The Thrill Is Gone – English Lyrics

• By: B.B. King

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the heart of American blues music and enhance your English by delving into B.B. King's masterpiece, "The Thrill Is Gone." The song's clear, conversational lyrics about love and loss provide a powerful and accessible way to learn emotional expression. King's soulful delivery makes the language of heartbreak and liberation both understandable and unforgettable, offering a unique connection to a legendary artist and a timeless story.

[English]

[CROWD CHEERING]

♪♪

♪ The thrill is gone ♪

♪ The thrill is gone away ♪

♪ The thrill is gone, baby ♪

♪ The thrill is gone away ♪

♪ You done me wrong, baby ♪

♪ You'll be sorry ♪

♪ Some day ♪

♪ The thrill is gone ♪

♪ The thrill has gone away from me ♪

♪ The thrill is gone, baby ♪

♪ The thrill is gone away from me ♪

♪ Although I'll still live on ♪

♪ But so lonely, I'll be ♪

[B.B.] Yeah!

♪ I'm free now, baby ♪

♪ I'm free from your spell ♪

♪ Free, free, free now, baby ♪

♪ I'm free from your spell ♪

♪ Now that it's all over ♪

♪ All I can do ♪

♪ Is wish you well ♪

I'd like to thank you.

[CROWD CHEERING]

I'd like to thank these three young men

sitting down in front with me.

They treat me so good, I begin to feel special.

I said they treat me so well I feel special.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Thank you, thank you.

God dog, go ahead!

Boy you sure do play that.

Like the ladies say, you play that thang.

♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
thrill /θrɪl/ B2	noun - a feeling of excitement and pleasure
gone /ɡɔːn/ A1	adjective - no longer present; departed
wrong /rɒŋ/ A2	adjective - not correct or true
sorry /ˈsɒri/ A1	adjective - feeling or expressing regret or sympathy
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to remain alive
lonely /ˈləʊnli/ A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not under the control or power of someone else; able to act or be done as one wishes.
spell /spel/ B2	noun - a form of words used as a magical charm or incantation
wish /wɪʃ/ A2	verb - feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable
well /wel/ A1	adverb - in a good or satisfactory way
treat /triːt/ A2	verb - behave towards or deal with (someone) in a specified way.
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - to be desired or approved of.
special /ˈspeʃəl/ A2	adjective - different from what is usual
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to perform music

Key Grammar Structures

• The thrill is gone

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Complement (SVC)

  ➔ Simple declarative sentence. "The thrill" is the subject, "is" is the verb (linking verb 'to be'), and "gone" is the complement (adjective describing the subject).

• You done me wrong, baby

  ➔ Past Participle used as simple past (non-standard)

  ➔ "Done" is a non-standard usage of the past participle of "do" used as the simple past tense. The standard would be "You did me wrong".

• You'll be sorry

  ➔ Future simple with "will"

  ➔ "You'll" is a contraction of "you will". Expresses a future event or state.

• Although I'll still live on

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Concession + Future Simple

  ➔ "Although" introduces an adverbial clause of concession. "I'll still live on" uses the future simple tense indicating continuation of life despite the circumstances.

• But so lonely, I'll be

  ➔ Inversion (emphasis on the adverbial 'so lonely')

  ➔ The typical word order would be "But I'll be so lonely". Inversion places "so lonely" at the beginning for emphasis.

• I'm free now, baby

  ➔ Present Simple (stative verb 'to be')

  ➔ Describes a current state of being. "Free" is an adjective describing the subject "I".

• Now that it's all over

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "now that" introducing a clause of reason/cause

  ➔ "Now that" indicates that the following clause provides the reason for the subsequent action or statement.

• All I can do is wish you well

  ➔ Cleft sentence structure ('All' + relative clause + 'be' + infinitive)

  ➔ This structure emphasizes the limitation of possible actions. The "to" of the infinitive ("to wish") is often omitted after "do".