My Special Child – English Lyrics

• By: Sinéad O'Connor

Lyrics & Translation

"My Special Child" by Sinéad O'Connor offers a poignant and deeply personal insight into the artist's life and emotions. Learning the lyrics allows users to engage with a powerful expression of grief, reflection, and tender sentiment, set against delicate musical arrangements. The song's raw honesty and O'Connor's emotive delivery make it a unique and special piece for understanding emotional depth in English songwriting and for connecting with a significant cultural moment in Irish history.

[English]

(gentle music)

♪ Think about my little girl ♪

♪ Her yellow skin and her dark curls ♪

♪ And how her father's heart was frozen ♪

♪ I spoke to her and I said ♪

♪ You won't regret ♪

♪ The mother you have chosen ♪

♪ I lied, where's she tonight ♪

♪ I've left him, now we're apart ♪

♪ And I think about his cruel heart ♪

♪ And how his lies have left mine broken ♪

♪ To think that I spoke to him then I said ♪

♪ She won't regret ♪

♪ The father she has chosen ♪

♪ I lied, where's he tonight ♪

♪ You were precious to me ♪

♪ After all, I called you into being ♪

♪ I wanted you to know ♪

♪ Yes, you were precious to me ♪

♪ She has chosen ♪

♪ And I miss my little boy ♪

♪ I strayed away, so far away ♪

♪ And I need him tonight ♪

♪ To feel his hands around my face ♪

♪ His loving eyes, his happy face ♪

♪ Would be so right ♪

♪ Once I sat in my husband's car ♪

♪ Him in my arms, woke up and saw me crying ♪

♪ My heart wouldn't work ♪

♪ And this he did, my special child ♪

♪ He touched my face with his hand and smiled ♪

♪ Oh boy, everything's alright ♪

♪ Don't cry, everything's alright ♪

♪ Don't cry, Jakes's here tonight ♪

♪ Don't hide, Jake's here alive ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
girl /ɡɜːrl/ A1	noun - a female child
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood
father /ˈfɑːðər/ A1	noun - a male parent
chosen /ˈtʃəʊzən/ B1	verb - past participle of choose
mother /ˈmʌðər/ A1	noun - a female parent
lied /laɪd/ A2	verb - past tense of lie; to say something that is not true
broken /ˈbrəʊkən/ B1	adjective - damaged or separated into pieces
precious /ˈpreʃəs/ B1	adjective - of great value; much loved
boy /bɔɪ/ A1	noun - a male child
loving /ˈlʌvɪŋ/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing love
happy /ˈhæpi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front of the head
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to be employed
special /ˈspeʃəl/ A1	adjective - not ordinary or usual; different or unusual in some way
child /tʃaɪld/ A1	noun - a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority.
touched /tʌtʃt/ B1	verb - past tense of touch
crying /ˈkraɪɪŋ/ A1	verb - shed tears
hide /haɪd/ A2	verb - to put (something) out of sight.
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living, not dead

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ I spoke to her and I said ♪

  ➔ Past Simple with 'and'

  ➔ The use of 'and' connects two past actions, emphasizing sequence.

• ♪ You won't regret ♪

  ➔ Future with 'will' (negation)

  ➔ 'Won't' is a contraction of 'will not', used to express future negation.

• ♪ I've left him, now we're apart ♪

  ➔ Present Perfect and Present Continuous

  ➔ 'I've left' shows a past action with present relevance, 'we're apart' indicates a current situation.

• ♪ To think that I spoke to him then I said ♪

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ 'To think' introduces the purpose of the action that follows.

• ♪ She won't regret ♪

  ➔ Future with 'will' (negation)

  ➔ Same as above, reinforcing future negation.

• ♪ I strayed away, so far away ♪

  ➔ Past Simple with Adverb

  ➔ The adverb 'so far away' modifies the verb 'strayed', indicating degree.

• ♪ Would be so right ♪

  ➔ Conditional Mood

  ➔ 'Would be' expresses a hypothetical or desired situation.

• ♪ Don't cry, everything's alright ♪

  ➔ Imperative Mood with Contraction

  ➔ 'Don't cry' is an imperative command, 'everything's' is a contraction of 'everything is'.