This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) – English Lyrics

• By: Isley Brothers

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heart and soul of the Motown era with The Isley Brothers' 'This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)'. This song is a fantastic way to learn English through music, as its clear storytelling and emotional lyrics provide a great context for understanding vocabulary related to love and heartache. The contrast between the joyful sound and the sad lyrics makes it a uniquely compelling piece of music history.

[English]

Ooh, this old heart of mine, been broken thousand times

Each time you break away, I fear you're gone to stay

Lonely nights that come, memories that flow

Bringing you back again, hurting me more and more

Maybe it's my mistake to show this love I feel inside

'Cause each day that passes by

You got me never knowing if I'm coming or going

But I, I love you

This old heart, darling, is weak for you

I love you, yes, do (Yes, I do)

These old arms of mine miss having you around

Makes these tears inside start falling down

Always with half a kiss

You remind me of what I miss

Though I try to control myself

Like a fool I start grinnin'

'Cause my head starts spinnin'

'Cause I, I love you

This is old heart, darling, is weak for you

I love you, yes, I do (Yes,I do)

...

Ooh, I try hard to hide my hurt inside

This old heart of mine always keeps me cryin'

The way you're treating me leaves me incomplete

You're here for the day, gone for the week now

But if you leave me a hundred times

A hundred times I'll take you back

I'm yours whenever you want me

I'm not too proud to shout it

Tell the world about it

'Cause I, I love you

This is old heart, darling, is weak for you

I love you

This is old heart, darling, is weak for you

Darling, I love you

This is old heart, darling, is weak for you

I love you, yes, I do, yes, I do

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - an organ that pumps blood through the body noun - the center of emotion or feeling
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	adjective - having been damaged or fractured
fear /fɪr/ B1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger, pain, or threat verb - to be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
memories /ˈmeməriz/ A2	noun - something remembered from the past; a recollection
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain or injury to noun - emotional distress
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for (someone)
weak /wiːk/ A2	adjective - lacking physical strength or energy
arms /ɑːrmz/ A1	noun - each of the two upper limbs of the human body from the shoulder to the hand
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel the absence of someone or something
tears /tɪərz/ A1	noun - drops of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye
falling /ˈfɔːlɪŋ/ A1	verb - moving downward, typically rapidly and freely
remind /rɪˈmaɪnd/ B1	verb - cause (someone) to remember something
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B1	verb - to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate
fool /fuːl/ B1	noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person
hide /haɪd/ A2	verb - to put or keep out of sight; conceal
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
proud /praʊd/ A2	adjective - feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated.

Key Grammar Structures

• This old heart of mine, been broken thousand times

  ➔ Present Perfect Passive (elliptical form)

  ➔ The phrase "been broken" is an example of the present perfect passive, showing that the heart has been broken many times up to the present. The auxiliary verb "has" is omitted in the sentence.

• Each time you break away, I fear you're gone to stay

  ➔ Present Simple, Future implied with "going to"

  ➔ "break away" is in the present simple tense describing a habitual action. "you're gone to stay" implies the speaker fears the person is going to stay away permanently.

• Maybe it's my mistake to show this love I feel inside

  ➔ It + be + noun/adjective + to-infinitive

  ➔ This sentence uses the structure "It + be + adjective/noun + to-infinitive". Here, "it" is a dummy subject, and "to show this love" is the real subject of the sentence.

• You got me never knowing if I'm coming or going

  ➔ Causative "get" + object + present participle

  ➔ This uses the causative "get" structure. "You got me" means "You caused me". "never knowing" is a present participle describing the state caused to the speaker. The phrase "if I'm coming or going" is an indirect question.

• These old arms of mine miss having you around

  ➔ Gerund as object of a verb

  ➔ "Having you around" is a gerund phrase acting as the object of the verb "miss". It's the thing that the arms are missing.

• Makes these tears inside start falling down

  ➔ Causative "make" + object + bare infinitive

  ➔ This sentence uses the causative "make" structure. "Makes these tears" means "causes these tears to". The verb "start" is a bare infinitive (without "to") following the object "these tears inside".

• Though I try to control myself, Like a fool I start grinnin'

  ➔ Adverbial Clause with "Though", Inversion (stylistic)

  ➔ "Though I try to control myself" is an adverbial clause of concession. "Like a fool I start grinnin'" is an example of stylistic inversion. The standard order would be "I start grinnin' like a fool."

• The way you're treating me leaves me incomplete

  ➔ Relative Clause functioning as Subject, Subject-Verb Agreement

  ➔ "The way you're treating me" is a relative clause acting as the subject of the verb "leaves". Since the clause is singular, the verb takes the singular form "leaves".

• But if you leave me a hundred times, a hundred times I'll take you back

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 1 Implied), Ellipsis

  ➔ This implies a conditional sentence of type 1. The full form would be "If you leave me a hundred times, I will take you back a hundred times.". The second "if clause" (if you leave me) is implied. The "will" is shortened to "'ll".