Seventeen – English Lyrics

• By: Alessia Cara

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH OH ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ (OHH OHH OHH OHH) ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ MY DADDY SAYS THAT LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST ♪

♪ WE ALL LIKE BLADES OF GRASS ♪

♪ WE COME TO PRIME AND IN TIME WE JUST WITHER AWAY ♪

♪ AND IT ALL CHANGES ♪

♪ MY VIEW WITH A LOOKING GLASS WON'T CATCH THE PAST ♪

♪ ONLY PHOTOGRAPHS REMIND US OF THE PASSING OF DAYS ♪

♪ OH NOTHING STAYS THE SAME FROM YESTERYEARS ♪

♪ SEE I RECALL BEING AFRAID OF THE DARK ♪

♪ AND HOLDING ON TO TEDDY BEARS ♪

♪ I'D WRAP MYSELF IN BLANKETS JUST TO COVER ME FROM FEARS ♪

♪ THAT WAS THEN AND NOW I'M HERE ♪

♪ AND THE NIGHT IS MINE ♪

♪ SO HEAR ME SCREAM ♪

♪ I WAS TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS ♪

♪ I COULDN'T WAIT TIL I COULD BE SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ I THOUGHT HE LIED WHEN HE SAID TAKE MY TIME AND DREAM ♪

♪ NOW I WISH I COULD FREEZE THE TIME AT SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ NOW I WISH I COULD FREEZE THE TIME AT SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ MY MOTHER SAID DON'T FORGET ♪

♪ WHERE YOU COME FROM, WHERE YOU'VE BEEN ♪

♪ ALWAYS KEEP YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS THEY CAN'T SLIP AWAY ♪

♪ THEY KEEP YOU GROUNDED ♪

♪ OH KEEP YOURSELF SURROUNDED ♪

♪ WITH GOOD ADVICE ♪

♪ AND YEAH I GUESS THAT SOUNDED NICE ♪

♪ WHEN I WAS TEN ♪

♪ OH BUT NEVER WERE THERE TRUER WORDS ♪

♪ AND I'LL MY DAYS I'VE EVER HEARD ♪

♪ AND WHEN SHE TOLD ME LITTLE GIRL THE ANSWER IS LOVE ♪

♪ SO THOSE ARE WORDS THAT I KEEP WITH ME ♪

♪ THOUGH THE SEASONS CHANGE SO QUICKLY ♪

♪ KEEP THEM BURIED IN MY HEART ♪

♪ AND NEVER FOUGHT ♪

♪ SO HEAR ME SCREAM ♪

♪ I WAS TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS ♪

♪ I COULDN'T WAIT TIL I COULD BE SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ I THOUGHT SHE LIED WHEN SHE SAID TAKE MY TIME AND BREATHE ♪

♪ NOW I WISH I COULD FREEZE THE TIME AT SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ NOW I WISH I COULD FREEZE THE TIME AT SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ I BEEN GOIN ON ♪

♪ I BEEN GROWIN UP ♪

♪ I'M A KNOW IT ALL ♪

♪ I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ♪

♪ SEE I WAS RACING AND WAITING ♪

♪ FOR THE DAY THAT I WOULD BE OLD ENOUGH ♪

♪ GUESS I'LL BE PATIENT AND PACE MYSELF ♪

♪ GOTTA PREPARE FOR WHEN GOINGS ROUGH ♪

♪ I WAS TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS ♪

♪ I COULDN'T WAIT TIL I COULD BE SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ I THOUGHT SHE LIED WHEN SHE SAID TAKE MY TIME TO BREATHE ♪

♪ NOW I WISH I COULD FREEZE THE TIME AT SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ OH OHH OHH OHH OHH OHH, ♪

♪ OHH OHH OHH OHH ♪

♪ SEVENTEEN ♪

♪ NOW I WISH I COULD FREEZE THE TIME AT SEVENTEEN ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence verb - measure or ascertain how long something takes
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - experience images, thoughts, or sensations during sleep
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger verb - be afraid of something
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ B1	verb - perceive the intended meaning of words, language, or a speaker
wait /weɪt/ A2	verb - remain inactive in expectation of something
lied /laɪd/ B1	verb - make a false statement with the intent to deceive
breathe /briːð/ A1	verb - draw air into, and expel it from, the lungs
friends /frendz/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
advice /ədˈvaɪs/ B1	noun - guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent future action
grounded /ˈɡraʊndɪd/ B2	adjective - firmly established; sensible
season /ˈsiːzn/ B1	noun - a division of the year marked by changes in weather
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ in the chest that pumps blood
grow /ɡroʊ/ A2	verb - increase in size by the addition of new cells
racing /ˈreɪsɪŋ/ B1	verb - compete in a race
patient /ˈpeɪʃnt/ B1	adjective - able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious
prepare /prɪˈpeər/ B1	verb - make or become ready for something

Key Grammar Structures

• My daddy says that life comes at you fast

  ➔ Indirect Speech, Present Simple

  ➔ The sentence uses indirect speech to report what the daddy said. The verb 'says' introduces the reported clause. 'Comes' is in the present simple, reflecting a general truth.

• We all like blades of grass

  ➔ Simile, Collective Noun

  ➔ This line uses a simile to compare people to blades of grass, highlighting their fragility and commonality. 'We' functions as a collective noun.

• I couldn't wait til I could be seventeen

  ➔ Past Modal of Desire, Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ "Couldn't wait" expresses a strong desire in the past. 'Til' is a colloquial contraction of 'until'. 'To be seventeen' is an infinitive of purpose, explaining *why* the speaker couldn't wait.

• Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen

  ➔ Past Unreal Conditional, Modal Verb expressing regret

  ➔ This sentence uses a past unreal conditional ('I wish I could...') to express a regret about the past. 'Could' expresses the speaker's inability to change the past.

• Always keep your closest friends they can't slip away

  ➔ Imperative, Pronoun + Verb + Object, Negative Contraction

  ➔ This is a direct command ('Always keep'). 'They' refers to the 'closest friends'. 'Can't slip away' is a negative contraction expressing impossibility.