SHC – English Lyrics

• By: Foster The People
• Album: Sacred Hearts Club

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant soundscape of Foster The People's "SHC" and explore how music can articulate deep personal and spiritual reflections. This track, rich in psychedelic pop elements and meaningful lyrics, offers a unique opportunity to connect with English through its engaging narrative and uplifting yet introspective vibe. Discover how the band uses 'joy as a weapon' to convey profound messages, making it an excellent song for language learners to uncover layers of meaning and emotion.

[English]

(Omnipotent)

If you want a secret

it’s worth keeping

And I’m keeping my mouth shut

On the weekends

I won’t hang out with anybody else

But faith is,

always spacing

What’s it want from me?

And I keep falling backwards

Looking for relief

Want to be free

I’ve been counting all the minutes

and the days have been counting me

I want to live my life again

But you won’t

I’ll never understand the wind

But you do

I didn’t know I was afraid

But you did

I want to do it again

Well I’ve been sleeping

Waiting for something

But to feel nothing at all

Avoid the call

Sometimes I’m reckless

Sometimes misdirected

And sometimes when I’m tested

I tend to do nothing at all

And when I’m alone

There’s a ghost that keeps talking

And I know there’s gotta be more

For sure

I want to live my life again

But you won’t

I’ll never understand the wind

But you do

I didn’t know I was afraid

But you did

I wanna do it again

(Omnipotent)

I’ve been numbing my thoughts for hours

For I know you were there to save me from myself

And we’ve been wilting and young for seed

And I can’t compete

We’re too strong to feel

What’s real?

I want to live my life again

But you won’t

I’ll never understand the wind

But you do

I didn’t know I was afraid

But you did

I wanna do it again

Do you, do you want to live forever?

Do you, do you want to live forever?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
secret /ˈsiːkrɪt/ A1	noun - something that is kept hidden or unknown
keeping /ˈkiːpɪŋ/ A2	verb - to retain possession of
faith /feɪθ/ A2	noun - strong belief or trust in someone or something
spacing /ˈspeɪsɪŋ/ B1	verb - to arrange with spaces between
falling /ˈfɔːlɪŋ/ A1	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely
relief /rɪˈliːf/ B1	noun - a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or stress
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not imprisoned or enslaved
counting /ˈkaʊntɪŋ/ A1	verb - to determine the total number of
reckless /ˈrɛklɪs/ B2	adjective - careless or irresponsible in one's actions or decisions
misdirected /ˌmɪs.dɪˈrɛktɪd/ C1	adjective - directed or aimed incorrectly
ghost /ɡoʊst/ A2	noun - the soul of a dead person, believed to appear to the living
numbing /ˈnʌmɪŋ/ B2	verb - to make someone or something insensible or unresponsive
wilting /ˈwɪltɪŋ/ C1	verb - to become limp or droop, especially from heat or lack of water
compete /kəmˈpiːt/ B1	verb - to try to win or get something by defeating others
omnipotent /ˈɒm.nɪ.pəʊ.tənt/ C2	adjective - having unlimited power

Key Grammar Structures

• If you want a secret it’s worth keeping

  ➔ worth + Gerund

  ➔ This structure expresses that something has value or deserves the action specified by the gerund. "worth keeping" means it has value in being kept.

• I won’t hang out with anybody else

  ➔ Negative + anybody else

  ➔ "anybody else" is used in negative sentences or questions to refer to other people, indicating no other person.

• But faith is, always spacing

  ➔ Present Continuous for annoying/repeated actions

  ➔ The present continuous ("is always spacing") can be used with "always" (or "constantly," "continually") to express an action that happens repeatedly and is often annoying or irritating.

• And I keep falling backwards

  ➔ keep + Gerund

  ➔ "keep + -ing verb" means to continue doing something or to do it repeatedly.

• I’ve been counting all the minutes

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ "I've been counting" describes an action that started in the past, continued up to the present, and may still be ongoing or has just finished with visible results.

• I want to live my life again But you won’t

  ➔ Ellipsis with auxiliary verbs

  ➔ "But you won't" is a shorter way of saying "But you won't live your life again," avoiding repetition of the main verb phrase and implying the full phrase from context.

• Well I’ve been sleeping Waiting for something

  ➔ Participle clause (Present Participle)

  ➔ "Waiting for something" is a present participle clause that provides additional information about the main action ("I've been sleeping"), often indicating a simultaneous action or a consequence.

• Sometimes when I’m tested I tend to do nothing at all

  ➔ tend to do

  ➔ "tend to do" means to be likely to do something or to often do it as a habit or characteristic.

• For I know you were there to save me from myself

  ➔ Conjunction 'For' (meaning 'because')

  ➔ In this context, "For" functions as a formal conjunction meaning "because" or "since," introducing a reason for the preceding statement. It's less common than 'because' in modern informal English.

• Do you, do you want to live forever?

  ➔ Infinitives after 'want'

  ➔ "to live" is an infinitive used here after the verb "want" to express the desired action. This is a common pattern for expressing desires or intentions.