Santa Tell Me – English Lyrics

• By: Ariana Grande

Lyrics & Translation

You can learn English with Ariana Grande's beloved holiday hit, "Santa Tell Me"! This upbeat and catchy song is ideal for practicing conversational phrases and exploring themes of love, hope, and vulnerability. Its relatable lyrics about the desire for a love that endures past the festive season make it an enjoyable and emotionally engaging tool for improving your English vocabulary and pronunciation.

[English]

(festive music)

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if he really cares ♪

♪ 'Cause I can't give it all away ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Feeling Christmas all around ♪

♪ And I'm trying to play it cool ♪

♪ But it's hard to focus ♪

♪ When I see him walking across the room ♪

♪ "Let it Snow" is blasting out ♪

♪ But I won't get in the mood ♪

♪ I'm avoiding every mistletoe until I know ♪

♪ It's true love that he thinks of ♪

♪ So next Christmas ♪

♪ I'm not all alone, boy ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if he really cares ♪

♪ 'Cause I can't give it all away ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ I've been down this road before ♪

♪ Fell in love on Christmas night ♪

♪ But on New Year's Day, I woke up and he wasn't by my side ♪

♪ Now I need someone to hold ♪

♪ Be my fire in the cold ♪

♪ But it's hard to tell if this is just a fling ♪

♪ Or if it's true love ♪

♪ that he thinks of ♪

♪ So next Christmas ♪

♪ I'm not all alone, boy ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if he really cares ♪

♪ 'Cause I can't give it all away ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Oh, I wanna have him beside me like oh-woo-oh ♪

♪ On the 25th by the fire place oh-woo-oh ♪

♪ But I don't want a new broken heart ♪

♪ This year I've got to be smart ♪

♪ Oh, baby ♪

♪ Santa, tell me, Santa, tell me ♪

♪ If he will be, if he will be ♪

♪ Santa, tell me, Santa, tell me ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if he really cares ♪

♪ 'Cause I can't give it all away ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

♪ Tell me ♪

♪ Tell me ♪

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ If he won't be if he won't be here ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if he really cares ♪

♪ Tell me ♪

♪ Do you care? ♪

♪ 'Cause I can't give it all away ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

- [Offscreen Voice] Back in five

(beep)

- Oh my god, it's hot as balls

- Yeah

(beep)

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

(beep)

♪ Year ♪

- She said "Not these chords"

(everyone laughs)

- What'd she say?

- Are you okay?

- She said, she said "Not these chords".

She said, "Not these chords".

- I said coins. Coins.

(everyone laughs)

(beep)

(festive music)

(beep)

♪ So next Christmas I'm not all alone, boy ♪

♪ Santa tell me if you're really there ♪

(beep)

♪ If you won't be ♪

♪ If you won't be here, oh oh oh ♪

♪ Santa, tell me if you're really there ♪

(everyone laughs)

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa tell me ♪

(beep)

♪ Year ♪

- Word

(clapping)

(instrumental music)

(everyone laughs)

(beep)

(everyone laughs and groans)

(festive music)

- Ho ho ho

(everyone laughs)

(beep)

- [Backup Dancers] Oh! Hey!

♪ True love that he thinks of ♪

(beep)

♪ Next year ♪

♪ Oh I wanna have him beside me, like oh-woo-oh ♪

♪ On the 25th, by that fireplace ♪

(beep)

- Oh no, don't

♪ Santa, tell me if he really cares ♪

- I'm terrified

♪ 'Cause I can't give it all away ♪

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

- I didn't sign up for this.

- [Offscreen Voice] I know.

- No more pillow fights with a guy.

I'm outta here.

(everyone laughing)

I'm out

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Santa /ˈsæntə/ A1	noun - Santa Claus, a legendary figure who is said to bring gifts to children on Christmas Eve
tell /tel/ A1	verb - to communicate information to someone in spoken or written words
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to lose one's balance and collapse
year /jɪər/ A1	noun - the time it takes the earth to travel around the sun, about 365 days
cares /keərz/ A2	verb - feel concerned or interested; attach importance to something
give /ɡɪv/ A1	verb - to freely transfer the possession of something to someone
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25
mood /muːd/ B1	noun - a temporary state of mind or feeling
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present; solitary
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a long, narrow stretch with a smoothed or paved surface, made for travelling by vehicles
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature
true /truː/ A2	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.

Key Grammar Structures

• Santa, tell me **if** you're really there

  ➔ Conditional Clauses (Zero Conditional Implied)

  ➔ Implies 'if' Santa exists, then he can tell me. While presented as a request, it hints at a general truth.

• Don't make me fall in love **again**

  ➔ Imperative mood, adverb of frequency.

  ➔ "Don't make" is an imperative, a direct command. "Again" indicates a repeated action.

• **If** he won't be here next year

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 1 - Possible Condition)

  ➔ Introduces a possible condition in the future. The speaker worries about the possibility of the person not being present next year.

• ‘Cause I can’t give it all **away**

  ➔ Phrasal Verb (give away)

  ➔ "Give away" means to offer something for free or reveal a secret. Here, it implies emotional vulnerability.

• I'm avoiding every mistletoe **until** I know

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction ("until")

  ➔ "Until" shows the limit of a period or event - action continues up to a specific point in time.

• I've been down this road **before**

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous with "before"

  ➔ "I've been down" indicates an experience in the past that has relevance now. "Before" emphasizes it's a repeated experience.

• Now I need someone **to hold**

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "to hold" explains the purpose of needing someone. It answers the question: why do you need someone?

• But it's hard to tell **if** this is just a fling

  ➔ Indirect Question using 'if'

  ➔ "If this is just a fling" is a clause within a larger statement that presents a question in an indirect manner. There is no subject-verb inversion.