When I Saw You – English Lyrics

• By: Mariah Carey
• Album: Daydream

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the language of love through Mariah Carey's "When I Saw You," a song that beautifully encapsulates the magical moment of love at first sight. Experience the captivating lyrics and Mariah's signature vocal prowess in this timeless ballad, perfect for exploring themes of instant connection and transformation.

[English]

Hmmm...

Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me

Transcending space and time

And I was a rendered still

There were no words for me to find at all

Or as I stood there beside myself

I could see you and no one else

When I saw you

When I saw you

I could not breathe, I fell so deep

When I saw you

When I saw you

I'd never be, I'd never be a same

Na na na

Na na na

O-o-o-o-oh

O-o-o-o-oh

O-only once in a lifetime love rushes in

Changin' you with a tide and dawn's ribbon of light

Bursts through the dark

Wakening you inside

And I thought it was all untrue

Until there all at once, I knew

When I saw you

When I saw you

I could not breathe, I fell so deep

When I saw you

When I saw you

I'd never be, I'd never be the same

With no beginning and without an end

You are the one for me and it's evident

And your eyes told me so, o-oh yeah

Your eyes let me know o-o-o-oh...

When I saw you

When I saw you

I could not breathe, I fell so deep

When I saw you

When I saw you

I'd never be, I'd never be a same

O-o-o-o-oh...

I'd never be the same

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
eyes /aɪz/ B1	noun - the organs of sight; the two globes within the eye sockets that people use to see
gazed /ɡeɪzd/ B1	verb - looked steadily and intently, often with admiration or longing
space /speɪs/ B1	noun - an empty area or expanse; a continuous area not filled by something
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events
words /wɜːrdz/ B1	noun - units of language that carry meaning and are used to form sentences
find /faɪnd/ A2	verb - to discover something sought or hoped for
stood /stʊd/ A2	verb - past tense of stand; to be in an upright position
saw /sɔː/ A2	verb - past tense of see; perceived with the eyes
breathe /briːð/ B1	verb - to take air into and out of the lungs
deep /diːp/ B1	adjective - extending far down from the top or the surface; intense
same /seɪm/ A2	adjective - identical; not different
lifetime /ˈlaɪftaɪm/ B2	noun - the duration of a person’s life
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a deep affection for someone or something
tide /taɪd/ B2	noun - the regular rise and fall of the sea level
dawn /dɔːn/ B1	noun - the early morning when light first appears
ribbon /ˈrɪbən/ B2	noun - a long narrow strip of fabric, often used decoratively
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - the natural agent that makes things visible; the opposite of dark
dark /dɑrk/ A2	noun - the absence of light; the opposite of light adjective - having little or no light
beginning /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/ B1	noun - the first part of something; the start
end /ɛnd/ A2	noun - the final part of something; conclusion
evident /ˈɛvɪdənt/ C1	adjective - clearly seen or understood; obvious
told /toʊld/ A2	verb - past tense of tell; communicated information
know /noʊ/ A2	verb - to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information
wakening /ˈwɔkənɪŋ/ B2	verb - the act of awakening or making someone become alert or aware
bursts /bɜːrsts/ B2	verb - lavishly break forth suddenly into a selection
untrue /ənˈtruː/ B2	adjective - not true; false or misleading

Key Grammar Structures

• Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me

  ➔ Past Simple tense

  ➔ The verb "gazed" shows an action completed in the past.

• And I was a rendered still

  ➔ Past Continuous/State with 'was' + adjective

  ➔ "was rendered still" describes a past state or condition using 'was' + adjective.

• There were no words for me to find at all

  ➔ Existential 'there' + Past Simple + Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "There were no words" uses 'there' to indicate existence in past; "to find" shows purpose.

• When I saw you, I could not breathe, I fell so deep

  ➔ Temporal clause with 'When' + Past Simple; Modal verb 'could' in past

  ➔ "When I saw you" introduces a past time clause; "could not breathe" shows ability/possibility in the past.

• I'd never be the same

  ➔ Conditional sentence type zero/first using 'I'd' (I would/I had)

  ➔ "I'd" stands for "I would" here expressing hypothetical or future-in-past condition.

• O-only once in a lifetime love rushes in

  ➔ Present Simple for general truths

  ➔ "Love rushes in" uses present simple because it states a general truth or fact.

• Changin' you with a tide and dawn's ribbon of light

  ➔ Present participle used as adjective/continuous action

  ➔ "Changin'" is a present participle indicating ongoing or continuous action modifying "you".

• I'd never be, I'd never be a same

  ➔ Repeated modal verb phrase for emphasis

  ➔ The repetition of "I'd never be" emphasizes the speaker's certainty or strong feeling about change.