Solitude – English Lyrics

• By: Billie Holiday
• Album: Solitude

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the profound depths of human emotion with Billie Holiday's "Solitude," a timeless jazz standard that beautifully articulates the ache of loneliness and the longing for lost love. Through Holiday's emotive delivery, discover how music can capture the most intimate corners of the human heart, offering solace and understanding in moments of solitude.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
solitude /ˈsɒlɪtjuːd/ B2	noun - the state or situation of being alone
haunt /hɔːnt/ B2	verb - to appear or be present in (a place) repeatedly or regularly
reveries /ˈrevəriːz/ C1	noun - a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream.
taunt /tɔːnt/ B2	verb - to provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks.
memories /ˈmeməriz/ A2	noun - something remembered from the past; a recollection.
die /daɪ/ A1	verb - to stop living
sit /sɪt/ A1	verb - to adopt or be in a position in which one's weight is supported by one's buttocks rather than one's feet.
chair /tʃeər/ A1	noun - a seat for one person, with a back and usually four legs.
despair /dɪˈspeər/ B2	noun - the complete loss or absence of hope. verb - to lose or be without hope.
sad /sæd/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy.
gloom /ɡluːm/ B2	noun - partial or total darkness.
stare /steər/ B1	verb - to look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one's eyes wide open.
mad /mæd/ B1	adjective - mentally ill; insane.
pray /preɪ/ B1	verb - address a solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity or other object of worship.
Lord /lɔːrd/ A2	noun - someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection.

Key Grammar Structures

• In my solitude

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating location/state.

  ➔ The preposition "in" indicates the state of being alone. It sets the scene and emotional context for the rest of the song.

• You haunt me

  ➔ Present simple tense; transitive verb.

  ➔ The verb "haunt" is used transitively meaning that "you" (the subject) causes the haunting to happen "to me" (the object). The present simple illustrates a persistent, ongoing action.

• With reveries

  ➔ Prepositional phrase using a noun (reveries).

  ➔ The phrase adds detail to *how* the subject is haunted. "Reveries" here refers to pleasant but unrealistic thoughts or memories.

• Of days gone by

  ➔ Prepositional phrase acting as an adjective modifying "reveries". Past participle "gone" acting as an adjective.

  ➔ "Gone by" is an idiomatic way of saying "past". It describes the *type* of reveries, those related to past times.

• That never die

  ➔ Relative clause (defining/restrictive) with the relative pronoun "that". Present simple tense, negative form.

  ➔ This clause modifies "memories" and restricts it. The memories being referred to are specifically those that don't fade or disappear.

• There's no one

  ➔ Existential "there is" construction in its contracted form (there's) with the determiner "no".

  ➔ This means "there is not anyone". It emphasizes the speaker's feeling of complete isolation.

• Who could be so sad

  ➔ Relative clause (defining/restrictive) using the relative pronoun "who". Modal verb "could" expressing possibility/degree.

  ➔ The relative clause defines the "one". The modal verb "could" softens the claim; it suggests a high degree of sadness but leaves room for doubt.

• Send back my love

  ➔ Imperative mood (command/request).

  ➔ This expresses a direct plea or request to a higher power. The subject (God) is implied but not explicitly stated.