Believe – English Lyrics

• By: Mumford & Sons

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Mumford & Sons' "Believe" and explore the nuances of faith and doubt through music. This song, a departure from their signature folk sound, offers a chance to learn how artists evolve and express complex emotions, making it a compelling study in musical and lyrical interpretation.

[English]

You may call it in this evening

But you've only lost the night

Present all your pretty feelings

May they comfort you tonight

And I'm climbing over something

And I'm running through these walls

I don't even know if I believe

I don't even know if I believe

I don't even know if I believe

Everything you're trying to say to me

...

I had the strangest feeling

Your world's not all it seems

So tired of misconceiving

What else this could've been

I don't even know if I believe

I don't even know if I believe

I don't even know if I believe

Everything you're trying to say to me

So open up my eyes

Tell me I'm alive

This is never gonna go our way

If I'm gonna have to guess what's on your mind

Oh say something, say something

Something like you love me

Less you want to move away

From the noise of this place

I don't even know if I believe

I don't even know if I believe

I don't even know if I wanna believe

Anything you're trying to say to me

So open up my eyes

Tell me I'm alive

This is never gonna go our way

If I'm gonna have to guess what's on your mind

So open up my eyes

Tell me I'm alive

This is never gonna go our way

If I'm gonna have to guess what's on your mind

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
feelings /ˈfiːlɪŋz/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
comfort /ˈkʌmfərt/ B1	verb - to ease the grief or distress of noun - a state of ease and satisfaction
climbing /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/ A2	verb - go or come up (a slope, stairs, or other place) by using the feet and sometimes the hands
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A1	verb - moving at a speed faster than a walk
walls /wɔːlz/ A1	noun - a continuous vertical brick or stone structure that encloses or divides an area of land
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries and peoples
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - in need of sleep or rest; weary
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs that detect light and send signals to the brain
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living, not dead
noise /nɔɪz/ B1	noun - a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel

Key Grammar Structures

• You may call it in this evening

  ➔ Modal Verb "may" for possibility.

  ➔ The use of "may" suggests a possibility or permission for someone to "call it in", meaning to give up or quit something this evening. It doesn't necessarily mean it will happen.

• But you've only lost the night

  ➔ Present Perfect Simple ("have/has" + past participle) indicating a completed action with relevance to the present.

  ➔ "You've lost the night" means that the person has experienced a setback or failure, but the use of the present perfect implies that while the night is gone, it doesn't define the entire situation. The loss is in the past, but its impact is still felt.

• May they comfort you tonight

  ➔ Modal Verb "may" expressing a wish or hope. Third-person plural pronoun "they" referring to 'all your pretty feelings'.

  ➔ Here, "may" expresses a wish that the person's feelings will bring them comfort. "They" refers back to "all your pretty feelings", acting as the subject of the verb "comfort".

• I don't even know if I believe

  ➔ Subordinate clause introduced by "if", expressing doubt or uncertainty.

  ➔ The phrase "I don't even know if I believe" indicates a lack of certainty regarding one's own convictions or beliefs. "If" introduces the subordinate clause describing the object of the speaker's uncertainty.

• Everything you're trying to say to me

  ➔ Present Continuous tense in a relative clause (You're trying) modifying 'Everything'.

  ➔ The present continuous "you're trying" emphasizes the ongoing nature of the attempt to communicate. This emphasizes that the person is in the process of saying something.

• What else this could've been

  ➔ Modal perfect "could have been" expressing speculation about a past possibility that did not occur. This is used in an embedded question.

  ➔ "What else this could've been" suggests the speaker is pondering alternative outcomes or possibilities for a past situation. "Could have been" signifies something that *could* have happened but did not.

• This is never gonna go our way

  ➔ Future with "gonna" (going to), expressing a prediction or intention. Adverb of frequency "never".

  ➔ "This is never gonna go our way" is a negative prediction about a future event. "Gonna" is a colloquial contraction of "going to", and "never" indicates that the speaker believes there is no possibility of the event turning out favorably.

• If I'm gonna have to guess what's on your mind

  ➔ First conditional with "gonna" expressing future intention or likelihood, combined with an embedded question ('what's on your mind').

  ➔ This sentence sets up a conditional situation. "If" introduces the condition, which is the speaker having to guess the other person's thoughts. The "gonna" indicates future intention or likelihood, implying the speaker anticipates having to guess. "What's on your mind" is an embedded question functioning as the object of the verb 'guess'.