When I Look At You – English Lyrics

• By: Miley Cyrus

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartfelt emotion of Miley Cyrus's "When I Look At You," a poignant power ballad that beautifully conveys themes of unconditional love and unwavering support. Its clear enunciation and relatable lyrics, set against the backdrop of *The Last Song* film, make it an excellent resource for English language learners to enhance listening skills and grasp emotional vocabulary.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
inspiration /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃn/ B2	noun - the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
song /sɔŋ/ A1	noun - a short poem or other set of words set to music or meant to be sung.
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
melody /ˈmelədi/ B1	noun - a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying.
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
falling /ˈfɔːlɪŋ/ A2	verb - move downward, typically rapidly and freely, under the influence of gravity.
apart /əˈpɑːrt/ B1	adverb - separated by a specified distance
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
dark /dɑːrk/ A2	adjective - with little or no light.
waves /weɪvz/ A2	noun - a disturbance on the surface of a liquid body, as the sea or a lake, in the form of a moving ridge.
shore /ʃɔːr/ A2	noun - the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water.
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.
forgiveness /fərˈɡɪvnəs/ B2	noun - the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven.
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the quality or state of being true.
stars /stɑːrz/ A1	noun - a fixed luminous point in the night sky which is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun.
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of the earth, visible (chiefly at night) by reflected light from the sun.
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.

Key Grammar Structures

• Everybody needs inspiration

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement (Everybody - needs)

  ➔ "Everybody" is treated as a singular pronoun, therefore requiring the singular verb form "needs".

• When the night's so long

  ➔ Contraction (night's = night is)

  ➔ The apostrophe shows the contraction of "night is" into "night's".

• 'Cause there is no guarantee

  ➔ Expletive construction ('there is')

  ➔ "There is" is used to introduce the existence of something (a guarantee). "There" is not the subject; "guarantee" is.

• That this life is easy

  ➔ Subordinate clause introduced by 'that'

  ➔ The word "that" introduces a clause acting as a complement. The complete sentence lacks a main clause, making it grammatically incomplete on its own and relying on context.

• When my world is falling apart

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense ('is falling') used to describe an ongoing action.

  ➔ The present continuous tense emphasizes that the world's disintegration is happening right now, not a completed action.

• When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore

  ➔ Present continuous ('are flooding') to describe an ongoing action. 'Can't' as a contraction of 'cannot', expressing inability. 'Anymore' to indicate something no longer happening

  ➔ "are flooding" describes the waves' continuous action. "can't find" indicates inability. "anymore" emphasizes the loss of direction.

• You love me for who I am

  ➔ Preposition "for" used to indicate reason or cause. Relative clause "who I am".

  ➔ "For" explains why you love me, that is, because of my identity. "who I am" is a relative clause referring to the person's identity.

• Just like Kaleidoscope colors that Cover me, all I need

  ➔ Relative clause ('that Cover me') modifying 'Kaleidoscope colors'. Omission of the verb 'is' before 'all I need'.

  ➔ "'that Cover me'" describes the colors. The omitted "is" creates a more concise, poetic expression. The full sentence is "...colors that cover me, all I need is...".