When I Was Your Man – English Lyrics

• By: Bruno Mars
• Album: Unorthodox Jukebox

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotions of heartbreak and regret with Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man." This soulful piano ballad offers a powerful lesson in valuing relationships and acknowledging past mistakes. Through its simple yet profound lyrics, listeners can explore vocabulary related to love, loss, and self-reflection, making it a relatable and moving song for language learners.

[English]

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now

Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same

When our friends talk about you

All it does is just tear me down

'Cause my heart breaks a little

When I hear your name

It all just sounds like ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

...

Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize

That I should've bought you flowers

And held your hand

Should've gave you all my hours

When I had the chance

Take you to every party

'Cause all you wanted to do was dance

Now my baby's dancing

But she's dancing with another man

...

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways

Caused a good strong woman like you

To walk out my life

Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made

And it haunts me every time I close my eyes

It all just sounds like ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize

That I should've bought you flowers

And held your hand

Should've gave you all my hours

When I had the chance

Take you to every party

'Cause all you wanted to do was dance

Now my baby's dancing

But she's dancing with another man

Although it hurts

I'll be the first to say that I was wrong

Oh, I know I'm probably much too late

To try and apologize for my mistakes

But I just want you to know

I hope he buys you flowers

I hope he holds your hand

Give you all his hours

When he has the chance

Take to every party

'Cause I remember how much you loved to dance

Do all the things I should have done

When I was your man

Do all the things I should have done

When I was your man

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
feels /fiːlz/ A1	verb - to experience (an emotion or sensation)
sound /saʊnd/ A1	verb - to produce a noise noun - something that you can hear
friends /frɛndz/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to say words aloud
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or words by which someone or something is known
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - having lived or existed for only a short time
flowers /ˈflaʊ.ərz/ A1	noun - the seed-bearing part of a plant
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist
chance /tʃæns/ A2	noun - a possibility of something happening
party /ˈpɑːr.ti/ A1	noun - a social gathering of invited guests
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music noun - an act of dancing
pride /praɪd/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction
ego /ˈiː.ɡoʊ/ B2	noun - a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance
selfish /ˈsel.fɪʃ/ B1	adjective - lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.
strong /strɒŋ/ A1	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.
woman /ˈwʊm.ən/ A1	noun - an adult female human being
haunts /hɔːnts/ B2	verb - (of a ghost) manifest itself at (a place) regularly.
mistakes /mɪˈsteɪks/ A2	noun - an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong
hurts /hɜːrts/ A1	verb - cause physical pain or injury to

Key Grammar Structures

• Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now

  ➔ Comparative adjectives with "a little bit"

  ➔ The phrase "a little bit bigger" indicates a small degree of difference in size. "A little bit" modifies the comparative adjective "bigger", showing a slight increase.

• All it does is just tear me down

  ➔ Cleft sentence with "All"

  ➔ This sentence emphasizes the singular effect of the friends' talk, that is "tear me down". The structure "All it does is + verb" highlights that specific action as the only consequence.

• Too young, too dumb to realize

  ➔ Adjective + "too" + adjective + "to" + infinitive

  ➔ This structure indicates that the subject was overly young and dumb, making it impossible or difficult for them to realize something. It describes a past state of being.

• That I should've bought you flowers

  ➔ Modal verb "should have" + past participle (should've done)

  ➔ "Should have bought" expresses regret about something that was not done in the past. It implies that buying flowers was the right or expected thing to do.

• Caused a good strong woman like you To walk out my life

  ➔ Causative verb 'caused' + object + infinitive with 'to'

  ➔ The verb 'caused' indicates that the speaker's actions led to the woman leaving. The structure 'caused someone to do something' is a common causative construction.

• Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made

  ➔ Present simple with adverb of frequency 'never' used for emphasis

  ➔ The repetition of 'never' intensifies the feeling of loss and impossibility. It emphasizes that the speaker will absolutely not have the opportunity to fix his mistake.

• Although it hurts I'll be the first to say that I was wrong

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'although' introducing a concession clause

  ➔ 'Although' introduces a statement that contrasts with the main clause. It acknowledges the pain but emphasizes the speaker's willingness to admit fault.