This Is It – English Lyrics

• By: Michael Jackson

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic journey, and Michael Jackson's "This Is It" offers a great starting point. The song's clear, emotive vocals and relatively simple, repetitive lyrics about a powerful, destined love make it accessible for English learners. What makes this song special is its unique history – a rediscovered demo that became a final, poignant statement from a global icon. By listening, you can practice pronunciation and learn heartfelt vocabulary in a truly memorable way.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - the natural agent that makes things visible adjective - giving off a lot of light; not heavy
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to have a strong affection for
plan /plæn/ B1	noun - a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something verb - decide on and arrange in advance
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ B1	verb - perceive the intended meaning of
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head
thousand /ˈθaʊzənd/ A2	noun - the number 1,000
real /riːəl/ B1	adjective - actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact
lover /ˈlʌvər/ B2	noun - a person with whom one is in love
world /wɜːld/ A2	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk
song /sɒŋ/ A2	noun - a musical composition with lyrics
heard /hɜːrd/ A2	verb - past tense of hear; perceive with the ear
falling /ˈfɔːlɪŋ/ B1	verb - begin to drop or descend
grand /ɡrænd/ B2	adjective - magnificent and imposing in appearance, size, or style

Key Grammar Structures

• This is it, here I stand

  ➔ Present tense ('is', 'stand')

  ➔ The present tense emphasizes the immediacy and certainty of the moment. 'Here I stand' is a statement of being present.

• I'm the light of the world

  ➔ Present continuous ('I'm being')

  ➔ The present continuous suggests an ongoing state or role. It implies a continuous responsibility or identity.

• And I know, yes for sure, it is real

  ➔ Modal verb ('know'), Adverb ('surely')

  ➔ The modal verb 'know' expresses certainty. 'For sure' reinforces this certainty with an adverb.

• Falling in love wasn't my plan

  ➔ Past continuous negative ('wasn't')

  ➔ The past continuous negative indicates an action that was *not* happening at a specific time in the past, emphasizing the unexpected nature of falling in love.

• Come on baby just understand

  ➔ Imperative ('understand')

  ➔ The imperative form directly requests or commands the listener to understand, conveying a sense of urgency and plea.

• I never heard a single word about you

  ➔ Past perfect tense ('never heard')

  ➔ The past perfect tense emphasizes that the lack of knowledge about the person occurred *before* another point in the past, highlighting the complete lack of prior information.

• And I feels as though I've known you for a thousand years

  ➔ Incorrect verb form ('feels' should be 'feel')

  ➔ While grammatically incorrect, the use of 'feels' instead of 'feel' adds a poetic, slightly flawed quality, emphasizing the overwhelming sense of familiarity and timelessness.

• And you said want to go with me on a while

  ➔ Missing auxiliary verb ('you said you want to go')

  ➔ The sentence is grammatically incomplete. The correct form would be 'you said you wanted to go'. The omission creates a slightly informal and conversational tone.