There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back – English Lyrics

• By: Shawn Mendes

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Shawn Mendes's "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back"! This catchy pop-rock hit is perfect for learning English through modern music. You'll pick up everyday expressions related to love, freedom, and overcoming inhibitions, all delivered with Mendes's distinctive vocal style and a danceable beat. Its clear narrative and relatable themes of passionate devotion make it an engaging way to expand your vocabulary and understand contemporary English song lyrics.

[English]

I wanna follow where she goes

I think about her and she knows it

I wanna let her take control

'Cause every time that she gets close, yeah

She pulls me in enough to keep me guessin' (mmm)

And maybe I should stop and start confessin', confessin', yeah

Oh, I've been shakin'

I love it when you go crazy

You take all my inhibitions

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

You take me places that tear up my reputation

Manipulate my decisions

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

There's nothing holdin' me back

There's nothing holdin' me back

She says that she's never afraid

Just picture everybody naked

She really doesn't like to wait

Not really into hesitation

Pulls me in enough to keep me guessing

And maybe I should stop and start confessing, confessing, yeah

Oh, I've been shakin'

I love it when you go crazy

You take all my inhibitions

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

You take me places that tear up my reputation

Manipulate my decisions

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

There's nothing holdin' me back

'Cause if we lost our minds and we took it way too far

I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright

If you were by my side and we stumbled in the dark

I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright

'Cause if we lost our minds and we took it way too far

I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright

If you were by my side and we stumbled in the dark

I know we'd be alright, we would be alright

Oh, I've been shakin'

I love it when you go crazy

You take all my inhibitions

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

You take me places that tear up my reputation

Manipulate my decisions

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back (oh whoa)

There's nothing holdin' me back

I feel so free when you're with me, baby

Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
follow /ˈfɒləʊ/ B1	verb - to go or come after; to proceed or act in accordance with
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - to have a particular opinion or belief
knows /nəʊz/ A1	verb - to be aware of; to understand
control /kənˈtrəʊl/ B1	noun - the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events. verb - to influence or direct the behavior of
close /kləʊs/ A2	adjective - near in space or time. verb - to move so as to cover or obstruct.
guessin' /ˈɡesɪn/ B1	verb - to estimate or suppose (something) without sufficient information to be sure of being correct
confessin' /kənˈfesɪn/ B2	verb - admit to something, especially something wrong or shameful
shakin' /ˈʃeɪkɪn/ A2	verb - to move or cause to move with short, quick, jerky movements.
crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ A2	adjective - mentally ill; insane.
inhibitions /ˌɪnɪˈbɪʃənz/ C1	noun - a feeling that makes one self-conscious and unable to relax
places /ˈpleɪsɪz/ A1	noun - a particular portion of space
reputation /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃən/ B2	noun - the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something.
decisions /dɪˈsɪʒənz/ B1	noun - a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ A1	adjective - feeling fear or anxiety; frightened.
naked /ˈneɪkɪd/ B1	adjective - not covered by clothes.
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - stay where one is or delay action until a specified time or until something else happens.
hesitation /ˌhezɪˈteɪʃən/ B2	noun - the action of pausing or hesitating before saying or doing something.
stumbled /ˈstʌmbld/ B1	verb - trip or momentarily lose one's balance; almost fall.
minds /maɪndz/ A2	noun - the faculty of consciousness and thought.
far /fɑːr/ A1	adverb - at, to, or by a great distance.
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.

Key Grammar Structures

• I wanna follow where she goes

  ➔ "Wanna" (want to) + base form of the verb (follow): Informal contraction and expression of desire.

  ➔ "Wanna" is a colloquial contraction of "want to." It's frequently used in informal speech and song lyrics. The structure 'want to + verb' expresses a wish or intention. The phrase "where she goes" is a noun clause acting as the object of the verb "follow."

• I think about her and she knows it

  ➔ Pronoun reference ("it" referring to the previous clause).

  ➔ The pronoun "it" serves as a placeholder, representing the entire clause "I think about her." This is a concise way to avoid repetition and maintain flow in the sentence. The phrase "she knows it" means she is aware that the speaker is thinking about her.

• And maybe I should stop and start confessin', confessin', yeah

  ➔ Modal verb "should" (expressing advice or suggestion) + verb 'confess'.

  ➔ The modal verb "should" indicates a suggestion or a sense of obligation. Here, it suggests the speaker is contemplating whether to confess their feelings. Repetition of "confessin'" emphasizes the internal struggle or urgency of the confession.

• You take me places that tear up my reputation

  ➔ Relative clause "that tear up my reputation" modifying "places".

  ➔ The relative clause, introduced by "that," provides additional information about the "places." It describes the kind of places the speaker is taken to, implying they are risky or scandalous, damaging to their reputation. "Tear up" is a phrasal verb meaning to severely damage or destroy.

• Manipulate my decisions

  ➔ Transitive verb "manipulate" + object "my decisions".

  ➔ "Manipulate" is a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object. In this case, "my decisions" is the object being manipulated. The sentence indicates that someone is influencing or controlling the speaker's choices in a devious or unfair way.

• She says that she's never afraid

  ➔ Indirect speech introduced by "that". Present simple "says" followed by present simple "is".

  ➔ This sentence reports what "she" said. The word "that" introduces the indirect speech. Since the reporting verb "says" is in the present simple, the tense in the reported speech (the clause after "that") remains the same as it would have been in the direct speech. "She's" is a contraction of "she is".

• Just picture everybody naked

  ➔ Imperative mood (giving a command or instruction).

  ➔ The sentence is in the imperative mood, indicated by the verb "picture" being in its base form at the beginning of the sentence, without a subject. This is a direct command or suggestion to "everybody".

• If you were by my side and we stumbled in the dark

  ➔ Second conditional: "If + past simple, would/could/might + base form".

  ➔ This is the 'if' clause of a second conditional sentence. It describes an unlikely or imaginary situation in the present or future. The past simple "were" (note: "were" is used instead of "was" for all subjects in formal second conditional, although "was" is commonly used informally with "I/he/she/it") and "stumbled" indicates the hypothetical scenario. The sentence refers to a situation that is not currently true or not likely to happen.