Valentine's Day – English Lyrics

• By: David Bowie

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Valentine told me who's to go

Feelings he treasured most of all

The teachers and the football stars

It's in his tiny face

It's in his scrawny hands

Valentine sold his soul

He's got something to say

It's Valentine's day

The rhythm of the crowd

Teddy and Judy down

Valentine sees it all

He's got something to say

It's Valentine's day

Valentine told me how he'd feel

If all the world were under his heels

Or stumbling through the mall

It's in his tiny face

It's in his scrawny hands

Valentine knows it all

He's got something to say

It's Valentine's day

Valentine, Valentine

Valentine, Valentine

It's in his scrawny hands

It's in his icy heart

It's happening today

Valentine, Valentine

It's in his scrawny hands

It's in his icy heart

It's happening today

Valentine, Valentine.

...

Key Grammar Structures

• Valentine told me who's to go

  ➔ Indirect Question

  ➔ The phrase "who's to go" functions as an indirect question, embedded within the main clause. The word order follows the declarative structure, unlike direct questions.

• Feelings he treasured most of all

  ➔ Adjective Clause with Omission

  ➔ The relative pronoun (e.g., that, which) is omitted. "That" (or "which") *he treasured most of all* is implied.

• The teachers and the football stars

  ➔ Parallel Structure

  ➔ The phrase uses parallel structure: "the **teachers** and the **football stars**." Both are noun phrases in the same grammatical form.

• It's in his tiny face

  ➔ Inversion (Poetic)

  ➔ While not strictly inversion, the structure emphasizes "in his tiny face" for poetic effect. The natural order is "It is in his tiny face."

• He's got something to say

  ➔ Auxiliary verb 'got' (Informal)

  ➔ This is a colloquial way of expressing possession. More formally, it would be "He has something to say." The use of "got" adds to the informal tone.

• If all the world were under his heels

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Hypothetical)

  ➔ Uses the past subjunctive "were" to describe a hypothetical situation, contrary to fact. The present subjunctive "be" is also possible in older English. The conditional clause is implied.

• It's in his icy heart

  ➔ Poetic/Figurative Language

  ➔ The phrase utilizes figurative language with "icy heart," which is a metaphor conveying a cold and emotionless state.

• It's happening today

  ➔ Present Continuous (Emphasis)

  ➔ The present continuous "is happening" emphasizes the immediacy and ongoing nature of the events, creating a sense of urgency.