Mystery of Love – English Lyrics

• By: Sufjan Stevens

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the delicate beauty of Sufjan Stevens' "Mystery of Love," a haunting exploration of love's complexities. Originally written for the film *Call Me By Your Name*, this song offers a poignant reflection on romance, loss, and the enigmatic nature of the human heart, inviting listeners to explore the depths of their emotions through its evocative lyrics and gentle melodies .

[English]

Oh, to see without my eyes

The first time that you kissed me

Boundless by the time I cried

I built your walls around me

White noise, what an awful sound

Fumbling by Rogue River

Feel my feet above the ground

Hand of God, deliver me

Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me

The first time that you touched me

Oh, will wonders ever cease?

Blessed be the mystery of love

...

Lord, I no longer believe

Drowned in living waters

Cursed by the love that I received

From my brother's daughter

Like Hephaestion, who died

Alexander's lover

Now my riverbed has dried

Shall I find no other?

Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me

I'm running like a plover

Now I'm prone to misery

The birthmark on your shoulder reminds me

...

How much sorrow can I take?

Blackbird on my shoulder

And what difference does it make

When this love is over?

Shall I sleep within your bed?

River of unhappiness

Hold your hands upon my head

'Til I breathe my last breath

Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me

The last time that you touched me

Oh, will wonders ever cease?

Blessed be the mystery of love

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
see /siː/ A1	verb - to perceive with the eyes
kiss /kɪs/ A2	verb - to touch with the lips as a sign of love or greeting noun - a act of kissing
boundless /ˈbaʊndləs/ B2	adjective - without limits or boundaries
cried /kraɪd/ A2	verb - past of cry, to produce tears from the eyes as a response to emotion
walls /wɔːlz/ A2	noun - structures that define a space or enclosure
noise /nɔɪz/ A2	noun - sound, especially loud or disturbing sound
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to perceive or experience an emotion or physical sensation
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A2	noun - the surface of the earth
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the part of the body at the end of the arm used for holding and manipulating objects
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection and care verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
wonders /ˈwʌndərz/ B2	noun - amazing or miraculous things
mystery /ˈmɪstəri/ B2	noun - something that is difficult to understand or explain
river /ˈrɪvər/ A2	noun - a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another river

Key Grammar Structures

• Oh, to see without my eyes

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "to see" expresses the purpose or reason for something implied. The full sentence could be "I want to see without my eyes," where "to see" explains *why* I want something.

• Boundless by the time I cried

  ➔ Past Simple Tense and Ellipsis

  ➔ The sentence uses the past simple tense ("cried"). Also, there is ellipsis; something is missing but implied. The fuller version might be "I felt boundless by the time I cried."

• I built your walls around me

  ➔ Transitive Verb

  ➔ "Built" is a transitive verb because it takes a direct object ("your walls"). The walls are built *by* the subject.

• Feel my feet above the ground

  ➔ Bare Infinitive after Verbs of Perception

  ➔ After verbs of perception like "feel", we often use the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"). Here, we "feel" the "feet" hover. Correct form should be: Feel + Object + Bare Infinitive.

• Lord, I no longer believe

  ➔ Adverb of Frequency - 'no longer'

  ➔ "No longer" is an adverb of frequency that indicates something was true in the past, but is not true now. It's positioned before the main verb.

• Cursed by the love that I received

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective

  ➔ "Cursed" is a past participle used as an adjective to describe the speaker. It modifies the implied subject "I" (i.e., I am cursed).

• Now my riverbed has dried

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ The present perfect tense ("has dried") indicates an action that started in the past and has relevance to the present. The riverbed dried sometime in the past, and the effect is that it is still dry now.

• Shall I find no other?

  ➔ Modal Verb - 'Shall' for Suggestion/Question

  ➔ "Shall" is used here to express a question or suggestion, especially common in older English. The speaker is pondering if they will ever find another lover.

• How much sorrow can I take?

  ➔ Question Formation with 'How much'

  ➔ "How much" is used to ask about an uncountable noun (sorrow). The structure is "How much + uncountable noun + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb?".