My First Night Without You – English Lyrics

• By: Cyndi Lauper
• Album: A Night To Remember

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the emotional depth of Cyndi Lauper's 'My First Night Without You,' a powerful ballad that explores the pain of separation and the journey to self-discovery. Learn about the creation of this heartfelt song, its impact, and how it resonates with anyone who has experienced heartbreak .

[English]

I'm driving home from work

Knowing you're not there

I used to hurry home

Now I don't even care

The sun is in my eyes, so I can't see

But when it sets down behind the mountain it's gonna be

My first night without you

My first night without you

My first night without you, oh

Without you

I sit here like a fool

Remembering everything

The way we used to talk

The songs that we used to sing

I gotta try and leave the past behind

But my memory's so good

I think that I'm losing my mind

My first night without you

My first night without you

And I wonder how I'll get through

Without you

...

Will I be able to sleep?

Will I lie in my bed and weep?

What if I forget and reach for you?

Will I dream about you?

My first night, my first night

My first night without you

My first night without you

And I wonder how I'll get through

My first night, my first night

My first night, my first night

My first night without you, oh

My first night without you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
drive /draɪv/ A1	verb - to operate a vehicle
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - place where one lives
hurry /ˈhɜːri/ A2	verb - to move or act quickly
care /kɛər/ A1	verb - to feel concern or interest
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star at the center of the solar system
set /sɛt/ A2	verb - to move into a fixed position
mountain /ˈmaʊntən/ A1	noun - a large natural elevation of the earth's surface
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period between sunset and sunrise
sit /sɪt/ A1	verb - to rest with the body supported by the buttocks or thighs
fool /fuːl/ A2	noun - a person who acts unwisely
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ A1	verb - to have or keep an image or idea in one's mind
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to speak to someone
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce musical sounds with the voice
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - to go away from a place
memory /ˈmɛməri/ B1	noun - the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information
lose /luːz/ A1	verb - to no longer have something
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest in a state of unconsciousness
weep /wiːp/ B1	verb - to shed tears
dream /driːm/ A2	verb - to experience visions during sleep

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm driving home from work

  ➔ Present Continuous

  ➔ The contraction "I'm" (am) + present participle "driving" forms the present continuous to describe an action happening now.

• I used to hurry home

  ➔ used to + infinitive (past habit)

  ➔ "used to" indicates a habit that existed in the past but no longer does; here it shows the speaker previously hurried home.

• Now I don't even care

  ➔ Negative present simple (don't)

  ➔ "don't" + base verb "care" forms a negative present simple to express a current lack of feeling.

• The sun is in my eyes, so I can't see

  ➔ Causal conjunction "so"

  ➔ "so" links cause and result: the sun in the eyes (cause) → I can't see (result).

• when it sets down behind the mountain it's gonna be

  ➔ when‑clause + future with "gonna"

  ➔ "when" introduces a temporal condition; "gonna" (going to) expresses a future state after that condition.

• I gotta try and leave the past behind

  ➔ Colloquial "gotta" + infinitive; "try and" + base verb

  ➔ "gotta" is informal for "have to"; "try and" + verb is an idiom meaning "attempt to".

• Will I be able to sleep?

  ➔ Modal "will" + infinitive (future question)

  ➔ "Will" + subject + base verb forms a future‑time question asking about possibility.

• What if I forget and reach for you?

  ➔ Conditional "what if" + present simple

  ➔ "What if" introduces a hypothetical situation; the verb stays in the present simple to talk about a possible future event.

• I think that I'm losing my mind

  ➔ Reporting verb "think that" + present progressive

  ➔ "think that" introduces a clause; "I'm losing" uses present progressive to describe a current, ongoing feeling.

• And I wonder how I'll get through

  ➔ Indirect question with future "will"

  ➔ "wonder how" introduces an indirect question; the clause uses "will" to talk about a future possibility.