Last Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Wham!
• Album: The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the festive yet poignant world of Wham!'s 'Last Christmas,' a beloved holiday anthem that offers a unique lens into English vocabulary and emotional expression. Through its catchy synth-pop melodies and deeply relatable lyrics about heartbreak and hope, learners can grasp colloquialisms related to relationships and the nuanced feelings associated with loss and moving on. The song's simple yet effective storytelling makes it an excellent choice for expanding your understanding of everyday English in a memorable and culturally significant context.

[English]

(upbeat music)

(singer vocalizing)

♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart ♪

♪ But the very next day you gave it away ♪

♪ This year, to save me from tears ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart ♪

♪ But the very next day you gave it away ♪

♪ You gave it away ♪

♪ This year, to save me from tears ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Special ♪

♪ Once bitten and twice shy ♪

♪ I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye ♪

♪ Tell me baby, do you recognize me ♪

♪ Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me ♪

♪ Happy Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it ♪

♪ With a note saying, "I love you," I meant it ♪

♪ Now I know what a fool I've been ♪

♪ But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again ♪

♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart ♪

♪ But the very next day you gave it away ♪

♪ You gave it away ♪

♪ This year, to save me from tears ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Special ♪

♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart ♪

♪ But the very next day you gave it away ♪

♪ This year, to save me from tears ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Special ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, baby ♪

♪ A crowded room, friends with tired eyes ♪

♪ I'm hiding from you and your soul of ice ♪

♪ My God, I thought you were someone to rely on ♪

♪ Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on ♪

♪ A face on a lover with a fire in his heart ♪

♪ A man under cover, but you tore me apart ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, now I've found a real love ♪

♪ You'll never fool me again ♪

♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart ♪

♪ But the very next day you gave it away ♪

♪ You gave it away ♪

♪ This year, to save me from tears ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Special ♪

♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart ♪

♪ But the very next day you gave it away ♪

♪ You gave me away ♪

♪ This year, to save me from tears ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Special ♪

♪ A face on a lover with a fire in his heart ♪

♪ I gave you mine ♪

♪ A man under cover but you tore him apart ♪

♪ Maybe next year I'll give it to someone ♪

♪ I'll give it to someone special ♪

♪ Special ♪

♪ So long ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Christmas /ˈkrɪs.məs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period of 24 hours as a unit of time, reckoned from one midnight to the next
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye as a result of strong emotion, pain, or irritation.
special /ˈspeʃ.əl/ A2	adjective - better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usual
shy /ʃaɪ/ B1	adjective - being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people.
eye /aɪ/ A1	noun - the organ of sight in humans and animals
baby /ˈbeɪ.bi/ A1	noun - a very young child noun - a term of endearment
surprise /sərˈpraɪz/ B1	verb - cause (someone) to feel mild astonishment or shock. noun - an unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing.
fool /fuːl/ B2	noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person. verb - deceive or trick (someone).
room /ruːm/ A1	noun - a space that is or could be occupied
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - in need of sleep or rest; weary.
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the nonphysical part of a person, often thought to be their identity
ice /aɪs/ A1	noun - frozen water
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone

Key Grammar Structures

• Last Christmas I gave you my heart

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ The sentence uses the simple past tense ("gave") to describe an action that was completed in the past. 'Last Christmas' clearly indicates when the action happened.

• But the very next day you gave it away

  ➔ Phrasal Verb: give away

  ➔ "Gave away" is a phrasal verb meaning to give something to someone else for free or to betray something. The structure is verb + adverbial particle.

• This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special

  ➔ Future Simple (will), Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The sentence uses the future simple ("I'll give") to describe a future intention. "To save me from tears" is an infinitive phrase of purpose, explaining the reason for the future action.

• Once bitten and twice shy

  ➔ Shortened passive clause

  ➔ This is a proverb. It implies 'Once someone is bitten (by an experience), they are twice as shy'. The verbs 'is' or 'was' are omitted. It's a shortened passive clause used idiomatically.

• I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye

  ➔ Present Simple, conjunction 'but'

  ➔ The sentence uses the present simple tense ("keep", "catch") to describe habitual actions or general truths. "But" is a coordinating conjunction that connects two contrasting ideas.

• Tell me baby, do you recognize me

  ➔ Imperative, Interrogative form

  ➔ "Tell me baby" is an imperative sentence. "Do you recognize me" is in an interrogative (question) form using the auxiliary verb "do".

• Now I know what a fool I've been

  ➔ Present Perfect, Embedded Question

  ➔ "I've been" is in the present perfect tense indicating a past action with present relevance. "What a fool I've been" is an embedded question, acting as the object of the verb "know". The structure is 'subject + verb + question word + subject + verb'.

• I'm hiding from you and your soul of ice

  ➔ Present Continuous, prepositional phrase

  ➔ "I'm hiding" uses present continuous to express an action in progress at the moment of speaking/singing. "From you" is a prepositional phrase, indicating who the speaker is hiding from.