Without You – English Lyrics

• By: John Newman, Nina Nesbitt

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic journey, and 'Without You' by John Newman and Nina Nesbitt offers a great opportunity to dive into contemporary English pop. The song's clear and emotive lyrics about love and relationships provide relatable vocabulary and phrases. What makes this track special for learners is its conversational tone and the interplay between two distinct voices, helping to understand different nuances of expression.

[English]

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

A life without you ain't right without you

I didn't mean to shut you out

I didn't mean to shout at you at all

The temper's raising, anger flares

We're two hotheads with nothing left back home, uh-uh

But when nobody's there and nobody cares

When the trees come down and nobody hears

I'll always be the one that's there for you

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

A life without you ain't right without you

I'm never gonna go

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

'Cause life without you ain't right without you

Every time that I try to leave, something's pulling me back, back

Every time that I'm on my knees, you're the one that's there, there

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

'Cause life without you ain't right without you

A life without you ain't right without you

Didn't mean to call you out

I didn't mean to cut you down at all

When the egos flare and we say things

I'm just scared of feeling vulnerable

But when nobody's there and nobody cares

When the trees come down and nobody hears

I'll always be the one that's there for you

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

A life without you ain't right without you

I'm never gonna go

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

'Cause life without you ain't right without you

Every time that I try to leave, something's pulling me back, back

Every time that I'm on my knees, you're the one that's there, there

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

'Cause life without you ain't right without you (ain't right)

I will always be the one that's there for you

You will always be the one that gets me through

I will always be the one that's there for you

You will always be the one that gets me through

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

A life without you ain't right without you

I'm never gonna go

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

'Cause life without you ain't right without you

(A life without you)

A life without you ain't right without you

(A life without you)

A life without you ain't right without you

Oh-oh

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

A life without you ain't right without you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal
right /raɪt/ A1	adjective - correct or true
mean /miːn/ A2	verb - to intend to express or refer to
shut /ʃʌt/ A1	verb - to close something
shout /ʃaʊt/ A1	verb - to speak very loudly
temper /ˈtɛmpər/ B1	noun - a person's state of mind
raise /reɪz/ A2	verb - to lift something up
anger /ˈæŋɡər/ A2	noun - a strong feeling of annoyance or displeasure
flare /flɛər/ B1	verb - to burn brightly with flames
hothead /ˈhɒtˌhɛd/ B2	noun - a person who is quick to anger
vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbəl/ B2	adjective - susceptible to physical or emotional attack
pull /pʊl/ A1	verb - to move something toward oneself
knees /niːz/ A1	noun - the joint between the thigh and the lower leg
scared /skɛərd/ A2	adjective - afraid or frightened
ego /ˈiːɡoʊ/ B2	noun - a person's sense of self-importance

Key Grammar Structures

• I didn't mean to shut you out

  ➔ Past simple negative with *didn't* + infinitive

  ➔ The word "didn't" is the contracted form of "did not", used with the base verb "mean" to show a lack of intention in the past.

• When the trees come down and nobody hears

  ➔ Present simple in a *when* clause + coordination with *and*

  ➔ "When" introduces a time clause that uses the present simple ("come", "hears") to talk about a habitual or future situation.

• I'll always be the one that's there for you

  ➔ Future simple with *will* + *always* + relative clause (*that’s* = *that is*)

  ➔ "I'll" is the contraction of "I will". The adverb "always" shows frequency, and the relative clause "that's there for you" ("that is") describes "the one".

• Every time that I try to leave, something's pulling me back

  ➔ *Every time that* + present simple + present progressive

  ➔ "Every time that" introduces a repeated condition. "I try" is present simple, while "something's pulling" ("something is pulling") is present progressive, showing an action happening at that moment.

• I'm just scared of feeling vulnerable

  ➔ Adjective + preposition *of* + gerund (verb‑ing)

  ➔ "scared" is an adjective followed by the preposition "of". The verb "feeling" is a gerund, acting as the object of the preposition.

• When the egos flare and we say things

  ➔ Present simple for repeated actions + coordination with *and*

  ➔ "When" introduces a time clause. Both "flare" and "say" are in the present simple because they describe habitual or typical behaviour.

• You will always be the one that gets me through

  ➔ Future simple with *will* + adverb *always* + relative clause (*that* + verb)

  ➔ "will" marks future certainty. "always" shows frequency. The relative clause "that gets me through" ("that" = "who") describes "the one".

• A life without you ain't right

  ➔ Colloquial negative *ain't* + adjective complement; preposition *without* + noun phrase

  ➔ "ain't" is an informal contraction for "is not". The phrase "without you" uses the preposition "without" to indicate lack, and "right" is the predicate adjective.

• I'm never gonna go

  ➔ Informal future with *gonna* (going to) + adverb *never* before verb

  ➔ "gonna" is the colloquial reduction of "going to". "never" placed before the verb emphasizes that the action will not happen at any time.

• I'm on my knees

  ➔ Prepositional phrase *on* + noun phrase; idiomatic expression of vulnerability

  ➔ "on" is a preposition indicating location. "my knees" is the object of the preposition, forming the idiom "on my knees" which conveys pleading or vulnerability.