Last Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Backstreet Boys
• Album: A Very Backstreet Christmas

Lyrics & Translation

For those looking to immerse themselves in English through music, the Backstreet Boys' "Last Christmas" offers a contemporary boy band take on a beloved holiday classic. Its clear vocals and relatable themes of love and loss make it an engaging song for language learners, while its festive yet poignant lyrics provide insight into common English expressions related to romance and the holiday season. You can discover how the band puts their unique "BSB twist" on a well-known story of Christmas heartbreak and hope.

[English]

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)

And 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

La

La-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la

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

Merry Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it

With a note sayin', "I love you", I meant it

Now I know what a fool I've been

But if you kissed me now, I know you fooled me again

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart but the very next day, you gave it away (gave it away)

This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special (oh-ah, special)

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart (oh, last Christmas)

But the very next day, you gave it away (you gave it away)

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

La

La-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la

Last Christmas night

A crowded room, friends with tired eyes

I'm hidin' 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 undercover, but you tore me apart (ooh-yeah)

Mm-hm

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 (gave it away)

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

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart (gave you my heart) but the very next day, you gave it away (ooh)

This year (yeah), to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special (ooh-yeah)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - an annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25 adjective - relating to the festival of Christmas
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ in your chest that pumps blood around your body noun - the center of emotions, especially love
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time
year /jɪər/ A1	noun - a period of 365 or 366 days
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of liquid that come from your eyes
someone /ˈsʌmwʌn/ A1	pronoun - a person who is not known or mentioned by name
special /ˈspeʃəl/ A2	adjective - better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usual
eye /aɪ/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child
note /nəʊt/ A2	noun - a short piece of writing
fool /fuːl/ A2	noun - a person who acts unwisely or is easily tricked verb - to trick or deceive someone
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of time between evening and morning
room /ruːm/ A1	noun - a part of a building enclosed by walls, a floor, and a ceiling
friends /frendz/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
soul /səʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - feel deep affection for (someone).
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - the state of combustion or flames

Key Grammar Structures

• Last Christmas, I **gave** you my heart but the very next day, you **gave it away**

  ➔ Past Simple Tense & Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "**Gave**" is the simple past tense of "give," used for completed actions in the past. "**Gave it away**" is a phrasal verb meaning to dispose of something or transfer ownership.

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

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The infinitive phrase "**to save me from tears**" expresses the reason or purpose for the action "I'll give it to someone special."

• **Once bitten and twice shy**

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression with Past Participle

  ➔ This is a common idiom, "**Once bitten and twice shy**," meaning that a bad experience makes one cautious. "Bitten" is the past participle of "bite," used here as an adjective.

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

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ "**It's been a year**" (it has been a year) uses the present perfect to describe a duration of time that started in the past and continues up to the present moment.

• With a note **sayin'**, 'I love you', I meant it

  ➔ Present Participle (Reduced Relative Clause)

  ➔ "**Sayin'**" (short for "saying") is a present participle functioning as an adjective or a reduced relative clause ("a note *that was saying*") modifying "note," indicating what the note contained.

• Now I know **what a fool I've been**

  ➔ Noun Clause / Exclamatory Clause

  ➔ The phrase "**what a fool I've been**" functions as the object of the verb "know," expressing a strong realization or exclamation about a past state that affects the present.

• But **if you kissed me now, I know you fooled me again**

  ➔ Second Conditional Structure (Hypothetical Present)

  ➔ "**If you kissed me now**" uses the past simple to set up a hypothetical or unreal situation in the present. The main clause expresses a present certainty ("I know") about a past repeated action.

• I'm **hidin' from you** and your soul of ice

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense & Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "I'm **hidin'**" (I am hiding) uses the present continuous to describe an ongoing action. "**Hidin' from**" is a phrasal verb meaning to avoid or keep oneself concealed from someone.

• My God, I thought you **were someone to rely on**

  ➔ Infinitive as an Adjective Phrase

  ➔ The infinitive phrase "**to rely on**" functions adjectivally to describe "someone," indicating a quality or characteristic that person was perceived to have.

• A man undercover, but you **tore me apart**

  ➔ Phrasal Verb (Idiomatic)

  ➔ "**Tore me apart**" is a phrasal verb used idiomatically here to mean causing great emotional distress or heartbreak.