When We Were Young – English Lyrics

• By: Take That
• Album: This Life

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with Take That's "When We Were Young." This melancholic yet hopeful pop-rock anthem offers a rich vocabulary for discussing memory, personal growth, and the passage of time. Its clear enunciation and accessible themes make it an excellent song for English learners to practice listening comprehension and explore expressive language related to nostalgia and future aspirations.

[English]

When we were young the world seemed so old

Careless and cold

We did what we were told in our lives

When we were young

Had the world by the tail, good would prevail,

Starships would sail

And none of us would fail in this life

Not when you're young

We were drawn to whoever could keep us together

And bound by the heavens above

And we tried to survive

Travelling at the speed of love

Wooaaah when we were young

When we adored the fabulous

Wooaaah when we were young

We were the foolish fearless

Never knowing the cost of what we paid

Letting someone else be strong

Wooaaah when we were young

In a moment of grace

A long leap of faith

There's still more glorious dawn awaits my life

I'm here with the lovers

Then we burned the bridges we're crossing over

Just to see the firelight

And the innocent are getting over being old tonight

Wooaaah when we were young

When everything was what it seemed

Wooaaah when we were young

And everyday was how we dreamed

Never knowing the cost of what we paid

Letting someone else be strong

Wooaaah when we were young

And when you look at yourself tonight

Are you someone you recognise?

You can take back what you've given away

But it must be the last time

Wooaaah when we were young

Wooaaah when we were young

When we were young

Wooaaah when we were young

When we adored the fabulous

Wooaaah when we were young

We were the foolish fearless

Wooaaah when we were young

We didn't know it wouldn't last

Wooaaah when we were young

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - being in the early part of life or growth noun - young people collectively
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth and all the people, things, and creatures on it
told /təʊld/ A1	verb - past tense of tell: to communicate information to someone in spoken or written words
lives /laɪvz/ A2	noun - plural of life: the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
fail /feɪl/ A2	verb - to be unsuccessful in achieving a goal
drawn /drɔːn/ B1	verb - past participle of draw: to attract or pull someone or something
together /təˈɡeðər/ A1	adverb - with each other
heavens /ˈhevənz/ B2	noun - the sky, especially as viewed from the earth
survive /sərˈvaɪv/ B1	verb - to continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship
speed /spiːd/ A2	noun - the rate at which someone or something moves or travels
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection verb - feel deep affection for someone
fabulous /ˈfæbjələs/ B2	adjective - extraordinary; remarkably good
foolish /ˈfuːlɪʃ/ B1	adjective - lacking good sense or judgement
fearless /ˈfɪələs/ B2	adjective - without fear; brave
cost /kɒst/ A2	noun - the amount that something costs verb - to require the payment of
strong /strɒŋ/ A2	adjective - having physical power and great energy
grace /ɡreɪs/ B2	noun - courteous good will
dawn /dɔːn/ B1	noun - the first light of day
lovers /ˈlʌvərz/ B1	noun - a person who loves someone else
bridges /brɪdʒɪz/ A2	noun - a structure carrying a road, path, etc. across a river, road, or other obstacle
firelight /ˈfaɪərˌlaɪt/ B1	noun - the light from a fire
innocent /ˈɪnəsənt/ B1	adjective - not guilty of a crime or offense
dreamed /driːmd/ A2	verb - past tense of dream: to experience dreams in sleep
recognise /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/ B1	verb - to know someone or something because you have seen them before
given /ˈɡɪvən/ B1	verb - past participle of give: to present something to someone
away /əˈweɪ/ A1	adverb - from a particular place or person
last /lɑːst/ A2	verb - to continue for a particular period of time