Princess Of China – English Lyrics

• By: Coldplay, Rihanna
• Album: Mylo Xyloto

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Princess /ˌprɪnˈses/ B1	noun - A female member of a royal family, especially a daughter of a king and queen or a reigning monarch's daughter.
King /kɪŋ/ A2	noun - A male sovereign or monarch; a ruler of an independent state.
Kingdom /ˈkɪŋdəm/ B1	noun - A country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen.
Heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - The organ in your chest that sends blood around your body. noun - The centre of emotion, especially love or affection.
Love /lʌv/ A1	noun - An intense feeling of deep affection. verb - To feel deep affection for (someone or something).
Star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - A natural luminous body visible in the night sky. noun - A guiding light or principal ideal.
Memory /ˈmeməri/ B1	noun - The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information; something remembered from the past.
Dream /driːm/ A2	noun - A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. noun - A cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.
Run /rʌn/ A1	verb - To move quickly on foot, faster than walking. verb - To manage or operate (e.g., a business).
Steal /stiːl/ B1	verb - To take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it. verb - To take something by force or surreptitiously; to gain secretly or unfairly.
Fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - To move downward, typically rapidly and freely without support. verb - To begin to feel love for someone (often used as 'fall in love').
Die /daɪ/ A2	verb - To stop living; to cease to exist.
Survive /sərˈvaɪv/ B1	verb - To continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship.
Lonely /ˈloʊnli/ A2	adjective - Sad because one has no friends or company.
Fade /feɪd/ B1	verb - To gradually grow faint, disappear, or become less clear.
Want /wɑːnt/ A1	verb - To have a desire or wish for (something) or to do (something).
Feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - To experience an emotion or sensation. verb - To perceive through the sense of touch.
Heal /hiːl/ B1	verb - To become sound or healthy again; to cure (a person or an ailment).
Swear /swer/ B1	verb - To make a solemn statement or promise. verb - To use offensive or impolite language.

Key Grammar Structures

• I saw the signs and I ignored them

  ➔ Coordinating Conjunctions ("and" linking independent clauses)

  ➔ The word "and" is used here to connect two independent clauses ("I saw the signs" and "I ignored them"). Each clause could stand alone as a complete sentence, and "and" indicates that the second action happened after or in addition to the first.

• You told me that you needed me

  ➔ Reported Speech (Past Simple)

  ➔ This is an example of reported speech. The original direct statement would likely have been "I need you." When reported in the past (using "You "told" me"), the verb in the subordinate clause (what was said) typically shifts back one tense. So, "need" (Present Simple) becomes "needed" (Past Simple). The word "that" is optional but commonly used to introduce the reported clause.

• You told me that you'd always be

  ➔ Reported Speech (Future in the Past - 'would')

  ➔ This also uses reported speech. The contraction "you'd" stands for "you would." The original direct statement would have been "I will always be..." or "You will always be..." When reported in the past (using "You told me"), "will" changes to "would" to express future actions or predictions from a past point of view. This is known as the future in the past.

• I could have sworn

  ➔ Perfect Modals (could have + Past Participle)

  ➔ The structure "could have sworn" (modal verb "could" + "have" + past participle of "swear") is a perfect modal verb. It expresses a past possibility, a strong belief or certainty in the past that turned out to be wrong, or something that was possible but didn't happen. Here, it conveys a strong past belief.

• That you would be here by my side

  ➔ Future in the Past

  ➔ The phrase "would be" signifies an action or state that was expected to happen in the future from a past perspective (in this case, from the time the speaker "could have sworn"). It is often used in reported speech or when narrating past events where a future outcome was anticipated at that time.

• So many times I've heard you say

  ➔ Present Perfect + Verb of Perception + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ "I've heard" is the present perfect tense, indicating an action that started in the past and continues or has an effect in the present, often for repeated experiences (emphasized by "so many times"). The structure "heard you say" uses a verb of perception ("heard") followed by an object ("you") and a bare infinitive (the base form of the verb without "to," "say"). This structure is used when we perceive the completion of an action.

• That you would never compromise

  ➔ Future in the Past (with negation "never")

  ➔ Similar to "would be", "would compromise" is an example of the future in the past, expressing a past promise or prediction. The adverb "never" is used to negate the action, indicating that the speaker expected the other person *not* to compromise at any point in the future from that past perspective. "Never" is placed before the main verb.

• And I could not get away

  ➔ Modal Verb "could" (past inability) + Phrasal Verb "get away"

  ➔ "could not" (or "couldn't") is the past form of "can not," indicating an inability to perform an action in the past. "get away" is a phrasal verb meaning to escape or leave a place or situation. Together, they express the speaker's past inability to escape.