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The greatest man I never knew 00:25

Lived just down the hall 00:31

And everyday we said, "Hello" 00:37

But never touched at all 00:42

He was in his paper 00:48

I was in my room 00:53

How was I to know he thought I hung the moon? 00:59

The greatest man I never knew 01:11

Came home late every night 01:16

He never had too much to say 01:22

Too much was on his mind 01:27

I never really knew him 01:33

Oh, and now it seems so sad 01:38

Everything he gave to us, took all he had 01:45

Then the days turned into years 01:56

And the memories to black and white 02:01

He grew cold like an old winter wind 02:07

Blowing across my life 02:12

The greatest words I never heard 02:19

I guess I'll never hear 02:24

The man I thought could never die 02:30

Has been dead almost a year 02:35

And was good at business 02:41

But there was business left to do 02:46

He never said he loved me 02:53

Guess he thought I knew 02:57

03:04

The Greatest Man I Never Knew

Reba McEntire

Album

Reba McEntire's Greatest Hits, Volume Two

Viewed

393,649

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Lyrics:

[English]

The greatest man I never knew

Lived just down the hall

And everyday we said, "Hello"

But never touched at all

He was in his paper

I was in my room

How was I to know he thought I hung the moon?

The greatest man I never knew

Came home late every night

He never had too much to say

Too much was on his mind

I never really knew him

Oh, and now it seems so sad

Everything he gave to us, took all he had

Then the days turned into years

And the memories to black and white

He grew cold like an old winter wind

Blowing across my life

The greatest words I never heard

I guess I'll never hear

The man I thought could never die

Has been dead almost a year

And was good at business

But there was business left to do

He never said he loved me

Guess he thought I knew

...

Vocabulary in this song:

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Vocabulary	Meanings
greatest /ˈɡreɪ.tɪst/ A2	adjective - surpassing all others; very good
knew /nuː/ A1	verb - past tense of know; to be aware of
lived /lɪvd/ A1	verb - past tense of live; to have one's home in a particular place
touched /tʌtʃt/ A2	verb - past tense of touch; to come into or be in contact with
paper /ˈpeɪ.pər/ A1	noun - newspaper
room /ruːm/ A1	noun - a space that is separated from other spaces by walls
hung /hʌŋ/ A2	verb - past tense of hang; to suspend or be suspended from above
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of the earth, visible by reflection of sunlight
late /leɪt/ A1	adjective - after the expected or usual time
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel
sad /sæd/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy
gave /ɡeɪv/ A1	verb - past tense of give; freely transfer possession of (something) to (someone)
turned /tɜːrnd/ A2	verb - past tense of turn; change direction
memories /ˈmem.əriz/ B1	noun - something remembered from the past; a recollection
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature
winter /ˈwɪn.tər/ A1	noun - the coldest season of the year
wind /wɪnd/ A1	noun - the perceptible natural movement of the air
words /wɜːrdz/ A1	noun - a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with space on either side when written or printed
business /ˈbɪz.nɪs/ A2	noun - a person's regular occupation, profession, or trade
loved /lʌvd/ A1	verb - past tense of love; have a strong feeling of affection for (someone)

Grammar:

The greatest man I never knew

➔ Relative Clause with omitted relative pronoun

➔ The relative pronoun 'that' or 'whom' is omitted here. The full sentence would be 'The greatest man that/whom I never knew'. This is common when the relative pronoun is the object of the verb in the relative clause. 'I never knew' modifies 'The greatest man'.
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon?

➔ Past Modal of Speculation (How was I to know)

➔ 'How was I to know' expresses that the speaker couldn't have known something in the past. It indicates a lack of awareness or foresight. 'Hung the moon' is an idiom meaning to be greatly admired or seen as very important by someone.
Everything he gave to us, took all he had

➔ Parallel Structure

➔ The sentence uses parallel structure to emphasize the sacrifice the father made. 'Gave to us' and 'took all he had' are structurally similar, highlighting the contrast and the extent of his giving.
He grew cold like an old winter wind

➔ Simile

➔ This line uses a simile ('like') to compare the father's emotional state to the harshness of an old winter wind. This illustrates his increasing emotional distance and detachment.
The greatest words I never heard

➔ Superlative Adjective

➔ 'Greatest' is the superlative form of 'great'. It emphasizes that these unsaid words were the most important and impactful ones that the speaker missed out on. Implies an immense sense of loss and regret.
Guess he thought I knew

➔ Ellipsis

➔ The complete sentence would be 'Guess he thought I knew he loved me.' The phrase 'he loved me' is omitted, relying on the listener to infer it. This creates a subtle, yet powerful, understatement.