Take My Breath Away – English Lyrics

• By: Berlin
• Album: Metro: Greatest Hits

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the language of love and longing with Berlin's iconic hit, "Take My Breath Away." This timeless ballad, featured in *Top Gun*, offers a perfect blend of simple yet powerful English, allowing you to dive into the depths of emotion while expanding your vocabulary. Discover why this song continues to captivate listeners with its haunting melody and heartfelt message.

[English]

(smooth synthesizer music)

♪ Watching every motion in my foolish lover's game ♪

♪ On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame ♪

♪ Turning and returning to some secret place inside ♪

♪ Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say ♪

♪ Take my breath away ♪

♪ Take my breath away ♪

♪ Watching, I keep waiting, still anticipating love ♪

♪ Never hesitating to become the fated ones ♪

♪ Turning and returning to some secret place to hide ♪

♪ Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say ♪

♪ My love, take my breath away ♪

♪ Through the hourglass, I saw you ♪

♪ In time, you slipped away ♪

♪ When the mirror crashed, I called you ♪

♪ And turned to hear you say ♪

♪ If only for today ♪

♪ I am unafraid ♪

♪ Take my breath away ♪

♪ Take my breath away ♪

(smooth synthesizer music continues)

♪ Watching every motion in this foolish lover's game ♪

♪ Haunted by the notion somewhere there's a love in flames ♪

♪ Turning and returning to some secret place inside ♪

♪ Watching in slow motion as you turn my way and say ♪

♪ Take my breath away ♪

♪ My love, take my breath away ♪

♪ My love, take my breath away ♪

♪ My love, take my breath away ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
breath /breθ/ A2	noun - the air taken into or expelled from the lungs
motion /ˈmoʊʃən/ B1	noun - the act or process of moving; a particular movement
foolish /ˈfuːlɪʃ/ B1	adjective - lacking good sense or judgment; unwise
lover /ˈlʌvər/ A2	noun - a person who is in love with someone
endless /ˈɛndləs/ B1	adjective - having no end; infinite
ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ A2	noun - a very large expanse of sea
secret /ˈsiːkrɪt/ B1	adjective - not known or seen or not meant to be known or seen by others noun - something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others
slow /sloʊ/ A1	adjective - moving or operating at a low speed; not quick
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection
waiting /ˈweɪtɪŋ/ A1	verb - staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or event.
anticipating /ænˈtɪsɪpeɪtɪŋ/ B2	verb - look forward to
fated /ˈfeɪtɪd/ C1	adjective - determined by fate; destined
hide /haɪd/ A1	verb - put or keep out of sight
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ A2	noun - a reflective surface, now typically of glass coated with a metallic substance, that reflects a clear image.
haunted /ˈhɔːntɪd/ B2	adjective - inhabited by a ghost or ghosts.
flames /fleɪmz/ B1	noun - a hot glowing body of ignited gas that is generated by something on fire.

Key Grammar Structures

• Watching every motion in my foolish lover's game

  ➔ Present participle as an adjective/modifier

  ➔ "Watching" modifies "every motion", describing the act of observation accompanying the action.

• finally lovers know no shame

  ➔ Negative concord

  ➔ While not technically *incorrect* in informal speech, the phrasing is poetic. It is a case of negative concord where 'no' reinforces the negation. More standard usage might be 'lovers know *not any* shame' or 'lovers know *not* shame'

• Turning and returning to some secret place inside

  ➔ Gerunds as part of a compound verb

  ➔ "Turning and returning" are gerunds functioning as part of a larger verb phrase, describing simultaneous or sequential actions.

• as you turn around and say

  ➔ Phrasal verb ('turn around') and coordinate conjunction ('and')

  ➔ "Turn around" is a phrasal verb with a distinct meaning from its component words. "And" connects two consecutive actions: turning around and saying.

• Never hesitating to become the fated ones

  ➔ Negative adverb 'Never' at the beginning of the sentence, infinitive of purpose 'to become'

  ➔ "Never" adds emphasis to the lack of hesitation. "To become" indicates the purpose of their action (or lack thereof).

• Through the hourglass, I saw you

  ➔ Prepositional phrase of time/location ('Through the hourglass')

  ➔ "Through the hourglass" provides context to the sighting, implying observation over time. It could also be interpreted metaphorically, suggesting a journey or transformation.

• When the mirror crashed, I called you

  ➔ Subordinate clause with 'When', Past Simple tense

  ➔ 'When the mirror crashed' is a subordinate clause specifying the time when the action in the main clause ('I called you') occurred. Both verbs are in the Past Simple tense to describe completed actions in the past.

• If only for today

  ➔ Elliptical clause; 'If only' expressing a wish

  ➔ This is an elliptical clause. It implies a longer sentence, such as "If only I/we could be unafraid for today." 'If only' is an idiom expressing a strong wish or regret.