Love Will Tear Us Apart – English Lyrics

• By: Joy Division

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotional landscape of Joy Division's iconic "Love Will Tear Us Apart." This song offers a profound journey into the complexities of human relationships and the pain of disintegration, expressed through Ian Curtis's intensely personal lyrics and the band's unique blend of dark themes with surprisingly melodic instrumentation. Learning English through "Love Will Tear Us Apart" allows you to explore rich, evocative vocabulary and deeply resonant expressions of sadness, longing, and resignation, making it a powerful and unforgettable listening experience that transcends language barriers.

[English]

When routine bites hard and ambitions are low

And resentment rides high but emotions won't grow

And we're changing our ways, taking different roads

Love, love will tear us apart again

Love, love will tear us apart again

...

Why is the bedroom so cold turned away on your side?

Is my timing that flawed, our respect run so dry?

Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives

Love, love will tear us apart again

Love, love will tear us apart again

...

Do you cry out in your sleep, all my failings exposed?

Get a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold

Is it something so good just can't function no more?

But love, love will tear us apart again

Love, love will tear us apart again

Love, love will tear us apart again

Love, love will tear us apart again

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
routine /ruːˈtiːn/ B1	noun - a sequence of actions regularly followed
bites /baɪts/ A2	verb - to cut into with the teeth
hard /hɑːrd/ A1	adjective - solid, firm, and rigid; not easily broken adverb - with great effort
ambitions /æmˈbɪʃənz/ B2	noun - a strong desire or determination to achieve something
resentment /rɪˈzɛntmənt/ C1	noun - bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly
rides /raɪdz/ A1	verb - to sit on and control the movement of (an animal, especially a horse)
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - of great vertical extent
emotions /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/ B1	noun - a strong feeling deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others
grow /ɡroʊ/ A2	verb - to increase in size or number
changing /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/ A1	verb - to make or become different
ways /weɪz/ A1	noun - a method, style, or manner of doing something
different /ˈdɪfərənt/ A1	adjective - not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form, or quality
roads /roʊdz/ A1	noun - a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface that vehicles can use
bedroom /ˈbɛdruːm/ A1	noun - a room used for sleeping.
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature
respect /rɪˈspɛkt/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements verb - admire (someone or something) deeply as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements
appeal /əˈpiːl/ B2	noun - the quality of being attractive or interesting
lives /laɪvz/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death verb - to be alive
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended verb - to be in a state of sleep
failings /ˈfeɪlɪŋz/ B2	noun - a weakness or fault in someone or something
exposed /ɪkˈspoʊzd/ B2	adjective - not protected or covered verb - to make (something) visible by uncovering it
taste /teɪst/ A1	noun - the sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance verb - to perceive or experience the flavor of
desperation /ˌdɛspəˈreɪʃən/ C1	noun - a state of despair, typically one which results in rash or extreme behaviour
function /ˈfʌŋkʃən/ B1	verb - work or operate in a proper or particular way

Key Grammar Structures

• When routine bites hard and ambitions are low

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "when" introducing a time clause; Simple Present Tense for habitual actions/general truths.

  ➔ The word "when" connects the main clause (implied later in the verse) to the condition of routine being harsh and ambitions being unfulfilled. The Simple Present describes these as ongoing states.

• And resentment rides high but emotions won't grow

  ➔ Use of "rides high" as an idiomatic expression; Modal verb "won't" expressing a lack of future possibility.

  ➔ "Rides high" means resentment is strong and prevalent. "Won't grow" indicates that emotions are stagnant and unable to develop, despite the circumstances.

• Why is the bedroom so cold turned away on your side?

  ➔ Inversion in the interrogative sentence ("Why is the bedroom..."); Past participle "turned away" acting as an adjective.

  ➔ The standard sentence order would be "The bedroom is so cold..." but is inverted to form the question. "Turned away" describes *how* the person is positioned.

• Is my timing that flawed, our respect run so dry?

  ➔ Intensifier "that" modifying the adjective "flawed"; verb "run" used as a stative verb meaning "become".

  ➔ "That flawed" emphasizes the degree to which the speaker's timing is imperfect. "Run so dry" suggests the depletion or exhaustion of respect, as if it were a resource.

• Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives

  ➔ Use of "yet" as a contrasting conjunction; Relative clause "that we've kept through our lives" defining the noun "appeal".

  ➔ "Yet" signals a contrast to the preceding lines, suggesting that despite the negativity, there is still something positive remaining. The relative clause identifies the specific appeal.

• Do you cry out in your sleep, all my failings exposed?

  ➔ Auxiliary verb "Do" for forming a question in the Simple Present; Absolute construction "all my failings exposed".

  ➔ The auxiliary "Do" is required to form the interrogative. "All my failings exposed" acts as a phrase separate from the main question, describing the speaker's vulnerable state.

• Get a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold

  ➔ Simple Present Tense to describe a common reaction or feeling; Subordinating conjunction "as" indicating simultaneous action.

  ➔ The "Get a taste" refers to a physical manifestation of a feeling. "As desperation takes hold" shows the feeling and the physical reaction happening at the same time.

• Is it something so good just can't function no more?

  ➔ Use of "so" as an intensifier before the adjective "good"; Modal verb "can't" indicating inability.

  ➔ "So good" emphasizes the quality being previously positive, now unable to continue. "Can't function no more" implies a complete cessation of the ability to work.