Lover, Lover, Lover – English Lyrics

• By: Leonard Cohen

Lyrics & Translation

Key Grammar Structures

• I’d build you a kingdom from the dust and the sand

  ➔ Conditional Perfect with 'would'

  ➔ The use of 'would' in 'I’d build' expresses a hypothetical or imagined action in the past or future.

• And the river, it knows everything

  ➔ Personification

  ➔ The river is given human qualities ('knows everything'), which is a poetic device called personification.

• But the darkness, it doesn’t let me

  ➔ Personification and Present Simple for Ongoing Actions

  ➔ The darkness is personified ('doesn’t let me'), and the Present Simple ('doesn’t let') is used to describe an ongoing situation.

• And the darkness, it won’t let me

  ➔ Emphasis with 'do/does/will'

  ➔ The use of 'won’t' (will not) emphasizes the certainty or strength of the statement.

• I’d build you a kingdom from the dust and the sand

  ➔ Use of 'from' to indicate material or source

  ➔ The preposition 'from' in 'from the dust and the sand' indicates the material or source of the kingdom.