Sparrow – English Lyrics

• By: Emeli Sandé
• Album: REAL LIFE

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Emeli Sandé's "Sparrow" offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with English on an emotional level. The song's clear and powerful lyrics about strength and hope are both inspiring and relatively easy to follow. Its uplifting message and beautiful melody make it a special song for learners to explore themes of resilience and unity while expanding their vocabulary.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ I GOT WIND BENEATH MY WINGS ♪

♪ I THINK THIS TIME I'M GONNA MAKE IT TILL MORNING ♪

♪ I GOT STRENGTH WITHIN MY HEART ♪

♪ I'M GONA SING FOR ALL THE HEROES WHO'VE FALLEN ♪

♪ HEY I'M GONA TAKE ♪

♪ THE LONG THE LONG WAY HOME ♪

♪ YES I'M GONA TAKE ♪

♪ THE WORLD THE WORLD BY STORM ♪

♪ WE GOT MAGIC IN OUR BONES ♪

♪ JUST LIKE THE STARS ♪

♪ WE'RE GONA SHINE BRIGHT AND GOLDEN ♪

♪ WE GON' BANG DOWN ALL THE DOORS ♪

♪ MAKE SURE WE TAKE BACK ALL THE THINGS THAT WERE STOLEN ♪

♪ WE'RE GONA TAKE ♪

♪ THE LONG THE LONG WAY HOME ♪

♪ YEHHH ♪

♪ WE'RE GONA TAKE ♪

♪ THE WORLD THE WORLD BY STORM ♪

♪ SEE WITH A HEART OF A SPARROW OH TELL ME WHAT ARROW ♪

♪ COULD EVER BRING YOU DOWN ♪

♪ OH THE ESCAPE IT WAS NARROW ♪

♪ BUT WHAT A GIFT THE THE COURAGE YOU'VE FOUND ♪

♪ SEE WITH A HEART OF A SPARROW OH TELL ME WHAT ARROW ♪

♪ COULD EVER BRING YOU DOWN ♪

♪ OH THE ESCAPE IT WAS NARROW ♪

♪ BUT WHAT GIFT OF COURAGE YOU'VE FOUND ♪

♪ YEAH ♪

♪ I GOT STARS WITHIN MY SOUL ♪

♪ I THINK THE DUST IS GONA FINALLY SETTLE ♪

♪ PURE AS RIVERS STRONG AS MOUNTAINS ♪

♪ WE SPREAD LOVE LIKE THE FLOWERS GIVE PETALS ♪

♪ OH WE'RE GONA TAKE ♪

♪ THE LONG THE LONG WAY HOME ♪

♪ OH WE'RE GONA TAKE ♪

♪ THE WORLD THE WORLD BY STORM YEAH ♪

♪ WE'RE GONA TAKE TAKE ♪

♪ THE LONG WAY HOME ♪

♪ THAT'S RIGHT ♪

♪ NOW WE'RE GONA TAKE THE WORLD THE WORLD BY STORM ♪

♪♪♪

♪ YES WE'RE GONA TAKE THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD BY STORM ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
strength /streŋθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being physically strong
heart /hɑːt/ A2	noun - the organ in your chest that pumps blood
shine /ʃaɪn/ B1	verb - to give off bright light
golden /ˈɡoʊldən/ B2	adjective - made of gold; having a golden color
bang /bæŋ/ A2	verb - to hit something with force
stolen /ˈstoʊlən/ B1	adjective - taken illegally
sparrow /ˈspæroʊ/ B2	noun - a small brown and grey bird
arrow /ˈæroʊ/ B1	noun - a pointed projectile shot from a bow
escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ B2	noun - the act of getting away from a place or situation verb - to get away from a place or situation
narrow /ˈnæroʊ/ B1	adjective - not wide
gift /ɡɪft/ A2	noun - something given willingly
courage /ˈkʌrɪdʒ/ B2	noun - the ability to do something that frightens one
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being
settle /ˈsetl/ B1	verb - to become calm or quiet
pure /pjʊər/ B2	adjective - not mixed or adulterated with any other substance
strong /strɔŋ/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks
mountains /ˈmaʊntɪnz/ A2	noun - a large natural elevation of the earth's surface
spread /spred/ A2	verb - to extend over a large area
petals /ˈpetəlz/ B1	noun - one of the individual segments of a flower

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ I GOT WIND BENEATH MY WINGS ♪

  ➔ Present perfect continuous with "got"

  ➔ Use of the verb "**got**" to indicate possession, similar to "have", combined with the idea of continuous action. It emphasizes the ongoing nature of having wind beneath one's wings, implying a sustained feeling or state.

• ♪ I'M GONA SING FOR ALL THE HEROES WHO'VE FALLEN ♪

  ➔ Future tense with "going to" and the present perfect.

  ➔ The use of "**going to**" indicates future intention or plan. The phrase "**who've fallen**" uses the present perfect tense ("have fallen"), which describes an action completed in the past with relevance to the present (the heroes have fallen, and the singer is going to sing for them).

• ♪ WE GOT MAGIC IN OUR BONES ♪

  ➔ Simple present tense, Metaphor

  ➔ Simple present tense ("**got**") used to express a general truth or a characteristic. The phrase "**magic in our bones**" is a metaphor, suggesting an inherent power or special quality.

• ♪ WE GON' BANG DOWN ALL THE DOORS ♪

  ➔ Future tense with "going to" and a phrasal verb.

  ➔ Using "**going to**" to express future intention or plan. The phrasal verb "**bang down**" means to forcefully break down. This creates a vivid image of determination and action.

• ♪ MAKE SURE WE TAKE BACK ALL THE THINGS THAT WERE STOLEN ♪

  ➔ Imperative mood, Relative clause.

  ➔ The verb "**make**" in this line is in the imperative mood, giving a direct command or instruction. The phrase "**that were stolen**" is a relative clause, defining the things they are taking back (the things *that were stolen*).

• ♪ SEE WITH A HEART OF A SPARROW OH TELL ME WHAT ARROW ♪

  ➔ Imperative, rhetorical question

  ➔ The verbs "**See**" and "**Tell**" are in the imperative mood, giving a command. The second part presents a rhetorical question, where the answer is implied and the question is used for emphasis, "**what arrow could ever bring you down**" implies 'nothing' could bring you down.

• ♪ OH THE ESCAPE IT WAS NARROW ♪

  ➔ Exclamatory sentence, Inversion

  ➔ This is an exclamatory sentence, expressing strong emotion. The sentence structure also employs inversion, placing the adjective "**narrow**" before the subject and verb to create emphasis.

• ♪ SEE WITH A HEART OF A SPARROW OH TELL ME WHAT ARROW ♪

  ➔ Imperative mood, Rhetorical question

  ➔ The use of the imperative mood to encourage action, combined with a rhetorical question to emphasize a point.

• ♪ I THINK THE DUST IS GONA FINALLY SETTLE ♪

  ➔ Present tense, Future intention

  ➔ The use of "**think**" shows a personal opinion, while "**is gona finally settle**" indicate future intention or what the singer believes will happen. The structure is somewhat informal, using 'gonna' (going to)