Never Say Goodbye – English Lyrics

• By: Bon Jovi
• Album: Slippery When Wet

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heart of 80s rock with Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye." This classic power ballad is a perfect song for English learners to connect with universal themes of nostalgia, friendship, and first love. The clear storytelling in the lyrics provides a great opportunity to learn descriptive language and common idioms related to memories and growing up. What makes this song special is its powerful emotion and a chorus that you'll want to sing along to, helping you practice pronunciation and rhythm in a fun and memorable way.

[English]

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

♪ AS I SIT IN THIS SMOKEY ROOM ♪

♪ THE NIGHT ABOUT TO END ♪

♪ I PASS MY TIME WITH STRANGERS ♪

♪ BUT THIS BOTTLE'S MY ONLY FRIEND ♪

♪ REMEMBER WHEN WE USED TO PARK ♪

♪ OUT ON BUTLER STREET OUT IN THE DARK ♪

♪ REMEMBER WHEN WE LOST THE KEYS ♪

♪ AND YOU LOST MORE THAN THAT IN MY BACKSEAT, BABY ♪

♪ REMEMBER HOW WE USED TO TALK ♪

♪ ABOUT BUSTING OUT ♪

♪ WE'D BREAK THEIR HEARTS ♪

♪ TOGETHER FOREVER ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ YOU AND ME AND MY OLD FRIENDS ♪

♪ HOPING IT WOULD NEVER END ♪

♪ SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ HOLDIN' ON WE GOTTA TRY ♪

♪ HOLDIN' ON TO NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

(UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES)

♪ REMEMBER DAYS OF SKIPPING SCHOOL ♪

♪ RACING CARS AND BEING COOL ♪

♪ WITH A SIX PACK AND THE RADIO ♪

♪ WE DIDN'T NEED NO PLACE TO GO ♪

♪ REMEMBER AT THE PROM THAT NIGHT ♪

♪ YOU AND ME WE HAD A FIGHT ♪

♪ BUT THE BAND THEY PLAYED OUR FAVORITE SONG ♪

♪ AND I HELD YOU IN MY ARMS SO STRONG ♪

♪ WE DANCED SO CLOSE ♪

♪ WE DANCED SO SLOW ♪

♪ AND I SWORE I'D NEVER LET YOU GO ♪

♪ TOGETHER FOREVER ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ YOU AND ME AND MY OLD FRIENDS ♪

♪ HOPING IT WOULD NEVER END ♪

♪ SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ HOLDIN' ON WE'VE GOTTA TRY ♪

♪ HOLDIN' ON TO NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

(UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES)

♪ OOH, I GUESS YOU'D SAY WE USED TO TALK ♪

♪ ABOUT BUSTING OUT ♪

♪ WE'D BREAK THEIR HEARTS ♪

♪ TOGETHER FOREVER ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ YOU AND ME AND MY OLD FRIENDS ♪

♪ HOPING IT WOULD NEVER END ♪

♪ SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ HOLDIN' ON WE'VE GOTTA TRY, HOLDIN' ON ♪

♪ TO NEVER SAY GOODBYE ♪

♪ YEAH, YEAH ♪

(UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ A2	verb - to recall from memory; to keep in mind.
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection.
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness in each twenty-four hours.
end /ɛnd/ A2	verb - to come to a finish; to complete. noun - the final part of something.
goodbye /ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ/ A1	noun - an act of saying farewell.
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp, carry, or support with one's hands or arms. verb - to keep or detain (often used with 'on' to mean persist).
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - to attempt to do something. noun - an act of attempting something.
lost /lɔst/ A2	verb - (past participle of lose) no longer having or knowing the location of something. adjective - unable to find one's way; having gone astray.
dark /dɑrk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light. noun - the absence of light.
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain. verb - to cause to become fractured or damaged (often emotionally, e.g., 'break hearts').
heart /hɑrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system. noun - the emotional or moral nature of a human being.
talk /tɔk/ A1	verb - to speak in order to give information or express ideas or feelings. noun - a conversation or discussion.
old /oʊld/ A1	adjective - having lived for a long time; no longer young. adjective - dating from the distant past.
school /skul/ A1	noun - an institution for educating children.
fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - to take part in a violent struggle involving blows or weapons. noun - a violent confrontation or struggle; an argument.
strong /strɔŋ/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks. adjective - powerful in effect or degree; having a firm influence.
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps. noun - a series of steps and movements that are performed in time to music.
room /rum/ A1	noun - a part or division of a building enclosed by walls, floor, and ceiling.
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒər/ B1	noun - a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar.
hope /hoʊp/ A2	verb - to want something to happen or be true and think that it is possible. noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ AS I SIT IN THIS SMOKEY ROOM ♪

  ➔ Present Simple in a descriptive context

  ➔ The verb 'sit' is in the present simple tense, used here to set the scene descriptively.

• ♪ REMEMBER WHEN WE USED TO PARK ♪

  ➔ Past Continuous with 'used to'

  ➔ 'Used to' is employed to describe a past habit or repeated action.

• ♪ AND YOU LOST MORE THAN THAT IN MY BACKSEAT, BABY ♪

  ➔ Past Simple with implied subject

  ➔ The subject 'you' is implied in the sentence structure, common in informal or lyrical contexts.

• ♪ WE'D BREAK THEIR HEARTS ♪

  ➔ Conditional Perfect (would + base verb)

  ➔ 'Would' is used to express a hypothetical or past habitual action.

• ♪ HOPING IT WOULD NEVER END ♪

  ➔ Present Continuous with 'hoping'

  ➔ 'Hoping' is a present participle used to describe an ongoing action or state.

• ♪ WE DIDN'T NEED NO PLACE TO GO ♪

  ➔ Double negative (didn't + no)

  ➔ The use of 'didn't' and 'no' together is a form of emphasis in informal English.

• ♪ AND I SWORE I'D NEVER LET YOU GO ♪

  ➔ Past Simple with future intention ('swore' + 'would')

  ➔ 'Swore' indicates a past action, while 'would' expresses a future intention at that time.

• ♪ HOLDIN' ON WE'VE GOTTA TRY ♪

  ➔ Contraction ('holdin') and modal verb ('gotta')

  ➔ 'Holdin'' is a contraction of 'holding', and 'gotta' is an informal form of 'have got to'.