True Colors – English Lyrics

• By: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
• Album: TROLLS (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language can be a colorful journey, much like the message of this song. 'True Colors' by Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake is a beautiful and simple acoustic ballad with clear, heartfelt lyrics, making it perfect for English learners. The song's universal themes of support, love, and self-acceptance are sure to resonate, and its emotional depth offers a special way to connect with the English language on a more personal level.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs used for seeing
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy
realize /ˈriːəlaɪz/ B1	verb - to become aware of something
courage /ˈkʌrɪdʒ/ B2	noun - the ability to do something that frightens one
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, people, and natural features
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to be deprived of or cease to have
sight /saɪt/ B1	noun - the ability to see
darkness /ˈdɑːrknəs/ B1	noun - the state of being dark
inside /ɪnˈsaɪd/ A2	noun - the inner part of something
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
small /smɔːl/ A1	adjective - of limited size; not large
true /truː/ A2	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality
colors /ˈkʌlərz/ A1	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light
shining /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/ B1	verb - to emit light
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ A2	adjective - feeling fear or anxiety; frightened
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
rainbow /ˈreɪnboʊ/ A2	noun - an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of sunlight by raindrops
crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ B1	adjective - mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way.
bear /ber/ B2	verb - endure an ordeal or difficulty.

Key Grammar Structures

• Don't be discouraged

  ➔ Imperative (negative) + Passive Voice

  ➔ The sentence uses the negative imperative "Don't be" followed by the past participle "discouraged", forming a negative imperative in the passive voice. It's instructing the listener *not* to *be* made to lose hope or confidence by external factors.

• It's hard to take courage

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Adjective-Infinitive

  ➔ This sentence follows the pattern: "It's" (subject + verb), "hard" (adjective), "to take" (infinitive). "It" is a dummy subject, and the real subject is the infinitive phrase "to take courage". This means that actually "taking courage" is difficult.

• In a world full of people

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase + Adjective Phrase

  ➔ "In a world" is a prepositional phrase acting as an adverbial modifier. "Full of people" is an adjective phrase modifying "world". The adjective phrase provides more detail about the kind of world being described.

• You can lose sight of it all

  ➔ Modal Verb + Phrasal Verb + Object + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ "Can lose sight of" uses the modal verb "can" to express possibility. "Lose sight of" is a phrasal verb, meaning to stop being aware of or forget something. "It all" is the object, and acts as a pronoun referring back to the courage mentioned before.

• The darkness inside you can make you feel so small

  ➔ Noun Phrase + Modal Verb + Causative Verb + Result Clause

  ➔ "The darkness inside you" is a noun phrase acting as the subject. "Can make" uses the modal verb "can" to show possibility, and "make" is used as a causative verb, indicating that the darkness *causes* you to feel small. "Feel so small" is the result clause.

• And that's why I love you

  ➔ Complex Sentence (Result Clause)

  ➔ This is a complex sentence where "that's why" introduces a result clause. The clause explains the reason or consequence of a previous statement. "That" refers back to a previously stated fact or situation (seeing the true colors).

• Just call me up

  ➔ Imperative + Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Call me up" is an imperative sentence giving a direct command. "Call up" is a phrasal verb meaning to telephone someone.

• Cause I will always be there

  ➔ Subordinating Conjunction + Future Simple (Certainty)

  ➔ "Cause" is a subordinating conjunction shortening "because." "I will always be there" uses the future simple with the adverb "always" to express strong certainty about being present and supportive in the future.