Stitches – English Lyrics

• By: Shawn Mendes
• Album: Handwritten (Revisited)

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on an emotional journey with Shawn Mendes's hit song "Stitches." This powerful pop ballad is an excellent resource for English learners, offering rich vocabulary related to emotions, relationships, and metaphors. Its clear narrative about heartbreak and the struggle to heal allows for deep comprehension, while Mendes's articulate delivery provides a fantastic opportunity to practice listening and pronunciation. Discover how everyday language can convey profound feelings through its impactful lyrics and memorable melodies, making "Stitches" a special song to enhance your English skills.

[English]

I thought that I've been hurt before

But no one's ever left me quite this sore

Your words cut deeper than a knife

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life

Got a feeling that I'm going under

But I know that I'll make it out alive

If I quit calling you my lover

Move on

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe, shaking

Falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself, aching

Begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses

Yeah, I'll be needing stitches

Just like a moth drawn to a flame

Oh, you lured me in, I couldn't sense the pain

Your bitter heart, cold to the touch

Now I'm gonna reap what I sow

I'm left seeing red on my own

Got a feeling that I'm going under

But I know that I'll make it out alive

If I quit calling you my lover

Move on

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe, shaking

Falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself, aching

Begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

...

Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head

Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead

Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head

Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead (gonna wind up dead)

Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head

Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead (wind up dead)

Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head

Get you out of my head

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe, shaking

Falling onto my knees (falling onto my knees)

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches (and I'll be needing stitches)

Tripping over myself, aching

Begging you to come help (begging, baby, please)

And now that I'm without your kisses

Yeah, I'll be needing stitches

And now that I'm without your kisses

Yeah, I'll be needing stitches

And now that I'm without your kisses

Yeah, I'll be needing stitches

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain to someone noun - physical or emotional pain
sore /sɔːr/ A2	adjective - painful or aching
cut /kʌt/ A2	verb - to make an opening in something with a sharp object
breathe /briːð/ A2	verb - to take air into and out of the lungs
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living, not dead
lover /ˈlʌvər/ B1	noun - a person someone loves
bleed /bliːd/ B1	verb - to lose blood from a wound
knees /niːz/ A1	noun - the joint connecting the leg to the body
kisses /ˈkɪsɪz/ A2	noun - a touch with the lips
stitches /ˈstɪtʃɪz/ B1	noun - threads used to sew up wounds
aching /ˈeɪkɪŋ/ B1	adjective - feeling a dull pain
begging /ˈbeɡɪŋ/ B1	verb - asking someone urgently and humbly
flame /fleɪm/ B1	noun - the visible part of a fire
lured /lʊrd/ B2	verb - to tempt someone to do something
bitter /ˈbɪtər/ B2	adjective - feeling or showing resentment
reap /riːp/ B2	verb - to harvest or gather
sow /soʊ/ B2	verb - to plant seeds

Key Grammar Structures

• I thought that I've been hurt before

  ➔ Present Perfect in Past

  ➔ The phrase uses the present perfect ('I've been hurt') to describe an action that occurred before another past action, emphasizing prior experience.

• Your words cut deeper than a knife

  ➔ Comparative Adjective

  ➔ The phrase uses 'deeper than' to compare the intensity of the emotional pain caused by words to that of a knife, highlighting the severity.

• Now I need someone to breathe me back to life

  ➔ Passive Voice with Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ The sentence uses passive voice ('breathe me back to life') with an idiomatic expression to convey the need for revival or healing.

• If I quit calling you my lover

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ The phrase uses the second conditional ('If I quit... I'll make it out alive') to express a hypothetical situation and its potential outcome.

• You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

  ➔ Present Continuous for Future Action

  ➔ The phrase uses the present continuous ('watch me bleed') to describe a future action, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the suffering.

• And now that I'm without your kisses

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ The phrase uses the present perfect continuous ('I'm without your kisses') to emphasize the ongoing state of being without something since a past time.

• Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head

  ➔ Metaphor and Informal Contraction

  ➔ The phrase uses a metaphor ('needle and the thread') to symbolize the need to remove someone from thoughts, and 'gotta' as an informal contraction of 'got to'.