Photograph – English Lyrics

• By: Ed Sheeran
• Album: x (Multiply)

Lyrics & Translation

“Photograph” by Ed Sheeran offers a beautiful opportunity for English language learners. Its clear, descriptive lyrics tell a relatable story of love and memory, making it easier to grasp new vocabulary and phrases in context. The song's emotional depth and universal theme of cherishing moments make it engaging and memorable, aiding in retention and pronunciation practice through singing along.

[English]

Loving can hurt

Loving can hurt sometimes

But it's the only thing

That I know

And when it gets hard

You know it can get hard sometimes

It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

We keep this love in a photograph

We make these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me

Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet

You won't ever be alone

Wait for me to come home

Loving can heal

Loving can mend your soul

And is the only thing

That I know, know

I swear it will get easier

Remember that with every piece of ya, mmm

And it's the only thing we take with us when we die, mmm

We keep this love in a photograph

We make these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts were never broken

And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me

Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet

You won't ever be alone

And if you hurt me

Well, that's okay, baby, only words bleed

Inside these pages you just hold me

And I won't ever let you go

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Oh, you can fit me

Inside the necklace you got when you were 16

Next to your heartbeat where I should be

Keep it deep within your soul

And if you hurt me

Well, that's okay, baby, only words bleed

Inside these pages you just hold me

And I won't ever let you go

When I'm away

I will remember how you kissed me

Under the lamppost back on 6th street

Hearing you whisper through the phone

Wait for me to come home

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause physical pain or injury. verb - to cause emotional pain or distress.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - to feel deep affection for someone.
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - difficult to do or accomplish.
alive /əˈlaɪv/ B1	adjective - living; not dead.
photograph /ˈfoʊtəɡræf/ A2	noun - a picture made using a camera.
memories /ˈmeməriz/ A2	noun - something remembered from the past.
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs used for seeing.
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	adjective - having been damaged or having come apart.
frozen /ˈfroʊzən/ B1	adjective - turned into ice; very cold.
pocket /ˈpɑːkɪt/ A2	noun - a small bag sewn into clothing.
ripped /rɪpt/ B1	adjective - torn; damaged by tearing.
jeans /dʒiːnz/ A1	noun - casual pants made of denim.
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives.
heal /hiːl/ B1	verb - to become healthy again.
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
words /wɜːrdz/ A1	noun - units of language that have meaning.
pages /peɪdʒɪz/ A2	noun - sheets of paper bound together in a book.
necklace /ˈnekləs/ A2	noun - an ornamental chain or string of beads, jewels, or links worn around the neck.
heartbeat /ˈhɑːrtbiːt/ B1	noun - the sound of the heart beating.
kissed /kɪst/ A2	verb - to touch or caress with the lips.
whisper /ˈwɪspər/ B1	verb - to speak very softly using one's breath without vibrating the vocal cords.

Key Grammar Structures

• Loving can hurt

  ➔ Gerund as subject

  ➔ The gerund "loving" (the -ing form of the verb) acts as the subject of the sentence. It's not an action in progress, but rather the concept of love itself.

• It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

  ➔ Relative clause with "that"

  ➔ The clause "that makes us feel alive" modifies "the only thing". "That" introduces a relative clause that provides more information about the noun it follows.

• Where our eyes are never closing

  ➔ Adverbial clause of place with "where"

  ➔ "Where" introduces a clause specifying the location or context of the memories. It describes the metaphorical place in the photograph.

• Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet

  ➔ Reduced adverbial clause with "'til"

  ➔ "'Til" is a shortened form of "until". This sentence uses a reduced adverbial clause, where the subject and auxiliary verb are omitted. The full form would be "until our eyes meet".

• And it's the only thing we take with us when we die, mmm

  ➔ Time clause with "when"

  ➔ "When" introduces a time clause, indicating the point in time when something happens. In this case, it specifies when we take "the only thing" with us.

• Well, that's okay, baby, only words bleed

  ➔ Subject-verb inversion (stylistic)

  ➔ While not a strict grammatical rule, the phrase "only words bleed" emphasizes "only words" by placing it before the verb. A more common word order would be "only words *do* bleed". This is a stylistic choice to add emphasis or a poetic feel.

• Hearing you whisper through the phone

  ➔ Present participle as reduced clause

  ➔ "Hearing you whisper through the phone" is a reduced clause, implied after a verb like "remember". The full clause could be something like "I remember hearing you whisper..." The present participle 'hearing' functions to add more detail about the remembered action. This can also imply simultaneous action.

• Keep it deep within your soul

  ➔ Imperative with adverbial phrase

  ➔ This sentence is an imperative (a command or request) using the base form of the verb "keep". "Deep within your soul" is an adverbial phrase modifying the verb "keep", specifying where to keep 'it' (presumably, the memory or feeling).