Nobody – English Lyrics

• By: Casting Crowns, Matthew West
• Album: Only Jesus

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a powerful experience, and "Nobody" by Casting Crowns and Matthew West offers a special opportunity for English learners. The song uses straightforward and heartfelt language to convey a profound message of humility and purpose. By listening, you can learn common phrases and biblical references that are significant in many English-speaking cultures. What makes this song special is its uplifting message that you don't have to be perfect or famous to have a purpose, a universal theme that can inspire you on your language learning journey.

[English]

Why You ever chose me

Has always been a mystery

All my life I've been told I belong

At the end of the line

With all the other not-quites

With all the never-get-it-rights

But it turns out they're the ones You were looking for

All this time

'Cause I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

Moses had stage fright

When David brought a rock to a sword fight

You picked twelve outsiders nobody would have chosen

And You changed the world

Well the moral of the story is

Everybody's got a purpose

So when I hear that devil start talking to me saying

"Who do you think you are?"

I say

I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history

As another blood-bought faithful member of a family

And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history (Goin' down in history)

As another blood-bought faithful member of a family

(That's all I ever wanna be)

And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

'Cause I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

(Gonna save, gonna save my soul)

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

(You gave me a song to sing)

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

(Nobody but You, Lord)

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mystery /ˈmɪstəri/ B2	noun - something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
rescued /ˈreskjuːd/ B2	verb - save (someone) from a dangerous or difficult situation.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - make musical sounds with the voice, especially words with a set tune.
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
stage fright /ˈsteɪdʒ fraɪt/ B2	noun - nervousness before or during an appearance before an audience.
rock /rɒk/ A1	noun - a stone.
sword /sɔːrd/ B1	noun - a weapon with a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard, used for thrusting or striking and now typically worn for ceremonial purposes.
moral /ˈmɔːrəl/ B2	noun - a lesson that can be derived from a story or experience. adjective - concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior
purpose /ˈpɜːrpəs/ B1	noun - the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
devil /ˈdevl/ B1	noun - the supreme spirit of evil; Satan.
history /ˈhɪstəri/ A2	noun - the study of past events, particularly in human affairs.
faithful /ˈfeɪθfl/ B2	adjective - loyal and steadfast.
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.
forget /fərˈɡet/ A1	verb - fail to remember.

Key Grammar Structures

• Why You ever chose me Has always been a mystery

  ➔ Inversion (in indirect questions) and Ellipsis

  ➔ The phrase "Why You ever chose me" acts as a noun clause. The word order is inverted as if it's a direct question. Ellipsis is used: "Why You ever chose me" instead of "Why You have ever chosen me".

• All my life I've been told I belong At the end of the line

  ➔ Present Perfect Passive Voice

  ➔ "I've been told" is the present perfect passive voice. It indicates that the action of being told has happened at some point in the speaker's life and continues to have relevance.

• With all the other not-quites

  ➔ Hyphenated Adjective (Compound Adjective)

  ➔ "Not-quites" is a compound adjective created by joining "not" and "quite" with a hyphen. It functions as a single adjective describing a noun, and it is often pluralized when referring to people.

• Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing

  ➔ Past Simple and Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ "Rescued" and "gave" are in the past simple tense, indicating completed actions in the past. "To sing" is an infinitive of purpose, explaining *why* You gave my heart a song.

• Moses had stage fright When David brought a rock to a sword fight

  ➔ Past Simple and Adverbial Clause of Time (When)

  ➔ "Had" and "brought" are both in the past simple. "When David brought a rock to a sword fight" is an adverbial clause of time, indicating *when* Moses had stage fright.

• And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ This sentence presents a Type 1 conditional. "If they all forget my name" expresses a possible condition, and "that's fine with me" expresses the likely result.