Stay – English Lyrics

• By: Rihanna, Mikky Ekko
• Album: Unapologetic

Lyrics & Translation

Learn English through the poignant lyrics of Rihanna's ballad, "Stay." The song's simple and direct language provides a powerful lesson in how to express complex feelings of love, desperation, and longing. The stripped-back acoustic format and the clear, emotional vocals from both Rihanna and Mikky Ekko make the heartfelt lyrics easy to follow and understand, offering a unique way to connect with the emotional depth of the English language.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fever /ˈfiːvər/ B1	noun - A high body temperature.
sweat /swet/ A2	noun - perspiration; moisture excreted through the pores of the skin verb - to excrete perspiration
headed /ˈhedɪd/ B1	adjective - Having (a specified kind of) head
believer /bɪˈliːvər/ B1	noun - A person who believes in something.
dare /der/ B1	verb - to have the courage to do something
closer /ˈkloʊsər/ A2	adjective - near in space or time
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation verb - to believe or have an opinion
move /muːv/ A1	verb - to go in a specified direction or manner; change position. noun - an act of changing physical location or position or of moving something.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A2	noun - the pursuit of a way of life. adjective - alive.
given /ˈɡɪvn/ A2	verb - Present (something voluntarily). adjective - Specified or stated.
reason /ˈriːzən/ B1	noun - a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - to grasp, carry, or support with one's hands.
hole /hoʊl/ A2	noun - an opening through something.
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	adjective - having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order.
saving /ˈseɪvɪŋ/ B1	noun - the act of preserving something from loss or danger. verb - to keep safe or rescue (someone or something) from harm or risk.
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - The natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - Solid, firm, and rigid; difficult to break, bend, or pierce.
caving /ˈkeɪvɪŋ/ B2	verb - to give way; collapse or subside.

Key Grammar Structures

• All along it was a fever

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ Uses the past simple tense to describe a state that existed in the past. "Was" is the past tense of "be."

• If you dare, come a little closer

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Implied), Imperative

  ➔ This sentence contains an implied conditional. It suggests, "*If* you dare, *then* come a little closer." "Come" is the imperative, used to give a command or request.

• Not really sure how to feel about it

  ➔ Infinitive Phrase, Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ "How to feel" is an infinitive phrase functioning as the object of "sure." "About it" is a prepositional phrase modifying "feel."

• Makes me feel like I can't live without you

  ➔ Causative Verb, Subordinate Clause

  ➔ "Makes" is a causative verb, meaning it causes someone (me) to feel a certain way. "I can't live without you" is a subordinate clause, dependent on the main clause. The word 'that' is omitted, but it is implied (makes me feel *that*).

• It's not just something you take, it's given

  ➔ Passive Voice, Present Simple Tense

  ➔ "It's given" is in the passive voice. The subject (it) receives the action rather than performing it. The present simple tense implies a general truth or fact.

• Funny you're the broken one

  ➔ Subject Complement, Ellipsis

  ➔ "The broken one" is a subject complement, describing the subject "you." There is an ellipsis of the word "that", meaning "It's funny *that* you are the broken one".

• But I'm the only one who needed saving

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ "Who needed saving" is a relative clause that modifies "the only one". The relative pronoun "who" introduces the clause and refers back to "the only one."

• It's hard to know which one of us is caving

  ➔ Dummy 'It', Infinitive Phrase, Question Word as a Conjunction

  ➔ "It" is a dummy subject, standing in for the actual subject, which is the infinitive phrase "to know which one of us is caving." "Which" functions as a conjunction connecting "know" and the clause "one of us is caving."