Photograph – English Lyrics

• By: Ed Sheeran
• Album: X

Lyrics & Translation

Ed Sheeran's 'Photograph' is a beautiful folk-pop ballad that encapsulates the tender yet challenging emotions of love across distances. Its clear, evocative lyrics and heartfelt narrative make it an excellent song for English learners to connect with authentic expressions of love and longing, while exploring common vocabulary related to relationships and memories. The song's simple yet profound language allows for easy comprehension, and its universal themes of enduring love and the power of cherished moments make it a memorable listening experience for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the English language through music.

[English]

Loving can hurt

Loving can hurt sometimes

But it's the only thing

That I know

...

And when it gets hard

You know it can get hard sometimes

It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

...

We keep this love in a photograph

We make these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me

Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet

You won't ever be alone

Wait for me to come home

...

Loving can heal

Loving can mend your soul

And is the only thing

That I know, know

I swear it will get easier

Remember that with every piece of ya, mmm

And it's the only thing we take with us when we die, mmm

...

We keep this love in a photograph

We make these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts were never broken

And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me

Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet

You won't ever be alone

And if you hurt me

Well, that's okay, baby, only words bleed

Inside these pages you just hold me

And I won't ever let you go

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Oh, you can fit me

Inside the necklace you got when you were 16

Next to your heartbeat where I should be

Keep it deep within your soul

And if you hurt me

Well, that's okay, baby, only words bleed

Inside these pages you just hold me

And I won't ever let you go

When I'm away

I will remember how you kissed me

Under the lamppost back on 6th street

Hearing you whisper through the phone

Wait for me to come home

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
hurt /hɜrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain or injury
photograph /ˈfoʊtəˌgræf/ B1	noun - a picture made using a camera
memory /ˈmɛməri/ B1	noun - the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives permanently
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ B2	adjective - having been fractured or damaged
frozen /ˈfroʊzən/ B2	adjective - turned into ice
closer /ˈkloʊsər/ B1	adjective - nearer in distance or time
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - to stay in one place until something happens
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ B1	verb - to have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of someone or something from the past

Key Grammar Structures

• Loving can hurt sometimes

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' + base verb to express possibility

  ➔ 'Can' is used to indicate that something is possible.

• Hearts are never broken

  ➔ Passive voice with 'are' + past participle

  ➔ Indicates that the subject (hearts) receives the action (not breaking).

• Hearts are never broken

  ➔ Adverbs of frequency ('never') modify the passive verb

  ➔ 'Never' emphasizes that the action of breaking hearts does not happen.

• Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet

  ➔ Present participle 'holding' used as a gerund to describe ongoing action

  ➔ 'Holding' functions as a gerund to show continuous action.

• Wait for me to come home

  ➔ infinitive 'to come' used after 'wait for' to express purpose

  ➔ 'To come' is an infinitive that shows purpose connected with 'wait for'.

• Inside these pages you just hold me

  ➔ Adverb 'just' used for emphasis before the verb

  ➔ 'Just' emphasizes that the action is straightforward or simple.