Wildflower – English Lyrics

• By: Billie Eilish

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the candid and introspective world of Billie Eilish's 'Wildflower,' a folk-pop gem built on simple, yet profound, language. Its straightforward narrative, which Eilish describes as a "breaking girl code thing," offers a perfect opportunity to learn English vocabulary related to complex human emotions like guilt, insecurity, and heartache, all delivered with the intimacy of a whispered confession.

[English]

Things fall apart and time breaks your heart

I wasn't there, but I know

She was your girl, you showed her the world

You fell out of love and you both let go

She was cryin' on my shoulder, all I could do was hold her

Only made us closer until July

Now I know that you love me, you don't need to remind me

I should put it all behind me, shouldn't I?

But I see her in the back of my mind

All the time

Like a fever, like I'm burning alive

Like a sign

Did I cross the line?

Mm, hm

Well, good things don't last (good things don't last)

And life moves so fast (life moves so fast)

I'd never ask who was better (I'd never ask who was better)

'Cause she couldn't be (she couldn't be)

More different from me (more different)

Happy and free (happy and free) in leather

And I know that you love me (you love me)

You don't need to remind me (remind me)

Wanna put it all behind me, but baby

I see her in the back of my mind (back of my mind)

All the time (all the time)

Feels like a fever (like a fever)

Like I'm burning alive (burning alive)

Like a sign

Did I cross the line?

You say no one knows you so well (oh)

But every time you touch me, I just wonder how she felt

Valentine's Day, cryin' in the hotel

I know you didn't mean to hurt me, so I kept it to myself

And I wonder

Do you see her in the back of your mind?

In my eyes?

You say no one knows you so well

But every time you touch me, I just wonder how she felt

Valentine's Day, cryin' in the hotel

I know you didn't mean to hurt me, so I kept it to myself

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to come down from a higher position to a lower one
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - to separate into pieces suddenly or forcibly
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears, often as an expression of distress
hold /hoʊld/ A1	verb - to grasp or carry something with the hands
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection for someone verb - to have a deep affection for someone
wonder /ˈwʌndər/ A2	verb - to think about something curiously or uncertainly
fever /ˈfiːvər/ A2	noun - an abnormally high body temperature
burning /ˈbɜːr.nɪŋ/ B1	adjective - on fire or very hot
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A1	adjective - living, not dead
cross /krɔːs/ A2	verb - to go from one side to the other
remind /rɪˈmaɪnd/ B1	verb - to make someone remember something
different /ˈdɪf.ər.ənt/ A2	adjective - not the same as another or each other
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not imprisoned or enslaved
touch /tʌtʃ/ A1	verb - to put your hand, finger, or other body part on someone or something
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause physical pain or injury to someone
wonder /ˈwʌndər/ A2	noun - a feeling of amazement or admiration

Key Grammar Structures

• Things fall apart and time breaks your heart

  ➔ present simple

  ➔ The verb "fall" and "breaks" are in the present simple, expressing general truths.

• I wasn't there, but I know

  ➔ past simple negative, present simple

  ➔ "wasn't" is the past simple negative of "be", while "know" is in the present simple.

• She was cryin' on my shoulder, all I could do was hold her

  ➔ past continuous, modal verb (could)

  ➔ "was cryin'" shows past continuous action; "could" is a modal verb expressing ability in the past.

• Now I know that you love me, you don't need to remind me

  ➔ present simple, that‑clause, negative verb

  ➔ "know" and "love" are in the present simple; the clause "that you love me" is a that‑clause; "don't need" is a negative verb form.

• I should put it all behind me, shouldn't I?

  ➔ modal verb (should), tag question

  ➔ "should" expresses advice; the trailing "shouldn't I?" is a tag question seeking agreement.

• But I see her in the back of my mind all the time

  ➔ present simple

  ➔ "see" is in the present simple, describing a habitual thought.

• Like a fever, like I'm burning alive

  ➔ present continuous

  ➔ "am burning" is in the present continuous, indicating a current ongoing sensation.

• You say no one knows you so well (oh)

  ➔ present simple

  ➔ "say" and "knows" are in the present simple, expressing current statements.

• But every time you touch me, I just wonder how she felt

  ➔ present simple, past simple (in indirect question)

  ➔ "touch" is present simple; "felt" is past simple inside the indirect question "how she felt".

• I know you didn't mean to hurt me, so I kept it to myself

  ➔ past simple (negative), past simple

  ➔ "didn't mean" is past simple negative; "kept" is past simple indicating a completed action.