The Violet Hour – English Lyrics

• By: Sea Wolf

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poetic world of Sea Wolf's 'The Violet Hour' and enhance your English skills by exploring its rich, metaphorical lyrics. The song's vivid and contrasting imagery provides a great opportunity to learn descriptive language and understand nuanced emotions. What makes 'The Violet Hour' special is its blend of an energetic, peppy sound with deep, introspective lyrics about the beautiful yet frustrating nature of a mysterious love.

[English]

Your lips are nettles

Your tongue is wine

Your laughter's liquid

But your body's pine

You love all sailors

But hate the beach

You say, "Come touch me"

But you're always out of reach

In the dark you tell me of a flower

That only blooms in the violet hour

Your arms are lovely

Yellow and rose

Your back's a meadow

Covered in snow

Your thighs are thistles

And hot-house grapes

You breathe your sweet breath

And have me wait

In the dark you tell me of a flower

That only blooms in the violet hour

I turn the lights out

I clean the sheets

You change the station

Turned up the heat

And now you're sitting

Upon your chair

You've got me tangled up

Inside your beautiful black hair

In the dark you tell me of a flower

That only blooms in the violet hour

In the dark you tell me of a flower

That only blooms in the violet hour

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lips /lɪps/ A1	noun - either of the two fleshy parts forming the upper and lower edges of the mouth.
tongue /tʌŋ/ A1	noun - the fleshy muscular organ in the mouth of a mammal, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and articulating speech.
wine /waɪn/ A2	noun - an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes.
laughter /ˈlæftər/ B1	noun - the action or sound of laughing.
body /ˈbɒdi/ A1	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal, including the bones, flesh, and organs.
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong feeling of affection for (someone). noun - an intense feeling of affection.
sailors /ˈseɪlər/ A2	noun - a person who navigates or assists in navigating a ship.
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - feel intense dislike for. noun - intense dislike; hatred.
beach /biːtʃ/ A1	noun - a pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the sea between high- and low-water marks.
dark /dɑːrk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light. noun - the absence of light.
flower /ˈflaʊər/ A1	noun - the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals).
blooms /bluːmz/ B1	verb - (of a flower) produce flowers; be in flower.
violet /ˈvaɪələt/ B1	adjective - of a bluish-purple color. noun - a bluish-purple color.
arms /ɑːrmz/ A1	noun - each of the two upper limbs of the human body from the shoulder to the hand.
lovely /ˈlʌvli/ A2	adjective - exquisitely beautiful.
yellow /ˈjeloʊ/ A1	adjective - of the color between green and orange in the spectrum, a primary subtractive color complementary to blue. noun - a yellow color or pigment.
rose /roʊz/ A1	noun - a flower, typically fragrant and with thorny stems.
back /bæk/ A1	noun - the posterior part of the human body, extending from the shoulders to the hips.
meadow /ˈmedoʊ/ B1	noun - a field habitat vegetated by grass and other non-woody plants.
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer.
breath /breθ/ A1	noun - the air inhaled or exhaled in respiration.
sweet /swiːt/ A2	adjective - having a pleasant taste or smell.
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
hair /her/ A1	noun - any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and other animals.
black /blæk/ A1	adjective - of the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white.

Key Grammar Structures

• Your lips are nettles

  ➔ Simple Present Tense (Metaphorical)

  ➔ Uses the simple present tense to describe a state of being. The line is metaphorical; lips aren't literally nettles, but the comparison implies a stinging, unpleasant quality. The verb "are" links the subject "Your lips" with the noun "nettles", showing their characteristics.

• Your tongue is wine

  ➔ Simple Present Tense (Metaphorical)

  ➔ Similar to the previous line, using the simple present to describe a metaphorical state. "Wine" suggests a rich, intoxicating, or perhaps even slightly bitter quality.

• You say, "Come touch me"

  ➔ Imperative and Direct Speech

  ➔ "Come touch me" is a direct quote and an imperative sentence, a command. The verb "come" is used to tell someone to approach, followed by another imperative “touch me”.

• But you're always out of reach

  ➔ Simple Present Tense; Adverb of Frequency

  ➔ Simple present tense indicating a recurring state. "Always" is an adverb of frequency, indicating that this state (being out of reach) happens all the time. "Out of reach" is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective, describing the subject.

• In the dark you tell me of a flower That only blooms in the violet hour

  ➔ Relative Clause; Simple Present Tense; Prepositional Phrases

  ➔ "That only blooms in the violet hour" is a relative clause modifying "flower". The relative pronoun "that" introduces the clause. "Only blooms" is simple present tense, describing when the flower blooms. "In the dark", "in the violet hour" are prepositional phrases indicating location or time.

• You've got me tangled up Inside your beautiful black hair

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous (implied); Prepositional Phrases

  ➔ "You've got" is a contraction of "You have got", which can imply a state resulting from a past action (similar to the present perfect continuous, though here the focus is on the state). The phrase "tangled up inside your beautiful black hair" is a complex prepositional phrase describing the state of being tangled. The implied meaning is that this tangling is an ongoing situation, though the lyrics state the result of that situation.