - inhabited by a ghost or ghosts
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
darker /ˈdɑːrkər/ A2	adjective - with little or no light
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or area
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present
embrace /ɪmˈbreɪs/ B2	noun - an act of holding someone tightly in one's arms verb - hold someone tightly in one's arms, typically to express affection
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal

Key Grammar Structures

• Times that I've seen you lose your way

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'that'

  ➔ The word "that" introduces a relative clause modifying "Times". This clause provides additional information about the times in question. The present perfect "I've seen" emphasizes the speaker's past experiences.

• You're not in control, and you won't be told

  ➔ Passive Voice (won't be told)

  ➔ "You won't be told" uses the passive voice to indicate that someone else will not inform or direct the person. It emphasizes that the person is being refused information, rather than refusing to listen. "Won't" indicates future refusal.

• All I can do to keep you safe is hold you close

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The phrase "to keep you safe" uses an infinitive to express the purpose of the speaker's action, which is holding the person close.

• Hold tight, you're slowly coming back to life

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense for Ongoing Action

  ➔ "You're slowly coming back to life" uses the present continuous tense to describe an action that is in progress. "Slowly" modifies the verb phrase, indicating the pace of the action.

• Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight

  ➔ Imperative Sentence

  ➔ "Let go of all your haunted dreams tonight" is an imperative sentence, which gives a direct command or instruction. It directly tells the listener to release or abandon their negative thoughts.

• Everyone keeps a darker place

  ➔ Present Simple Tense for General Truth

  ➔ "Everyone keeps a darker place" uses the present simple to express a general truth or a common experience. It suggests that it's normal for people to have hidden or difficult aspects of themselves.

• To lose control, you're not alone

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of 'If')

  ➔ This line uses ellipsis, omitting "If" at the beginning. It is implied that 'If you lose control, you are not alone.' This creates a more poetic and immediate feel.

• You'll always swim against the tide

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will' for prediction

  ➔ "You'll always swim against the tide" uses the future simple tense with "will" (contracted to 'll) to express a prediction or a belief about the person's consistent behavior in the future. The adverb "always" emphasizes the habitual nature of the action.

• Don't you know your pain is mine?

  ➔ Tag Question (rhetorical)

  ➔ "Don't you know your pain is mine?" is a tag question, but here it is used rhetorically rather than to seek confirmation. The speaker is emphasizing their empathy and shared feeling.

• And I would die a thousand times to ease your mind

  ➔ Second Conditional (Hypothetical)

  ➔ This line expresses a hypothetical situation and its likely consequence using the second conditional structure. "Would die" indicates a willingness to make a sacrifice, even though it's highly improbable.