Only Time – English Lyrics

• By: Enya
• Album: A Day Without Rain

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or course for traveling from one place to another
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period of light between sunrise and sunset
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
say /seɪ/ A1	verb - utter words so as to communicate something
goes /ɡoʊz/ A1	verb - to move or travel; proceed
grows /ɡroʊz/ A2	verb - to increase in size or amount; to become larger or more developed
flows /floʊz/ B1	verb - to move along steadily and continuously in a current or stream
chose /tʃoʊz/ B1	verb - past tense of choose; to pick out or select (someone or something) as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives
sighs /saɪz/ B2	verb - emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or a similar emotion noun - an act of sighing
flies /flaɪz/ A2	verb - move through the air using wings
cries /kraɪz/ A2	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
lies /laɪz/ B1	verb - be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface verb - present false information with the intention of deceiving
sleeps /sliːps/ A1	verb - be in a state of rest or inactivity for a period of time.
keeps /kiːps/ A2	verb - continue to have or hold

Key Grammar Structures

• Who can say where the road goes

  ➔ Indirect Question; Modal Verb 'can'

  ➔ The structure is an indirect question embedded within a statement. Instead of asking "Where does the road go?", it asks "Who can say where the road goes?". "Can" expresses possibility or ability.

• Where the day flows

  ➔ Relative Clause (reduced)

  ➔ This is a reduced relative clause. The full clause would be "where the day *that* flows". The relative pronoun "that" is omitted.

• As your heart chose

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'as' indicating manner/way; Past Simple tense.

  ➔ "As" here means "in the way that". The past simple "chose" indicates a completed action in the past.

• Why your heart sighs

  ➔ Noun clause (indirect question); Present Simple (habitual action)

  ➔ "Why your heart sighs" functions as the object of the verb "say". The present simple "sighs" suggests the heart sighs regularly or habitually.

• As your love flies

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'as' indicating time; Present Simple tense.

  ➔ "As" here means "while" or "when". The present simple "flies" suggests a general truth or a present action happening in real-time.

• When your love lies

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'when' indicating time; Present Simple tense (third-person singular)

  ➔ "When" introduces a time clause. "Lies" is the third-person singular present simple form, agreeing with "your love" (singular). Note that "lies" here means 'is untrue' or 'deceives', not 'is horizontal'.

• That love might be

  ➔ Modal verb 'might' (expressing possibility); Infinitive 'be'

  ➔ "Might" expresses a weaker degree of possibility than "may" or "could". "Be" is the infinitive form of the verb.

• If the night keeps all your heart

  ➔ Conditional clause (Type 1 - possible/probable future); Present Simple; 'keeps' + object

  ➔ This is a Type 1 conditional, expressing a possible future outcome. "Keeps" here means 'retains' or 'holds onto'.