Slow It Down – English Lyrics

• By: Benson Boone
• Album: American Heart

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I'd never met you, but I wanted to invite you to the party

Then you walked in with those green eyes, never stolen by nobody

And they flicker to the future, for a moment, I could picture

Then you touch me and I come back, and we're talking on the staircase

'Bout your big dreams on the big screens

Out of Georgia, now you're lonely in this city

Lyin' with me, and you're scared it's movin' quickly

Oh, now you're crying, you're in pieces

'Cause the only love you've ever known is Jesus

I can feel it

Oh, I hate that I'm the reason

That you're in your head right now

While your world is spinning out

So slow it down, take a moment now

We're too young to drown deep in dirty waters

Full of hopeless doubt, let me pull you out

Let me hold you now, let me slow it down

Ain't it funny how it changes?

How the future rearranges

I get nervous, oh, I'm anxious

Maybe loving you is dangerous

I could lose you like the others

Only girl that's never left me is my mother

Oh, I love her

And I know you'll probably hate it

But I'm in my head right now

So slow it down, take a moment now

We're too young to drown deep in dirty waters

Full of hopeless doubt, let me pull you out

Let me hold you now, let me (slow it down)

Slow it down when you're on the ground

And you're crying, I'm trying (slow it down)

To slow it down when you're spinning 'round

In your head

Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

I'll help you slow it down

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ A2	verb - to ask someone to go somewhere or do something
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs that detect light and enable vision
touch /tʌtʃ/ A2	verb - to come into or be in contact with
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
lonely /ˈləʊnli/ B1	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
scared /skeəd/ A2	adjective - afraid; frightened
crying /ˈkraɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - feel intense dislike for
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, people, and natural features
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - having lived or existed for only a short time
drown /draʊn/ B1	verb - die through submersion in and inhalation of water
doubt /daʊt/ B1	noun - a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction verb - feel uncertain about
funny /ˈfʌni/ A2	adjective - causing laughter or amusement
nervous /ˈnɜːrvəs/ B1	adjective - easily agitated or alarmed
anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/ B2	adjective - experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness
dangerous /ˈdeɪndʒərəs/ B1	adjective - able or likely to cause harm or injury

Key Grammar Structures

• I'd never met you, but I wanted to invite you to the party

  ➔ Past Perfect Simple

  ➔ The "Past Perfect Simple" (had + past participle) is used to describe an action or state that happened before another action or a specific point in the past. Here, "I'd never met" (I had never met) means the speaker had not known the person *before* the party.

• never stolen by nobody

  ➔ Double Negative (Informal for Emphasis)

  ➔ In standard English, two negatives usually make a positive. However, in informal speech and song lyrics, a "double negative" like "never" and "nobody" is often used for emphasis, meaning "never stolen by *anyone* at all."

• Lyin' with me, and you're scared it's movin' quickly

  ➔ Informal Present Participle (g-dropping)

  ➔ "Lyin'" is an informal contraction of "lying" (from the verb "to lie"). The dropping of the 'g' sound at the end of '-ing' words is common in casual speech and song lyrics. It functions here as a present participle describing an ongoing action.

• 'Cause the only love you've ever known is Jesus

  ➔ Present Perfect with "ever"

  ➔ The "present perfect" tense ("you've known") is used with the adverb "ever" to talk about experiences or events that have happened at any point up to the present. It emphasizes the entirety of the person's past experience with love.

• While your world is spinning out

  ➔ Subordinating Conjunction "While"

  ➔ "While" is a "subordinating conjunction" used to connect two actions or situations that are happening at the same time. It indicates a simultaneous duration between being "in your head" and "your world is spinning out."

• So slow it down, take a moment now

  ➔ Imperative Mood + Separable Phrasal Verb

  ➔ The "imperative mood" is used to give a command or make a request. "Slow down" is a "phrasal verb," and it's "separable" because the object ("it") can be placed between the verb ("slow") and the particle ("down").

• We're too young to drown deep in dirty waters

  ➔ "Too... to" Construction

  ➔ This structure ("too" + adjective/adverb + "to" + infinitive) indicates that something is excessive, preventing an action or resulting in an undesirable outcome. Here, being "too young" means they shouldn't "drown" in difficult situations.

• let me pull you out

  ➔ Causative Verb "Let"

  ➔ The "causative verb 'let'" is used to give permission or allow someone to do something. "Let me pull you out" means "allow me to pull you out" or "allow me to help you escape from a difficult situation."

• Maybe loving you is dangerous

  ➔ Gerund as Subject

  ➔ A "gerund" (the -ing form of a verb) can function as a noun in a sentence. Here, "Loving you" acts as the subject, meaning "The act of loving you is dangerous."

• Only girl that's never left me is my mother

  ➔ Defining Relative Clause

  ➔ A "defining relative clause" ("that's never left me") provides essential information about the noun it modifies ("girl"). It tells us *which* girl is being referred to, making the meaning clear and specific. "That" is a relative pronoun.