September – English Lyrics

• By: James Arthur
• Album: BITTER SWEET LOVE

Lyrics & Translation

"September" by James Arthur is a poignant and relatable love song that offers a fantastic entry point for English language learners. Its clear narrative, emotional lyrics, and James Arthur's distinctive vocal style make it easy to follow along. By exploring the song, you can learn common romantic expressions, phrases about personal growth, and everyday conversational language embedded in a moving story about enduring love and commitment. The song's blend of vulnerability and adoration makes it a special and engaging piece for language acquisition.

[English]

I remember when I met you, just before September

You were dancing in the street, rocking that pink and leather

Begged my friend for your number, I bet you don’t remember

That’s how we began

I pursued you for a year, I would have waited longer

I knew ultimately it would make the feeling stronger

That first time I kissed you, I could look in the mirror

And like who I was

I could never wait for the weekends when you would come over

‘Cause that’s when I’d see you again

You’re all my strength and my weakness

You battle my demons

You’re still undefeated

Sometimes I get a little bit jaded

Too much pressure just to make it

You smile when I’m angry and I hate it

But I’ll still love you for the rest of my life

My crush on you has never faded

Let’s go back to bed until we break it

I’m gonna love you for the rest of my life

Ooh

If you wanted to

I’d start a family with you

I remember being foolish when I met your mother

‘Cause she had that Irish charm right then I knew I’d love her

That’s where you got your heart

When we got back to the car

I knew you were the one

I could never wait for the weekends when you would come over

‘Cause that’s when I’d see you again

You’re all my strength and my weakness

You battle my demons

You’re still undefeated

Sometimes I get a little bit jaded

Too much pressure just to make it

You smile when I’m angry and I hate it

But I’ll still love you for the rest of my life

My crush on you has never faded

Let’s go back to bed until we break it

I’m gonna love you for the rest of my life

Ooh

If you wanted to

I’d start a family with you

Ooh

If you wanted to

I’d start a family with you

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
remember /rɪˈmembər/ A1	verb - to recall a past event
met /met/ A1	verb - past tense of meet: to encounter someone
dancing /ˈdɑːnsɪŋ/ A1	verb (gerund) - performing a series of rhythmic steps and movements
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
pink /pɪŋk/ A1	adjective - of the color pink noun - the color pink
kissed /kɪst/ A1	verb - past tense of kiss: to touch with the lips as a sign of love or greeting
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ A2	noun - a reflective surface
weekends /ˌwiːkˈendz/ A2	noun - Saturdays and Sundays
strength /streŋθ/ B1	noun - the quality of being strong
weakness /ˈwiːknəs/ B1	noun - the state or quality of being weak
battle /ˈbætl/ B1	verb - to fight against noun - a sustained fight between armed forces.
demons /ˈdiːmənz/ B1	noun - an evil spirit or devil
jaded /ˈdʒeɪdɪd/ B2	adjective - tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something
pressure /ˈpreʃər/ B1	noun - the application of force to something by something else in contact with it
angry /ˈæŋɡri/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing strong annoyance, displeasure, or hostility; irate.
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - feel intense dislike for
crush /krʌʃ/ B1	noun - an intense but short-lived passion or infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable.
faded /ˈfeɪdɪd/ B1	adjective - gradually disappearing
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and their children living together in a household.
mother /ˈmʌðər/ A1	noun - a female parent
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - an organ that pumps blood

Key Grammar Structures

• I remember when I met you, just before September

  ➔ Past Perfect Continuous

  ➔ The phrase 'I remember when I met you' uses the Past Perfect Continuous to indicate an action that began in the past and continued up to another point in the past ('just before September').

• You were dancing in the street, rocking that pink and leather

  ➔ Past Continuous

  ➔ The phrase 'You were dancing' uses the Past Continuous to describe an action that was ongoing at a specific moment in the past.

• I pursued you for a year, I would have waited longer

  ➔ Past Perfect + Conditional Perfect

  ➔ The phrase 'I pursued you for a year' uses the Past Perfect, and 'I would have waited longer' uses the Conditional Perfect to express a hypothetical situation in the past.

• That first time I kissed you, I could look in the mirror

  ➔ Past Simple + Past Modal

  ➔ The phrase 'That first time I kissed you' uses the Past Simple, and 'I could look' uses the Past Modal to express ability in the past.

• You’re all my strength and my weakness

  ➔ Present Simple with Adjectival Complement

  ➔ The sentence uses the Present Simple to describe a current state, with 'all my strength and my weakness' acting as an adjectival complement.