Turn Back Time – English Lyrics

• By: Aqua

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the emotional depth of Aqua's "Turn Back Time," a song that beautifully showcases the English language's ability to convey profound regret and longing. Unlike their more playful hits, this downtempo ballad offers a rich vocabulary for introspection and wishes, making it perfect for understanding how English expresses complex feelings and hypothetical scenarios. Its clear, poignant lyrics, particularly from Lene Nystrøm's vocals, provide an excellent opportunity to grasp emotional nuance and the subjunctive mood in English.

[English]

(gentle music)

(upbeat music)

♪ Give me time to reason ♪

♪ Give me time to think it through ♪

♪ Passing through the season ♪

♪ Where I cheated you ♪

♪ I will always have a cross to wear ♪

♪ But the bolt reminds me I was there ♪

♪ So give me strength ♪

♪ To face this test tonight ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ If only I had said what I still hide ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ I would stay for the night ♪

♪ For the night ♪

♪ Claim your right to science ♪

♪ Claim your right to see the truth ♪

♪ Though my pangs of conscience ♪

♪ Will drill a hole in you ♪

♪ I seen it coming like a thief in the night ♪

♪ I seen it coming from the flash of your light ♪

♪ So give me strength ♪

♪ To face this test tonight ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ If only I had said what I still hide ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ I would stay ♪

♪ The bolt reminds me I was there ♪

♪ The bolt reminds me I was there ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ If only I had said what I still hide ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ I would stay for the night ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ If only I had said what I still hide ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ I would stay for the night ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ I would stay for the night ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could turn back time ♪

♪ I would stay for the night ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could, if only I could ♪

♪ If only I could ♪

♪ If only I could, if only I could ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
reason /ˈriːzən/ B1	verb - think, understand, and form judgements by a process of logic noun - a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - have a particular belief or idea
season /ˈsiːzən/ A2	noun - each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter)
cross /krɒs/ A2	noun - a mark or shape formed by two intersecting lines
bolt /boʊlt/ B2	noun - a metal pin or bar, usually threaded, used to fasten things together
strength /strɛŋθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being physically strong
face /feɪs/ A2	verb - be positioned with the face or front towards (someone or something)
test /tɛst/ A2	noun - a procedure intended to establish the quality, performance, or reliability of something
hide /haɪd/ B1	verb - put or keep out of sight
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
claim /kleɪm/ B2	verb - state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the quality or state of being true
conscience /ˈkɒnʃəns/ C1	noun - a person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's behaviour
thief /θiːf/ B1	noun - a person who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence
flash /flæʃ/ B1	noun - a sudden burst of light

Key Grammar Structures

• Give me time to reason.

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase "Give me" is an example of the imperative mood, used to give commands or requests.

• If only I could turn back time.

  ➔ Conditional sentences (Type II)

  ➔ The phrase "If only I could" expresses a hypothetical situation that is unlikely to happen.

• I will always have a cross to wear.

  ➔ Future simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "I will always have" indicates a future action or state.

• Though my pangs of conscience will drill a hole in you.

  ➔ Future simple tense with a subordinate clause

  ➔ The phrase combines a future action with a subordinate clause that provides additional information.

• I would stay for the night.

  ➔ Conditional sentences (Type II)

  ➔ The phrase "I would stay" indicates a hypothetical situation that is dependent on a condition.

• The bolt reminds me I was there.

  ➔ Present simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "The bolt reminds me" uses the present simple tense to express a current fact.

• I seen it coming like a thief in the night.

  ➔ Past simple tense (informal usage)

  ➔ The phrase "I seen it coming" is an informal way of saying "I saw it coming".