Pray – English Lyrics

• By: Lauren Spencer Smith

Lyrics & Translation

Key Grammar Structures

• I COULDN'T GUESS

  ➔ Modal Verb of Past Inability

  ➔ The modal verb "couldn't" (past of 'can't') expresses an inability to perform an action in the past. Here, it means the speaker "was not able to guess".

• ALL THE REASONS YOU HAD WHEN YOU LEFT

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ The phrase "reasons you had" is a reduced relative clause. The full form would be "reasons 'that' you had," where 'that' is omitted because it's the object of the verb.

• WERE THE ONES I DON'T WANNA FORGET

  ➔ Informal Contraction & Pronoun Reference

  ➔ "Wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to." "The 'ones'" refers back to a previously mentioned plural noun, in this context, "memories."

• SO WHEN YOU THINK OF ME IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ The clause "when you think of me in the dead of night" begins with the subordinating conjunction "when," indicating a condition or period of time for the main action.

• WHEREVER YOU GO, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I PRAY

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Place

  ➔ The clause "wherever you go" uses the compound relative adverb "wherever" to indicate any place, emphasizing that the main action applies universally regardless of location.

• THERE WAS A TIME WHERE THE WORDS THAT YOU SAID REALLY CUT

  ➔ Existential 'There' + Relative Clause

  ➔ "There was a time" uses the existential 'there' to introduce the existence of a specific time. This is followed by a relative clause "where the words that you said really cut" providing more details about that time.

• WHERE I COULDN'T HELP HOLDING A GRUDGE

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression: 'Can't help + Gerund'

  ➔ The idiomatic expression "couldn't help 'holding' a grudge" means the speaker was unable to stop themselves from doing it, implying an involuntary action.

• IT'S OKAY IF IT'S NOT ME

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 0/1)

  ➔ This is a conditional sentence using "if" to express a possible or general truth. Type 0 (general truth) or Type 1 (possible future outcome) can both apply depending on interpretation.

• DON'T NEED YOUR APOLOGY FOR GIVIN' ME HOPE

  ➔ Preposition + Gerund

  ➔ The preposition "for" is followed by the gerund "givin'" (an informal form of 'giving'). This structure often explains the reason or purpose for something.

• I'LL ALWAYS HAVE GRACE FOR YA

  ➔ Future Simple with 'Always' (Continuous State)

  ➔ The phrase "will 'always' have grace" uses the future simple tense with the adverb "always" to express a permanent or continuous state in the future, highlighting an unwavering feeling.