Silver Bells – English Lyrics

• By: John Legend
• Album: A Legendary Christmas

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartwarming charm of "Silver Bells" by John Legend, a timeless Christmas classic. This song offers a delightful way to immerse yourself in the English language, capturing the joyous spirit of the holidays and the sense of community that defines the season.

[English]

Silver, (silver bells), silver bells (silver bells)

It's Christmas time in the city

Oh, ring-a-ling (ring-a-ling), hear them ring (hear them ring)

Soon it will be Christmas Day

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks

Dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing

People passing

Meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you hear

Oh, they're playing

Silver bells (silver bells), silver bells (silver bells)

It's Christmas time in the city (fa-la-la-la-la-la-la)

Oh, ring-a-ling (ring-a-ling), hear them ring (hear them ring)

Soon it will be Christmas Day

Strings of street lights even stop lights

Blink in bright red and green

As the shoppers rush home

With their treasures

Hear the snow crunch

See the kids bunch

This is Santa's big day

And above all the bustle

You'll hear

Oh, they're playing

Silver bells (silver bells), oh, silver bells (silver bells)

Yeah, it's Christmas time in the city (fa-la-la-la-la-la-la)

Oh, ring-a-ling (ring-a-ling), hear them ring (hear them ring)

Soon it will be Christmas Day

Oh, soon we will come together

We're gonna love each other

Just let those silver bells play

Yeah, people around the world can dance to the sound

Of Christmas Day (Christmas Day)

Let them play all those

Silver bells (silver bells), oh, silver bells (silver bells)

It's Christmas time in the city (fa-la-la-la-la-la-la)

Oh, ring-a-ling (ring-a-ling), I hear them ring (hear them ring)

Soon it will be Christmas, come on now

...

Yeah, soon it will be Christmas

Oh, Christmas Day

Hey, soon it will be, yeah, Christmas Day

Yeah, yeah, yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
silver /ˈsɪlvər/ A1	adjective - a light grayish-white color noun - a precious metallic element
bells /bɛlz/ A1	noun - a hollow metal object that produces a ringing sound when struck
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town
ring /rɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce a clear resonant sound noun - a circular band, typically of metal
busy /ˈbɪzi/ A1	adjective - actively and attentively occupied
holiday /ˈhɒlɪdeɪ/ A1	noun - a day of festivity or recreation
laughing /ˈlæfɪŋ/ A1	verb - to show emotion with a chuckle or smile
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to curve one's lips upward, typically expressing pleasure noun - an expression of pleasure by curving the lips
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - a source of illumination
red /rɛd/ A1	adjective - of a color at the end of the spectrum next to orange
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - of the color between blue and yellow
rush /rʌʃ/ A2	verb - to move or act with great haste
treasures /ˈtrɛʒərz/ B1	noun - valuable or precious possessions
bustle /ˈbʌsəl/ B2	noun - a state of fervent activity

Key Grammar Structures

• It's Christmas time in the city

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'It's Christmas time' uses the present continuous tense with 'is' (contracted to 'It's') to indicate an action happening now or around now, emphasizing the current festive season.

• Soon it will be Christmas Day

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will'

  ➔ The phrase 'Soon it will be Christmas Day' uses the future simple tense with 'will' to express a future action that is certain to happen, indicating the inevitability of Christmas Day arriving.

• Children laughing

  ➔ Present Participle as Noun

  ➔

• Meeting smile after smile

  ➔ Gerund

  ➔ The phrase 'Meeting smile after smile' uses a gerund to describe an action that is part of the overall scene, emphasizing the continuous nature of people smiling.

• Hear the snow crunch

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The phrase 'Hear the snow crunch' uses the imperative mood to give a direct command or instruction, encouraging the listener to pay attention to the sound of snow crunching.

• This is Santa's big day

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'This is Santa's big day' uses the present simple tense to state a fact or a habitual action, emphasizing that Christmas is a significant day for Santa.

• You'll hear

  ➔ Future Contraction with 'will'

  ➔ The phrase 'You'll hear' is a contraction of 'you will hear,' using the future tense to predict an action that will happen, indicating that the listener will hear something specific.

• Just let those silver bells play

  ➔ Imperative Mood with 'let'

  ➔ The phrase 'Just let those silver bells play' uses the imperative mood with 'let' to give a suggestion or permission, encouraging the listener to allow the bells to ring freely.