We Wait And We Wonder – English Lyrics

• By: Phil Collins
• Album: Both Sides

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Phil Collins' "We Wait And We Wonder" to explore English that expresses deep emotions like anger, sadness, and confusion. This song offers rich vocabulary and phrases to discuss complex social and political issues, making it special for its raw honesty and poignant questioning of humanity in the face of conflict.

[English]

We stand and hang our heads, just believing

And not knowing how could such a thing be wrong

Oh, we wonder just what they must be thinking

Or to take a life of one so young

So tell me, when will it be over now?

How soon?

How far must they go to prove to you?

And we wait and we wonder how this happened

Killing the old, the innocent, the young

While sons follow in fathers' footsteps not understanding

Oh that what they do could somehow be so wrong

So tell me, when will it be over now?

How soon?

How far must they go to prove to you?

So we will wait and we'll wonder

No regrets, no forgiveness, no compassion

And these brave heroes only know to hit and run

Slowly my sadness turns to rage, and we wonder

How can these scars ever heal when all is said and done?

So tell me, when will it be over now?

How soon?

How many tears must fall to prove to you?

Please tell me when will it be over now?

How soon?

And how far must they go to prove to you?

So we'll wait and we'll wonder

Yes we'll wait and we'll wonder

We wait, we wait and we wonder

Yes we'll wait, we will wait and we'll wonder

Yes we'll wait...

...so far away

We'll wait and we'll wonder

Yes we'll wait and we'll wonder

We'll wait and we'll wonder

Key Grammar Structures

• We stand and hang our heads, just believing

  ➔ Present simple + gerund phrase

  ➔ The verbs "stand" and "hang" are in the present simple. "believing" is a gerund that functions as a complement.

• And not knowing how could such a thing be wrong

  ➔ Negative gerund clause + subject‑auxiliary inversion in an indirect question

  ➔ "not knowing" is a negative gerund phrase. In the clause "how could such a thing be wrong" the auxiliary "could" precedes the subject "such a thing" (inversion).

• Oh, we wonder just what they must be thinking

  ➔ Modal verb + infinitive (must be thinking) + indirect question

  ➔ "must be thinking" uses the modal "must" + bare infinitive "be" + present participle "thinking". The whole clause is an indirect question introduced by "what".

• Or to take a life of one so young

  ➔ Infinitive clause functioning as purpose/complement

  ➔ "to take" is an infinitive that explains the purpose or result of the previous idea.

• So tell me, when will it be over now?

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' in an embedded question

  ➔ "will" marks the future. The clause "when will it be over now?" is an indirect question introduced by "when".

• How far must they go to prove to you?

  ➔ Modal verb "must" + bare infinitive + infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "must" expresses strong necessity. "go" is the bare infinitive after the modal, and "to prove" shows the purpose of going.

• Killing the old, the innocent, the young

  ➔ Present participle clause used as a noun phrase (gerund) functioning as subject complement

  ➔ "Killing" is a gerund that refers to the act of killing, acting as a subject complement after an implied verb like "is".

• While sons follow in fathers' footsteps not understanding

  ➔ Subordinate clause with present simple + present participle (non‑finite clause) as adverbial

  ➔ "follow" is in the present simple. The phrase "not understanding" is a present participle clause that adds information about how they follow.

• How can these scars ever heal when all is said and done?

  ➔ Modal verb "can" + bare infinitive + adverbial clause with present simple passive

  ➔ "can" expresses ability or possibility. "heal" is the bare infinitive. The clause "when all is said and done" uses the passive "is said" and "is done" to mean "after everything has happened".

• Yes we'll wait and we'll wonder

  ➔ Future with "will" (contracted) + coordinated verbs

  ➔ "we'll" is the contraction of "we will". Both "wait" and "wonder" share the same future auxiliary.