You Don't Know My Name – English Lyrics

• By: Alicia Keys

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful narrative of Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name." This Grammy-winning R&B masterpiece offers a beautiful exploration of unspoken desires and the courage it takes to pursue a connection. Through its rich lyrics and a memorable spoken-word section, you can learn common expressions of longing and attraction, as well as conversational English used in everyday romantic scenarios, making it a perfect song to enhance your English listening comprehension and vocabulary. Its relatable story and smooth melody make the language both engaging and easy to follow.

[English]

(customers conversing) (dishes clattering)

- Hey y'all, sorry I'm late.

Mr. Bell, how you doing?

Sorry, I'm so late, let me get that for you.

- It's okay, it's okay, I got this, sweetie.

- You got it?

- Your boy just walked in.

- He did?

♪ Baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ From the day I saw you ♪

♪ I really, really wanna catch your eye ♪

♪ There's something special about you ♪

Good afternoon,

can I take your order? ♪ I must really like you ♪

♪ There's not a lot of guys are worth my time ♪

- Um, just give me the special

♪ Oh, baby, baby, baby ♪

- Oh, and excuse me, I'm sorry.

The hot chocolate too.

- Hot chocolate?

- Yes. ♪ You are taking over my mind ♪

♪ And it feels like ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ And I swear, it feels like ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ Round and round and round we go ♪

♪ Will you ever know ♪

♪ Oh, baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ I see us on our first date ♪

♪ You're doing everything that makes me smile ♪

♪ And when we had our first kiss ♪

♪ It happened on a Thursday ♪

♪ Ooh, it set my soul on fire ♪

♪ Ooh, baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ I can't wait for the first time ♪

♪ My imagination's running wild ♪

♪ And it feels like ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ And I swear it, baby ♪

♪ It feels like ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ Round and round and round we go ♪

♪ Will you ever know ♪

♪ I'm saying, he don't even know what he's doing to me ♪

♪ Got me feeling all crazy inside ♪

♪ I'm feeling like oh ♪

♪ Doing more than I've ever done for anyone's attention ♪

♪ Take notice of what's in front of you ♪

♪ 'Cause did I mention ♪

♪ You're about to miss a good thing ♪

♪ And you'll never know how good it feels ♪

♪ To have all of my affection ♪

♪ And you'll never get a chance to experience my loving ♪

♪ 'Cause my loving feels like ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ Round and round and round we go ♪

♪ And I swear it feels like ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ Round and round and round we go ♪

♪ Will you ever know ♪

♪ Will you ever know it ♪

♪ No, no, no, no, no, no, no ♪

♪ Will you ever know it ♪

- I'm gonna have to just go ahead and call this boy.

Hello?

Can I speak to Michael?

Oh hey, how you doing?

I feel kind of silly doing this,

but this is the waitress from the coffee house

on 39th and Lennox, you know, the one with the braids?

Yeah.

Well, I see you on Wednesdays all the time,

you come in every Wednesday on your lunch break, I think,

and you always order the special with the hot chocolate.

My manager be tripping and stuff,

talking about we gotta use water,

but I always use some milk and cream for you,

'cause I think you kind of sweet.

Anyway, you always got on some fly blue suit

and your cuff links are shining all bright.

So what you do?

Oh, word?

Yeah, that's interesting.

Look, man, I mean, I don't wanna waste your time,

but I know girls don't usually do this,

but I was wondering if maybe we could get together

outside the restaurant one day?

You know, 'cause I do look a lot different

outside my work clothes.

I mean, we could just go across the street

to the park right here.

Wait, hold up, my cell phone breaking up, hold up.

Can you hear me now?

Yeah.

So what day did you say?

Oh yeah, Thursday's perfect, man.

♪ And it feels like ooh ♪

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ Round and round and round we go ♪

♪ Baby, I swear ♪

♪ It feels like ooh ♪

- Alicia, I see where you were late again.

- I'm sorry, Mr. Bell.

♪ But you don't know my name ♪

♪ Round and round and round we go ♪

♪ Will you ever know ♪

Good afternoon, can I take your order?

- I think I'm gonna have the-

- You want the special right, and the hot chocolate.

♪ And I swear on my mother and father ♪

♪ It feels like ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Will you ever know ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
know /nəʊ/ A2	verb - to be aware of something; to have knowledge about something
baby /ˈbeɪ.bi/ A2	noun - a very young child or infant
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to perceive or be aware of a sensation or emotion
special /ˈspeʃ.əl/ B1	adjective - distinct or different from what is common or usual
hot /hɒt/ A2	adjective - having a high temperature; spicy
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and remembers verb - to be bothered or concerned about something
chance /tʃæns/ B2	noun - a possibility of something happening
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a strong feeling of deep affection verb - to have a deep affection for someone or something
night /naɪt/ A2	noun - the period of darkness in each twenty-four hours
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the ongoing sequence of events; a point or period when something happens
eye /aɪ/ A1	noun - the organ of sight in humans and animals
fire /ˈfaɪər/ B2	noun - the process of combustion producing heat and light verb - to ignite or cause to burn

Key Grammar Structures

• you don't know my name

  ➔ Negation with 'don't' + verb

  ➔ 'Don't' is a contraction of 'do not' used to form negative sentences in the present tense.

• from the day I saw you

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating a point in time

  ➔ The phrase 'from the day I saw you' shows the starting point of a period since a specific event.

• I swear, it feels like ooh

  ➔ Use of 'I swear' to emphasize sincerity or truth

  ➔ 'I swear' is an idiomatic expression used to add emphasis to what the speaker is saying, indicating sincerity or strong feeling.

• And it feels like ooh

  ➔ Comparison using 'like' to describe a sensation

  ➔ 'Like' here is used as a preposition to make a simile, comparing the feeling to 'ooh' to show it is an intense or pleasurable sensation.

• will you ever know

  ➔ Future simple tense with 'will' + base verb

  ➔ 'Will' + base verb indicates a question or statement about a future event or possibility.