Long As I Live – English Lyrics

• By: Toni Braxton
• Album: Sex & Cigarettes

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical depth and timeless R&B sound of Toni Braxton's "Long As I Live." This song offers an authentic exploration of heartbreak and resilience, perfect for English language learners to grasp emotional vocabulary and idiomatic expressions within a classic, soulful musical context that showcases Braxton's unparalleled vocal delivery.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ EVERYBODY IS TALKING BOUT YOU AND HER TOGETHER ♪

♪ HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME ♪

♪ EVERYBODY'S TALKING BOUT ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU DO WITH HER ♪

♪ LIKE YOU USED TO WITH ME ♪

♪ CAN'T YOU TELL, BY THE LOOK ON MY FACE ♪

♪ I STILL LIKE YOU THAT WAY ♪

♪ NOW I CAN HARDLY REMEMBER WHY WE EVER LOST TIES ♪

♪ BUT I CAN TELL, THAT I LOVE I STILL LOVE YOU ♪

♪ LONG AS I LIVE (LONG AS I, I CAN LIVE) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IT'S KILLING ME (IT'S KILLING ME, KILLING ME) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IF YOU CAN'T BE WITH THE ONE YOU REALLY TRULY LOVE ♪

♪ DO THE 2-STEP WITH THE ONE YOU WITH ♪

♪ EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT YOU AND HER TOGETHER ♪

♪ HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME ♪

♪ AND EVERYBODY'S TALKING, EVERYBODY'S GOING ON ABOUT HER ♪

♪ LIKE YOU USED TO WITH ME ♪

♪ I CAN TELL BY THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE ♪

♪ YOU REALLY LIKE HER THAT WAY ♪

♪ AND NOW I'M TRYING NOT TO LOOSE MY MIND ♪

♪ AND START CRYING, BUT I CAN TELL ♪

♪ THAT YOU LOVE HER, REALLY LOVE HER ♪

♪ LONG AS I LIVE (LONG AS I, I CAN LIVE) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IT'S KILLING ME (IT'S KILLING ME, KILLING ME) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ LONG AS I LIVE (LONG AS I, I CAN LIVE) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IT'S KILLING ME (IT'S KILLING ME, KILLING ME) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IF YOU CAN'T BE WITH THE ONE YOU LOVE, IT'S OKAY ♪

♪ CAUSE IF YOU CAN'T BE WITH THE ONE YOU REALLY TRULY LOVE ♪

♪ DO THE 2 STEP WITH THE ONE YOU WITH ♪

♪ LONG AS I LIVE (LONG AS I, I CAN LIVE) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IT'S KILLING ME (IT'S KILLING ME, KILLING ME) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ LONG AS I LIVE (LONG AS I, I CAN LIVE) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER (YOU GETTING, OVER ME) ♪

♪ IT'S KILLING ME (IT'S KILLING ME, KILLING ME) ♪

♪ I'LL NEVER GET OVER ♪

♪♪♪

♪ IF YOU CAN'T BE WITH THE ONE YOU REALLY TRULY LOVE ♪

♪ DO THE 2-STEP WITH THE ONE YOU WITH ♪

♪♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or strong feeling of attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to be alive; to exist
kill /kɪl/ B1	verb - to cause the death of a living being
remember /rɪˈmɛm.bər/ A2	verb - to recall or bring to mind
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to misplace or be deprived of something
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and reasons
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - to attempt or make an effort
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to speak or converse
look /lʊk/ A1	verb - to direct one's eyes toward something noun - the way someone appears; appearance
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head verb - to confront or deal with something
everybody /ˈevriˌbɑːdi/ B1	pronoun - all people; each person
step /stɛp/ A1	noun - a movement made by lifting a foot verb - to move by lifting a foot and setting it down again
tell /tɛl/ A1	verb - to give information to someone
like /laɪk/ A1	verb - to enjoy or feel affection for something or someone

Key Grammar Structures

• HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Could' in Past Context

  ➔ Expresses past possibility or ability. Here, "could" questions the feasibility of the action in the past with emotional weight.

• I STILL LIKE YOU THAT WAY

  ➔ Adverb 'Still' for Continuation

  ➔ "Still" emphasizes ongoing feelings despite changed circumstances. Highlights persistent emotion against expectation.

• NOW I CAN HARDLY REMEMBER WHY WE EVER LOST TIES

  ➔ Adverb 'Hardly' + Conjunction 'Why'

  ➔ "Hardly" indicates near impossibility. "Why" introduces a subordinate clause questioning past reasons. Together they show emotional confusion.

• LONG AS I LIVE

  ➔ Elliptical Conjunction 'Long As' (As Long As)

  ➔ Shortened form of "as long as" expressing a lifelong condition. Implies eternal duration of emotion.

• IT'S KILLING ME

  ➔ Present Continuous for Current Emotional State

  ➔ Present continuous ("is killing") describes an ongoing emotional effect. Intensifies the immediacy of pain.

• IF YOU CAN'T BE WITH THE ONE YOU REALLY TRULY LOVE

  ➔ Double Adverb Intensifiers + Relative Clause

  ➔ "Really truly" stacked for emotional emphasis. "You love" is a reduced relative clause (omitting "whom") modifying "the one".

• DO THE 2-STEP WITH THE ONE YOU WITH

  ➔ Imperative Mood + Preposition Stranding

  ➔ Imperative "Do" gives advice. Stranded preposition "with" ends the clause (informal/colloquial), where formal English would use "with whom you are".

• I CAN TELL BY THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase as Adverbial Modifier

  ➔ "By the look on your face" modifies the verb "tell", indicating how perception occurs. Demonstrates non-verbal communication interpretation.