Opalite – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: The Life of a Showgirl

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Taylor Swift's "Opalite," a radiant pop song that offers a vibrant journey into English through its poetic lyrics and uplifting themes. This track, filled with shimmering synths and heartfelt storytelling, is perfect for English learners as it explores themes of emotional healing and finding joy after past struggles. Its clear narrative and evocative imagery provide an engaging way to grasp contemporary English vocabulary and expressions while immersing yourself in a truly special and universally relatable message of self-discovery and love.

[English]

I had a bad habit

Of missing lovers past

My brother used to call it

"Eating out of the trash," it's never gonna last

I thought my house was haunted

I used to live with ghosts

And all the perfect couples

Said, "When you know you know and when you don't you don't"

And all of the foes and all of the friends

Have seen it before, they'll see it again

Life is a song, it ends when it ends

I was wrong

But my Mama told me, "It's alright

You were dancing through the lightning strikes

Sleepless in the onyx night

But now the sky is opalite

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh my Lord

Never made no one like you before

You had to make your own sunshine

But now the sky is opalite"

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh

You couldn't understand it

Why you felt alone

You were in it for real

She was in her phone, and you were just a pose

And don't we try to love love? (Love love)

We give it all we got (Give it all we got)

You finally left the table

And what a simple thought, you're starving till you're not

And all of the foes and all of the friends

Have messed up before, they'll mess up again

Life is a song, it ends when it ends

You move on

And that's when I told you, "It's alright

You were dancing through the lightning strikes

Sleepless in the onyx night

But now the sky is opalite

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh my Lord

Never met no one like you before

You had to make your own sunshine

But now the sky is opalite"

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh

This is just a storm inside a teacup

But shelter here with me, my love

Thunder like a drum

This life will beat you up, up, up, up

This is just a temporary speed bump

But failure brings you freedom

And I can bring you love (Love, love, love, love)

Don't you sweat it, baby

"It's alright

You were dancing through the lightning strikes

Oh, so sleepless in the onyx night

But now the sky is opalite

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh my Lord

Never met no one like you before

You had to make your own sunshine

But now the sky is opalite"

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
habit /ˈhæbɪt/ B1	noun - a regular practice or behavior
lover /ˈlʌvər/ A2	noun - a person with whom one has a romantic or sexual relationship
trash /træʃ/ B1	noun - worthless or discarded material
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
ghost /goʊst/ B1	noun - a spirit of a dead person
couple /ˈkʌpəl/ B1	noun - two people in a relationship
foe /foʊ/ C1	noun - an enemy
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition of living beings
song /sɔŋ/ A2	noun - a musical composition
sky /skaɪ/ A2	noun - the expanse of space above the earth
opalite /ˈoʊpəlaɪt/ C2	noun - a type of synthetic gemstone resembling opal adjective - resembling opal or the color of opal
mama /məˈmɑ/ A1	noun - mother
lord /lɔrd/ A2	noun - a person who has authority or control
sunshine /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/ B1	noun - the light and heat from the sun
storm /stɔrm/ A2	noun - a violent disturbance in the atmosphere
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to have deep affection for
dance /dæns/ A2	noun - a rhythmic movement to music verb - to move rhythmically to music
make /meɪk/ A1	verb - to create or produce
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of through observation or experience

Key Grammar Structures

• I had a bad habit

  ➔ Past simple of have to describe a past state or habit; 'had' indicates possession/state in the past.

  ➔ "had" shows the past simple of 'have', used to describe a past habit or state.

• My brother used to call it

  ➔ "used to" expresses past habits or states that are no longer true; base form after it (call).

  ➔ "used to" expresses past habits or states that are no longer true; we use the base verb after it (call).

• Life is a song, it ends when it ends

  ➔ Present simple to express a general truth; 'ends' is the main verb; 'when it ends' uses a present simple in a time clause.

  ➔ "is" marks the present state; "ends" is the verb of the main clause; the 'when' clause uses present simple to refer to future.

• But now the sky is opalite

  ➔ Present simple with 'now' to indicate the current state; 'is' is a linking verb connecting subject to complement.

  ➔ "is" is the linking verb that links 'sky' to the complement 'opalite'; 'now' emphasizes the present moment.

• You couldn't understand it

  ➔ "couldn't" is the contraction of 'could not', expressing past ability or possibility; negation of 'can'.

  ➔ "couldn't" is the contraction of 'could not', indicating past ability or possibility and the negation of 'can'.

• You were in it for real

  ➔ Past simple of 'to be' to describe a past state; 'for real' intensifier emphasizing sincerity.

  ➔ "were" is the past form of 'be' used to describe a past state or condition.

• You had to make your own sunshine

  ➔ "had to" expresses past necessity or obligation; 'make' is the base form after it.

  ➔ "had to" expresses past necessity or obligation; the following verb is in the base form.

• This is just a storm inside a teacup

  ➔ Present simple with 'is' to identify or define; 'inside a teacup' is a prepositional phrase used metaphorically.

  ➔ "is" links the subject to its description; 'inside a teacup' functions as a figurative location or condition.

• This life will beat you up

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' to express a future action or inevitability; 'beat you up' is the verb phrase.

  ➔ "will" expresses future action or inevitability; the verb phrase is 'beat you up'.