Santa, Can't You Hear Me – English Lyrics

• By: Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande
• Album: When Christmas Comes Around

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the festive spirit with Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande's "Santa, Can't You Hear Me"! This powerhouse duet is a fantastic way to learn English through music. The lyrics tell a relatable story of wanting love for Christmas, using clear and emotional language. The song's energetic big-band style and the incredible vocal performances make it a modern holiday classic that's both fun and touching to sing along to.

[English]

Keep the snow and sleigh rides, keep those silver bells

Keep the gifts beneath the tree, give them to someone else

Keep that magic snowman, keep those twinkly lights

Keep the reindeer, my heart already knows how to fly

'Cause all I ever wanted

Was nothing I got, and...

Santa, can't you hear me?

Oh-oh (oh-oh) oh-oh (oh)

I don't need a thing

I sent a letter to you-ooh-ooh

On how to make my dreams come true, yeah-yeah

What I want for Christmas

Hasn't come and I feel so blue

Tell me, what can I do? Ooh-ooh, oh yeah

Keep the mistletoe (keep the mistletoe)

All that's below is what I need (what I need)

Santa, can't you hear me?

Keep those bows and boxes (keep them bows and them boxes)

Keep those three wise men

No need for a north star to show me where I will land

'Cause all I ever wanted

Isn't on a shelve, and...

Santa, can't you hear me?

Oh-oh (oh-oh), oh-oh (ooh, yeah), oh-oh (ooh-ooh), oh-oh

I don't need a thing

I sent a letter to you-ooh-ooh

On how to make my dreams come true, oh-oh

What I want for Christmas

Hasn't come and I feel so blue

Tell me, what can I do? Ooh-ooh, oh yeah

Keep the mistletoe (keep the mistletoe)

All that's below is what I need

Oh, Santa, can't you hear me? Yeah

'Cause all I ever wanted

Was nothing I got, and

Santa, can't you hear me? There is one thing that I need

Mmm-oh (oh), oh yeah (oh-oh), ooh, yeah (oh, oh)

Santa, yeah-yeah-yeah

I don't need a thing

I sent a letter to you-ooh-ooh (you-ooh-ooh)

On how to make my dreams come true, oh-oh

What I want for Christmas

Hasn't come and I feel so blue

Tell me, what can I do? Ooh-ooh, oh yeah

Keep the mistletoe

All that's below is what I need

Oh, Santa, can't you hear me?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hear /hɪər/ A1	verb - to perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something)
need /niːd/ A1	verb - require (something) because it is essential or very important noun - a thing that is wanted or required
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25
dreams /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to have a dream while sleeping
true /truː/ A2	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - be aware of (something) through touching; perceive
letter /ˈletər/ A2	noun - a written, typed, or printed communication sent in an envelope by post or messenger
fly /flaɪ/ A2	verb - to move through the air using wings
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer
gifts /ɡɪfts/ A2	noun - something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present
magic /ˈmadʒɪk/ B1	noun - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces adjective - relating to or employing magic
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
blue /bluː/ A1	adjective - of a color intermediate between green and violet; having a color like that of a clear unclouded sky in the daytime adjective - sad or depressed
wise /waɪz/ B1	adjective - having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment
star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - a fixed luminous point in the night sky which is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun

Key Grammar Structures

• Keep the snow and sleigh rides, keep those silver bells

  ➔ Imperative mood (with 'keep')

  ➔ The verb "keep" is used in the imperative mood, which expresses a command or request. Here, it's used to express a desire for Santa to *not* have these things.

• 'Cause all I ever wanted was nothing I got, and...

  ➔ Past Perfect tense ('all I ever wanted')

  ➔ "All I ever "wanted"" uses the past perfect construction. The use of the past perfect indicates an action that was completed before another time in the past (implied, the present feeling of dissatisfaction). The phrase "nothing I got" uses a simplified relative clause; it means 'nothing *that* I got'.

• I sent a letter to you-ooh-ooh on how to make my dreams come true, yeah-yeah

  ➔ Indirect question ('how to make my dreams come true')

  ➔ The phrase "how to make my dreams come true" functions as an indirect question. It's a question embedded within a statement, using "how" + infinitive. The sentence implies that the letter contained instructions or guidance on achieving her dreams.

• Hasn't come and I feel so blue

  ➔ Present perfect negative ('Hasn't come')

  ➔ "Hasn't come" is the present perfect tense in the negative form. It expresses that something has not happened up to the present moment. It highlights the continuing disappointment related to her Christmas wish.

• All that's below is what I need

  ➔ Reduced relative clause ("that's below")

  ➔ This sentence contains a reduced relative clause. The full clause would be "All that is below (the mistletoe)..." The relative pronoun "that" and the auxiliary verb "is" are omitted for brevity. The sentence implies that all she needs is love, connection, or something that isn't materialistic, found beneath the symbol of the mistletoe.