Never Fade – English Lyrics

• By: Alice In Chains
• Album: Rainier Fog

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant world of Alice In Chains' 'Never Fade,' a powerful hard rock ballad that offers a rich vocabulary for expressing grief, remembrance, and resilience. Its direct and emotionally charged lyrics, coupled with the band's distinctive vocal harmonies, provide an excellent opportunity to explore nuanced English expressions related to loss and enduring connection, making it special for its raw honesty and evocative imagery.

[English]

Silent grieve

Suffocates the rumor

Feel my breathing

Speed up at the thought of you

My inner voice

Seems to want me dead

Only choice

Manage down the trail I've lead

Never far away away i always see you

When it all goes dark you light my way through

Never fade

I know you think you're someone i forgot

Never fade

I'm everything you really think I'm not

Never fade

I know you think you're someone I forgot

Never fade

...

Growing cold

Try to numb my feeling

Lose control

All my friends are leaving

Paid the price

For all the lies I used to live

Sacrifice

For all the love I tried to give

Never far away i always see you

When it all goes dark you light my way through

Never fade

I know you think you're someone I forgot

Never fade

I'm everything you really think I'm not

Never fade

I know you think you're someone I forgot

Never fade

...

Never fade

I know you think you're someone I forgot

Never fade

I'm everything you really think I'm not

Never fade

I know you think you're someone I forgot

Never fade

I'm everything you really think I'm not

Never fade

Never fade

...

Never fade

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fade /feɪd/ B1	verb - to lose or cause to lose color, brightness, or strength gradually
grieve /ɡriːv/ B2	verb - to feel intense sorrow; to mourn noun - deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone's death
suffocate /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ B2	verb - to die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe verb - to oppress or repress; stifle
rumor /ˈruːmər/ B1	noun - a currently circulated story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth
breathing /ˈbriːðɪŋ/ A2	noun - the process of taking air into and expelling it from the lungs; respiration
thought /θɔːt/ A2	noun - an idea or opinion produced by thinking or suddenly occurring in the mind noun - the process of thinking
voice /vɔɪs/ A1	noun - the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song noun - an opinion, wish, or feeling expressed
dead /dɛd/ A1	adjective - no longer alive adjective - (informal) extremely tired or exhausted
choice /tʃɔɪs/ A2	noun - an act of choosing between two or more possibilities
manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ B1	verb - to succeed in doing or dealing with something, especially something difficult
trail /treɪl/ B1	noun - a path or track made across a wild or rough region
dark /dɑːrk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light noun - the absence of light
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible verb - to provide with light or illumination
numb /nʌm/ B2	adjective - deprived of the power of sensation or movement verb - to make (a part of the body) numb verb - to make (someone) unable to think, feel, or react in a normal way
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B1	noun - the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events verb - to determine the behavior or supervise the running of
price /praɪs/ A2	noun - the amount of money expected, required, or given in payment for something noun - the unpleasant consequences that have to be accepted for achieving something
lie /laɪ/ A2	noun - an intentionally false statement
sacrifice /ˈsækrɪfaɪs/ B2	noun - an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy verb - to give up (something important or valued) for the sake of other considerations
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for (someone or something)

Key Grammar Structures

• Suffocates the rumor

  ➔ Simple Present Tense (Third Person Singular)

  ➔ The verb "suffocates" is in the simple present tense and takes an "-s" ending because its implied subject is third person singular. This tense describes a general truth, habit, or a current state.

• Feel my breathing / Speed up at the thought of you

  ➔ Causative Verb + Object + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ The verb "Feel" is used as a causative verb followed by the object "my breathing" and the bare infinitive "Speed up". This structure indicates that the subject experiences or perceives the action performed by the object.

• Seems to want me dead

  ➔ Verb "seem" + Infinitive + Adjective as Complement

  ➔ The verb "seems" is followed by the infinitive "to want", indicating appearance or likelihood. Additionally, "dead" is an adjective used as an object complement, describing the state of "me".

• Manage down the trail I've lead

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense (with error) + Implied Relative Pronoun

  ➔ "I've lead" is an example of the present perfect tense ("I have led"), which is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues or has a result in the present. Note: "lead" is incorrectly spelled; it should be the past participle "led". There's an implied relative pronoun (that/which) before "I've led", describing "the trail".

• When it all goes dark you light my way through

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ The clause "When it all goes dark" is an adverbial clause of time, introduced by "When". It specifies the timing of the main action "you light my way through", indicating a regular or habitual occurrence.

• I know you think you're someone i forgot

  ➔ Noun Clause as Object + Implied Relative Pronoun

  ➔ The entire phrase "you think you're someone i forgot" acts as a noun clause, serving as the direct object of the verb "know". Within this clause, "someone i forgot" uses an implied relative pronoun (e.g., "that" or "whom") before "i forgot" to describe "someone".

• I'm everything you really think I'm not

  ➔ Relative Clause with "everything" + Implied Relative Pronoun

  ➔ The phrase "you really think I'm not" functions as a relative clause modifying "everything". The relative pronoun (e.g., "that" or "which") is implied before "you really think I'm not", specifying what "everything" refers to.

• All my friends are leaving

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The verb phrase "are leaving" is in the present continuous tense, formed with "be" (are) + the present participle (-ing form of the verb). It describes an action that is ongoing or happening at the present moment.

• For all the lies I used to live

  ➔ "Used to" for Past Habits/States

  ➔ The phrase "used to live" expresses a past habit or a state that was true in the past but is no longer true in the present. It is always followed by the base form of the verb.