Lonely This Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Mud

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a unique linguistic journey with Mud's "Lonely This Christmas." This iconic 1974 UK Christmas number one offers a rich vocabulary for expressing deep emotions, particularly sadness and longing, within a festive context. Listen for the distinct Elvis-inspired vocal delivery and the melancholic, spoken-word bridge, which provide excellent examples of expressive English and storytelling. This song is special for its bittersweet charm, contrasting traditional Christmas cheer with heartfelt solitude, making it a compelling piece for understanding emotional nuances in English lyrics.

[English]

Try to imagine a house that's not a home

...

Try to imagine a Christmas all alone

That's where I'll be, since you left me

My tears could melt the snow

What can I do, without you?

I've got no place, no place to go

It'll be lonely this Christmas

Without you to hold

It'll be lonely this Christmas

Lonely and cold

It'll be cold, so cold

Without you to hold

This Christmas

Each time I remember the day you went away

...

And how I would listen to the things you had to say

I just break down, as I look around

And the only things I see

Are emptiness and loneliness

And an unlit Christmas tree

It'll be lonely this Christmas

Without you to hold

It'll be lonely this Christmas

Lonely and cold

It'll be cold, so cold

Without you to hold

This Christmas

You remember last year, when you and I were together?

...

We never thought there'd be an end

And I remember looking at you then

And I remember thinking that Christmas must have been made for us

'Cause darlin', this is the time of year that you really, you really need love

When it means so very, very much

So it'll be lonely this Christmas

Without you to hold

It'll be so very lonely

Lonely and cold

It'll be lonely this Christmas

Without you to hold

It'll be lonely this Christmas

Lonely and cold

It'll be cold, so cold

Without you to hold

This Christmas

...

Merry Christmas darlin', wherever you are

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
imagine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ B1	verb - to form a mental image or concept of something.
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present; lonely.
left /lɛft/ A1	verb - to go away from.
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye in response to strong emotion.
melt /mɛlt/ B1	verb - to make or become liquefied by heat.
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes.
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position, point, or area in space; a location.
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ B1	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company.
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp and keep (something).
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature.
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ A2	verb - have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something that one has known or experienced in the past).
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - each of the twenty-four-hour periods, reckoned from one midnight to the next, into which a year is divided, and corresponding to a rotation of the earth on its axis.
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - separate or be separated into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
emptiness /ˈɛmptinəs/ B2	noun - the state of containing nothing.
unlit /ʌnˈlɪt/ B2	adjective - not lit; without artificial light.
tree /triː/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground.
end /ɛnd/ A1	noun - a final part of something, especially a period of time, an activity, or a story.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - feel deep affection for (someone).

Key Grammar Structures

• Try to imagine a house that's not a home

  ➔ Relative clause using 'that'

  ➔ The word "that" introduces a relative clause which modifies the noun "house". It specifies which house is being referred to - a house that doesn't feel like a home.

• That's where I'll be, since you left me

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' and 'since' clause indicating cause.

  ➔ "I'll be" expresses a future action. The "since" clause explains the reason for this action: "since you left me".

• My tears could melt the snow

  ➔ Conditional type 2 (unreal present/future) using 'could'

  ➔ "Could" indicates a hypothetical possibility or a highly unlikely event. The sentence suggests the speaker is so sad that their tears are metaphorically capable of melting snow, which is not literally true.

• What can I do, without you?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with modal verb 'can'

  ➔ "Can" expresses ability or possibility. The sentence asks about the speaker's ability to function without the other person.

• Each time I remember the day you went away

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'each time' indicating frequency

  ➔ "Each time" indicates that the action of remembering happens repeatedly, emphasizing the speaker's constant recollection of that day.

• And how I would listen to the things you had to say

  ➔ Past habitual action with 'would' and past perfect tense ('had to say')

  ➔ "Would" indicates a repeated action in the past. "Had to say" uses the past perfect to emphasize that the speaking happened before the remembering.

• We never thought there'd be an end

  ➔ Past simple with contraction of 'there would'

  ➔ "There'd be" is a contraction of "there would be", indicating a future event viewed from the past. The sentence expresses a past belief that the relationship would never end.

• 'Cause darlin', this is the time of year that you really, you really need love

  ➔ Informal 'cause' for 'because', emphatic repetition ('really, you really'), and relative clause with 'that'

  ➔ "Cause" is an informal abbreviation of "because". The repetition of "really, you really" adds emphasis. "That you need love" is a relative clause modifying "the time of year."