Need You Now – English Lyrics

• By: Dean Lewis

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Cold light wakes me in the morning,

Your side is empty I was calling out to you,

I was calling out to you.

There's broken bottles around me on the floor,

There's broken bottles around me like a technicoloured you,

Like a technicoloured you

You left your number on my bed,

Saying "this all that you gotta do"

But it's not my fault that my phone went dead,

Oh I would do it again, do it again.

...

And all of the nights and all of the days,

Yeah we're watching them fading away,

And oh what a life when you're rolling the dice,

Well I'm gambling all of the time.

But I don't need your love,

I just need your

Talking next to me when I wake up, wake up

Talking next to me when I wake up next to you,

When I'm hungover too.

Cause you're the only one who comes when I'm lonely,

You're the only one who comes when I'm lonely for you,

When I'm lonely for you.

All that I need is a sweet escape,

And all that I need is a sweet escape.

And all of the nights and all of the days,

Yeah we're watching them fading away,

And oh what a life when you're rolling the dice,

Well I'm gambling all of the time,

And I don't need your love,

Oh I just need your All...

When I'm leaving now,

And oh, when I'm leaving now,

And oh, when I'm leaving now,

And oh, when I'm leaving now.

And all of the nights and all of the days,

Yeah we're watching them fading away,

And oh what a life when you're rolling the dice,

Well you're gambling all of the time

Well all of the nights and all of the days,

Well we're watching them fading away,

And oh what a life when you're rolling the dice

Well I'm gambling all of the time.

Cause I don't need your love

But I just need you now

And I don't need your love

I just need you now

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wake /weɪk/ A1	verb - to stop sleeping
empty /ˈɛmpti/ A1	adjective - containing nothing
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to speak to someone on the phone
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	adjective - damaged and not working
bottle /ˈbɒtəl/ A1	noun - a container with a narrow neck
technicoloured /ˈtɛknɪkʌlərd/ C1	adjective - having many bright colors
number /ˈnʌmbər/ A1	noun - a symbol used for counting
fault /fɔːlt/ B1	noun - responsibility for a mistake
dead /dɛd/ A1	adjective - not alive
fade /feɪd/ B1	verb - to become less strong or clear
roll /rəʊl/ A2	verb - to move in a circular motion
dice /daɪs/ A2	noun - a small cube with dots on each side
gamble /ˈɡæmbl/ B1	verb - to risk money on something uncertain
hungover /ˈhʌŋˌoʊvər/ B2	adjective - feeling ill after drinking too much alcohol
escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ A2	noun - an act of getting away from something
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company

Key Grammar Structures

• Your side is empty I was calling out to you,

  ➔ Past Continuous (was calling)

  ➔ Used to describe an action that was ongoing at a specific point or period in the past. Here, 'I was calling out' describes an action happening concurrently with the speaker's realization that the side is empty.

• There's broken bottles around me on the floor,

  ➔ Existential 'There's' (There is/are)

  ➔ 'There's' is a contraction of 'there is', commonly used informally even when referring to plural nouns ('broken bottles') in spoken English to introduce the existence of something. Formally, it should be 'there are'.

• Oh I would do it again, do it again.

  ➔ 'Would' for repeated or hypothetical past actions

  ➔ Here, 'would do it again' expresses a willingness or a habitual action in a hypothetical past scenario, implying that despite past consequences, the speaker would repeat the action.

• Yeah we're watching them fading away,

  ➔ Verb of Perception + Object + Present Participle

  ➔ Verbs of perception (like 'watch', 'see', 'hear', 'feel') can be followed by an object and then a present participle (-ing form) to show an ongoing action being perceived. This emphasizes the duration of the action.

• Well I'm gambling all of the time.

  ➔ Present Continuous for habitual/repeated actions (with frequency adverb)

  ➔ While often used for actions happening now, the Present Continuous can also describe repeated or habitual actions, especially when paired with frequency adverbs like 'all the time', 'always', 'constantly', often implying a temporary habit or one that the speaker finds annoying/significant.

• Cause you're the only one who comes when I'm lonely,

  ➔ Defining Relative Clause with 'who'

  ➔ A defining relative clause provides essential information about the noun it modifies ('the only one'). 'Who' is used as a relative pronoun for people, connecting the clause 'comes when I'm lonely' to specify which 'one' is being referred to.

• All that I need is a sweet escape,

  ➔ Complex Subject (Relative Clause as Subject)

  ➔ The entire phrase 'All that I need' functions as the subject of the sentence. Despite containing a relative clause ('that I need'), the 'all' acts as a singular pronoun, hence followed by the singular verb 'is'.

• I was calling out to you,

  ➔ Phrasal Verb ('call out')

  ➔ 'Call out' is a phrasal verb meaning to shout or to summon someone, often from a distance or to get their attention. Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a preposition or adverb, creating a new meaning.

• But I don't need your love, I just need you now

  ➔ Present Simple for expressing needs and immediate desires

  ➔ The Present Simple is used to state facts, general truths, and habitual actions. Here, it conveys a direct and immediate statement of the speaker's current needs and desires, emphasizing the present moment with 'now'.

• When I'm leaving now,

  ➔ Present Continuous for immediate future or action happening at the moment of speaking

  ➔ The Present Continuous can be used to describe an action that is happening at the exact moment of speaking, or an action that is planned for the very near future. The inclusion of 'now' reinforces its immediacy.