The One That Got Away – English Lyrics

• By: Hunter Hayes

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the empowering message of Hunter Hayes' 'The One That Got Away' and learn how language can be used to reframe a narrative. This song offers a unique opportunity to explore themes of freedom and self-worth, making the journey of learning English both inspiring and memorable. Its clever twist on a common idiom provides a great lesson in figurative language and emotional expression through music.

[English]

I'm not a criminal (oh no, oh no)

But I felt like a prisoner (for so long, so long)

And all I ever wanted (was to love and to be loved, yeah)

So what did I do to you (so wrong, so wrong)

Oh, 'cause you broke so much more than just a promise

When you made me believe I wasn't wanted

I could miss you like you want, but if I'm honest

I feel like the one that got away

Don't know how I escaped

Breathing better 'cause I'm better now

In the middle of the night

Made it to the other side

You can run, but you can't catch me now

I'm the one that got away, yeah

I'm the one that got away, yeah

Turns out you're not a god

(All the faith that I gave to you)

Silence is all I got

(And I hate that I prayed to you)

All the chains that I couldn't break

The games that I couldn't play

'Cause you'd always win them anyway

Never thought there would come a day

Where I'd be safe and safe enough to say

That I'm the one that got away

Don't know how I escaped

Breathing better 'cause I'm better now

In the middle of the night

Made it to the other side

You can run, but you can't catch me now

I'm the one that got away, yeah

I'm the one that got away, yeah

Is it worth the price I paid for staying

I gave it all you gave it all away, and now I'm

Taking back the piece of me you wasted

'Cause I'm the one that got away

Don't know how I escaped

Breathing better 'cause I'm better now

In the middle of the night

Made it to the other side

You can run, but you can't catch me now

I'm the one that got away, yeah

I'm the one that got away, yeah

I'm the one that got away, yeah

I'm the one that got away, yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
criminal /ˈkrɪmɪnl/ B1	noun - a person who has committed a crime.
prisoner /ˈprɪzənər/ B1	noun - a person kept in prison as a punishment or while awaiting trial.
wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/ A2	verb - (past participle of 'want') to desire or wish for something. adjective - desired or sought after; needed or requested.
promise /ˈprɒmɪs/ A2	noun - a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of (something).
honest /ˈɒnɪst/ A2	adjective - truthful and sincere.
escaped /ɪˈskeɪpt/ B1	verb - to break free from confinement or control.
better /ˈbetər/ A1	adjective - of a more excellent or effective type or quality; improved.
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk, lifting both feet off the ground at each stride.
catch /kætʃ/ A1	verb - to intercept and hold (something which has been thrown, propelled, or dropped). verb - to discover or apprehend (someone) in the act of doing something wrong or forbidden.
faith /feɪθ/ B1	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ A2	noun - complete absence of sound.
chains /tʃeɪnz/ B1	noun - a series of connected metal links used for various purposes, especially for fastening or securing something; often used metaphorically for something that restricts freedom.
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain. verb - to violate or fail to observe (a law, promise, or agreement).
safe /seɪf/ A2	adjective - protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not in danger or at risk.
worth /wɜːθ/ A2	adjective - sufficiently good, important, or interesting to justify a specified action or attention.
price /praɪs/ A2	noun - the amount of money expected, required, or given in payment for something; often used metaphorically for the cost or consequence of an action.
wasted /ˈweɪstɪd/ B1	verb - to use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.
away /əˈweɪ/ A2	adverb - to or at a distance from a particular place, person, or thing; indicating absence, loss, or removal. In the context of 'got away', it means to escape from a place or person.

Key Grammar Structures

• And all I ever wanted (was to love and to be loved, yeah)

  ➔ Passive Infinitive

  ➔ The structure "to be + past participle" is used to form the passive infinitive, indicating that the subject of the infinitive receives the action. Here, "to be loved" means the desire to receive love.

• When you made me believe I wasn't wanted

  ➔ Causative Verb 'make'

  ➔ The causative verb "make" (in past tense "made") is followed by an object ("me") and then the base form of a verb ("believe") to express that someone forces or causes another person to do something.

• I could miss you like you want, but if I'm honest

  ➔ Modal Verb 'could' for possibility & Conditional Type 1

  ➔ "Could" is used here to express a possibility or a hypothetical ability. The phrase "if I'm honest" introduces a first conditional clause, stating a real possibility or condition in the present.

• I feel like the one that got away

  ➔ Defining Relative Clause

  ➔ A defining relative clause, introduced by "that" (or "who/which"), provides essential information about the noun it modifies ("the one"). It tells us exactly which "one" is being referred to.

• Don't know how I escaped

  ➔ Embedded Question

  ➔ An embedded question is a question that is part of a larger sentence. It follows a statement structure (subject + verb) even though it asks a question indirectly, like "how I escaped" after "Don't know".

• 'Cause you'd always win them anyway

  ➔ 'Would' for Past Habit/Prediction

  ➔ "You'd" is a contraction of "you would." Here, "would always win" expresses a repeated action or a predictable outcome in the past, often conveying a sense of resignation or inevitability.

• Where I'd be safe and safe enough to say

  ➔ Adjective + 'enough' + Infinitive

  ➔ This structure indicates that a certain quality (expressed by the adjective "safe") is sufficient for a particular action (expressed by the infinitive "to say") to occur.

• Is it worth the price I paid for staying

  ➔ Gerund after Preposition

  ➔ After a preposition like "for," a verb takes the "-ing" form (gerund). Here, "staying" acts as a noun, referring to the act of remaining.

• I gave it all you gave it all away, and now I'm

  ➔ Separable Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Give away" is a phrasal verb meaning to reveal or to get rid of something, often for free. It is "separable" because the object ("it all") can be placed between the verb ("gave") and the particle ("away").

• Never thought there would come a day

  ➔ 'Would' for Future in the Past

  ➔ "Would come" is used here to express an event that was expected or predicted to happen in the future from a past perspective ("Never thought").