One Step Away – English Lyrics

• By: Madonna
• Album: Confessions On A Dance Floor: Part II

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the emotional depth of English pop with 'One Step Away.' This song is perfect for learners to practice expressing longing and nuance in relationships, featuring clear articulation and a heartfelt delivery that makes the vocabulary of emotion easy to grasp.

[English]

Ready?

People [music] think that dance music is

superficial.

But, they've got it [music] all wrong.

The dance floor is not just a place.

>> [music]

>> It's a threshold.

A ritualistic space where movement

replaces language.

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

[music]

[music]

>> One step away [singing] from your

freedom.

One [music] step away from the dance

floor.

>> [singing]

>> One step away from your heartbeat.

[music]

One step away. Yeah, you're one step

away. Understand your violence

and the trouble you survived. Nobody's

[music]

free until the broken. Understand your

silence

and the drama deep inside. Nobody's

free. It's just a token. [music]

One step away [singing] from your

freedom.

>> [music]

>> One step away from the dance floor.

>> [singing]

>> One [music] step away from your

heartbeat.

One step away from the breath of

>> [music]

>> life. One step away.

Yeah, you're one step away.

>> [music]

>> One step away.

>> [music]

[music]

>> One step away from your freedom.

One step away from the dance floor.

Yeah.

One [music] step away from your

heartbeat.

One step away you're [music] alone. One

step away even in the shadows

where there's nowhere

[music and singing] left to hide.

Nighttime comes with all the dawn.

Come and get salvation. [music]

All God's children can be saved. We're

all waiting for

>> [music]

>> our freedom.

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

[music]

[music]

>> One step away.

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

>> One step away.

>> [music]

>> You're just one step away.

You're

one step away.

>> [music]

>> The tension's high.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
superficial /ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃl/ C1	adjective - not exhibiting, requiring, or capable of serious thought
threshold /ˈθreʃhəʊld/ C1	noun - a point of entering or beginning
ritualistic /ˌrɪtʃuəˈlɪstɪk/ C2	adjective - relating to or done as a ritual
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ A2	noun - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants
heartbeat /ˈhɑːtbiːt/ B1	noun - a pulsation of the heart
violence /ˈvaɪələns/ B1	noun - behavior involving physical force intended to hurt
survived /səˈvaɪvd/ B1	verb - to continue to live or exist after danger
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ A2	noun - complete absence of sound
drama /ˈdrɑːmə/ B1	noun - an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events
token /ˈtəʊkən/ C1	noun - a thing serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact
shadows /ˈʃædəʊz/ A2	noun - a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light
salvation /sælˈveɪʃn/ C2	noun - preservation from harm, ruin, or loss
tension /ˈtenʃn/ B2	noun - mental or emotional strain
broken /ˈbrəʊkən/ A2	adjective - having been fractured or damaged
breath /breθ/ B1	noun - air taken into or expelled from the lungs

Key Grammar Structures

• But, they've got it all wrong.

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ The structure "have got" is used here to express a state or belief that was formed in the past and persists in the present.

• A ritualistic space where movement replaces language.

  ➔ Relative Clause (Adjective Clause)

  ➔ The word "where" introduces a relative clause that modifies the noun "space".

• Nobody's free until the broken.

  ➔ Conjunction of time (until)

  ➔ The conjunction "until" is used to indicate a point in time up to which an action or state continues.

• Understand your violence and the trouble you survived.

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ The relative pronoun "that" or "which" is omitted before "you survived".

• It's just a token.

  ➔ Present Simple Tense (State)

  ➔ The verb "is" is used to define or describe the identity of the subject.

• We're all waiting for our freedom.

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ This tense describes an action happening right now or a trend that is currently occurring.

• Where there's nowhere left to hide.

  ➔ Existential "There is"

  ➔ The structure "there is" is used to declare the existence of something.

• Come and get salvation.

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The base form of the verb is used to issue a command or an invitation.