Payphone – English Lyrics

• By: Maroon 5, Wiz Khalifa

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the emotionally resonant lyrics of "Payphone" by Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa, a powerful pop ballad perfect for English language learners. This song offers a rich vocabulary related to relationships, emotions, and regret, allowing you to explore expressions of longing and disillusionment. Its clear narrative and relatable themes of love and loss make it special for understanding contemporary English in a musical context, enhanced by the unique dynamic between Adam Levine's melodic vocals and Wiz Khalifa's rap verse.

[English]

I'm at a payphone, trying to call home

All of my change I spent on you

Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong

Where are the plans we made for two?

Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember

The people we used to be

It's even harder to picture

That you're not here next to me

You say it's too late to make it

But is it too late to try?

And in our time that you wasted

All of our bridges burned down

I've wasted my nights

You turned out the lights

Now, I'm paralyzed

Still stuck in that time

When we called it love

But even the sun sets in paradise

I'm at a payphone, trying to call home

All of my change I spent on you

Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong

Where are the plans we made for two?

If "Happy Ever After" did exist

I would still be holding you like this

All those fairy tales are full of shit

One more fucking love song, I'll be sick (oh)

You turned your back on tomorrow

'Cause you forgot yesterday

I gave you my love to borrow

But you just gave it away

You can't expect me to be fine

I don't expect you to care

I know I've said it before

But all of our bridges burned down

I've wasted my nights

You turned out the lights

Now, I'm paralyzed

Still stuck in that time

When we called it love

But even the sun sets in paradise

I'm at a payphone, trying to call home

All of my change I spent on you (oh, oh)

Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong

Where are the plans we made for two? (Yeah)

If "Happy Ever After" did exist

I would still be holding you like this

And all those fairy tales are full of shit

One more fucking love song, I'll be sick (uh)

Now, I'm at a payphone

Man, fuck that shit

I'll be out spending all this money while you sitting 'round

Wondering why it wasn't you who came up from nothing

Made it from the bottom, now, when you see me, I'm stunning

And all of my cars start with a push of a button

Telling me had chances I blew up or whatever you call it

Switch the number to my phone, so you never could call it

Don't need my name on my show, you can tell that I'm balling

Swish, what a shame could have got picked

Had a really good game, but you missed your last shot

So you talk about who you see at the top

Or what you could've saw, but sad to say, it's over for

Phantom pulled up, valet open doors

Wished I'd go away, got what you was looking for

Now, it's me who they want, so you can go

And take that little piece of shit with you

I'm at a payphone, trying to call home

All of my change I spent on you (woo)

Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong

Where are the plans we made for two? (Yeah, yeah)

If "Happy Ever After" did exist (oh, yeah)

I would still be holding you like this

All these fairy tales are full of shit

Yeah, one more fucking love song, I'll be sick (yeah)

Now, I'm at a payphone

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
payphone /ˈpeɪfoʊn/ A2	noun - a public telephone that requires payment to use
spent /spɛnt/ A1	verb - past tense of spend; to use up or pay out money
wasted /ˈweɪstɪd/ B1	verb - to use or expend thoughtlessly or carelessly
paralyzed /ˈpærəlaɪzd/ B2	verb - to be unable to move or act
bridges /ˈbrɪdʒɪz/ A2	noun - structures built to span physical obstacles like rivers
burned /bɜrnd/ A2	verb - past tense of burn; to destroy with fire
paradise /ˈpærədaɪs/ B1	noun - a place or state of utmost happiness
stunning /ˈstʌnɪŋ/ B1	adjective - extremely impressive or attractive
valet /ˈvælɪt/ B2	noun - a person who parks cars for customers
balling /ˈbɔlɪŋ/ B2	verb - slang; to live a lavish or wealthy lifestyle
switch /swɪtʃ/ A2	verb - to change or exchange
chance /tʃæns/ A1	noun - an opportunity to do something
forgot /fərˈɡɒt/ A1	verb - past tense of forget; to fail to remember
expect /ɪkˈspɛkt/ A2	verb - to believe that something will happen
picture /ˈpɪktʃər/ A1	verb - to imagine or form a mental image
exist /ɪɡˈzɪst/ A2	verb - to have actual being; to live

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm at a payphone, trying to call home

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase "I'm at a payphone" uses the present continuous tense with "am" (contracted to 'm) and the -ing form of the verb "trying" to describe an action happening now.

• Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ The question "Where have the times gone?" uses the present perfect tense with "have" and the past participle "gone" to refer to an action that started in the past and has relevance now.

• You say it's too late to make it

  ➔ Indirect speech

  ➔ The phrase "You say it's too late" uses indirect speech to report what someone else said without quoting them directly.

• All of our bridges burned down

  ➔ Past simple passive voice

  ➔ The phrase "burned down" is in the past simple passive voice, indicating an action that was done to the subject (bridges) in the past.

• If 'Happy Ever After' did exist

  ➔ Second conditional

  ➔ The phrase uses the second conditional with "did exist" to talk about a hypothetical situation that is unlikely to be true.

• You turned your back on tomorrow

  ➔ Phrasal verb

  ➔ The phrase "turned your back on" is a phrasal verb meaning to reject or abandon something.

• I gave you my love to borrow

  ➔ Object + infinitive structure

  ➔ The phrase uses the structure "gave you my love to borrow," where "to borrow" is the purpose of giving love.

• Now, I'm paralyzed

  ➔ Adverb of time

  ➔ The word "Now" is an adverb of time indicating the present moment.