Under the Tree – English Lyrics

• By: Ed Sheeran
• Album: That Christmas

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Ed Sheeran's 'Under the Tree' offers a special opportunity. Its clear, emotionally direct lyrics provide an accessible way to learn vocabulary related to feelings of love, loss, and longing. The song's heartfelt and universal story of missing someone during a special time makes it a poignant and memorable piece for any English language learner.

[English]

I'm alone this December, it's the last light of the day

Ooh, I can't help but wonder if you feel the same

Oh, I guess I'll surrender to the tears and the pain

And the cold we are under will remain

You were the hearth light, my fire that died

Waiting for morning sunrise

There is nothing under the tree that I wished for

I want you to come back to me and be like before

Have I lost you? And nothin' will ever fill the hole

My heart will be here under the tree, just letting you know

Mm, mm

Mm, mm

Mm, mm

I'm alone this December, and the long nights, they begin

Still, my mind's overthinking, now, whose arms you're in?

And were mine just an afterthought of needing to be kind?

Guess when we're out of sight, it's outta mind

You were the first touch, first look in my eyes

Now we're just strangers who walk by

There is nothing under the tree that I wished for

I want you to come back to me and be like before

Have I lost you? Nothin' will ever fill the hole

My heart will be here under the tree, just letting you know

...

You were the first touch, first look in my eyes

Now we're just strangers who walk by

There is nothing under the tree that I wished for

I want you to come back to me and be like before

Have I lost you? Nothin' will ever fill the hole

My heart will be here under the tree, just letting you know

Mm, mm

Mm, mm

Mm, mm

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
december /dɪˈsɛmbər/ B2	noun - the twelfth month of the year
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - brightness from the sun, fire, etc. adjective - not heavy
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - organ that pumps blood
fire /faɪər/ A2	noun - hot, glowing combustion
strangers /ˈstreɪn.dʒərz/ B1	noun - people you do not know
hole /hoʊl/ A2	noun - an opening in a surface
arrows /ˈær.oʊz/ B1	noun - projectile weapons with a pointed tip
shadows /ˈʃæd.oʊz/ B1	noun - dark shapes cast by objects blocking light
strife /straɪf/ C1	noun - conflict or struggle
whisper /ˈwɪs.pər/ B2	verb - to speak softly
wonder /ˈwʌn.dər/ B1	verb - to think about something with curiosity

Key Grammar Structures

• And the cold we are under will remain

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' to express future certainty

  ➔ The phrase 'will remain' indicates a certainty about the future state of being under the cold.

• Waiting for morning sunrise

  ➔ Present continuous tense to describe an ongoing action or future intention

  ➔ The phrase 'Waiting for' uses the present continuous to imply an ongoing action or anticipation.

• Have I lost you?

  ➔ Present perfect tense used in a question to express concern about a possible action affecting the present

  ➔ The question 'Have I lost you?' uses the present perfect to inquire about a change affecting the current relationship.

• Just letting you know

  ➔ Present participle 'letting' used as a gerund to describe an ongoing action or process

  ➔ The phrase 'just letting you know' uses the present participle to indicate an ongoing action of informing.

• Nothin' will ever fill the hole

  ➔ Futuro tense with 'will' to express an unchangeable future situation

  ➔ The phrase 'will ever fill the hole' shows a certainty that the hole cannot be filled in the future.

• Nothin' will ever fill the hole

  ➔ Futuro tense with 'will' to express a promise or certainty about the future

  ➔ The phrase emphasizes the certainty that nothing will ever be able to fill the emotional void.