Wasting Love – English Lyrics

• By: Iron Maiden
• Album: Fear of the Dark

Lyrics & Translation

Discover a different side of the legendary metal band Iron Maiden with their poignant power ballad, "Wasting Love." This song offers a unique opportunity for English language learners to explore themes of love, loss, and emotional honesty through its heartfelt and accessible lyrics. The raw vulnerability in Bruce Dickinson's voice and the song's melodic structure make it a compelling and memorable way to connect with the English language on a deeper, more emotional level.

[English]

Maybe one day I'll be an honest man

Up 'til now I'm doing the best I can

Long roads, long days

Of sunrise to sunset, sunrise to sunset

Dream on, brothers, while you can

Dream on, sister, I hope you find the one

All of our lives

Covered up quickly by the tides of time

Spend your days full of emptiness

Spend your years full of loneliness

Wasting love, in a desperate caress

Rolling shadows of night

...

Dream on, brothers, while you can

Dream on, sisters, I hope you find the one

All of our lives

Covered up quickly by the tides of time

...

Sands are flowing

And the lines are in your hand

In your eyes I see the hunger

And the desperate cry that tears the night

Spend your days full of emptiness

Spend your years full of loneliness

Wasting love, in a desperate caress

Rolling shadows of night

...

Spend your days full of emptiness

Spend your years full of loneliness

Wasting love, in a desperate caress

Rolling shadows of night

Spend your days full of emptiness

Spend your years full of loneliness

Wasting love, in a desperate caress

Rolling shadows of night

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
honest /ˈɒn.ɪst/ or /ˈɑː.nɪst/ B1	adjective - truthful and sincere
roads /roʊdz/ A2	noun - routes for vehicles or people to travel
sunrise /ˈsʌn.raɪz/ B1	noun - the time when the sun appears in the morning
sunset /ˈsʌn.set/ B1	noun - the time in the evening when the sun goes down
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep verb - to imagine or think about something that is not real or present
empty /ˈɛmˌti/ A2	adjective - containing nothing; not filled
loneliness /ˈloʊn.li.nəs/ B2	noun - the state of being alone and feeling sad about it
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
shadow /ˈʃæd.oʊ/ B2	noun - a dark shape made by blocking light
night /naɪt/ A2	noun - the period of darkness in each twenty-four hours

Key Grammar Structures

• Maybe one day I'll be an honest man

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will'

  ➔ 'will' is used to express a future intention or prediction.

• Of sunrise to sunset, sunrise to sunset

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating a time span

  ➔ The phrase specifies a continuous duration from sunrise to sunset.

• Spend your days full of emptiness

  ➔ Imperative verb with possessive pronoun

  ➔ The verb 'spend' is used here in a base form, instructing or describing an action.

• All of our lives Covered up quickly by the tides of time

  ➔ Passive voice formation

  ➔ The phrase uses the passive voice to indicate that the lives are being affected by time.

• Sands are flowing

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ 'are flowing' shows an ongoing action happening right now.

• And the lines are in your hand

  ➔ Present tense of 'to be' in a descriptive sentence

  ➔ It states the current situation or condition.