5 Years Time – English Lyrics

• By: Noah & the Whale

Lyrics & Translation

Learn English with the sweet and simple lyrics of Noah and the Whale's "5 Years Time." This charming song is perfect for beginners, with its repetitive and easy-to-follow verses about love, friendship, and dreaming of the future. The song's optimistic and slightly wistful tone makes it a special and memorable way to practice your language skills.

[English]

Oh well in five years time we could be walking around the zoo

With the sun shining down over me and you

And there'll be love in the bodies of the elephants too

And I'll put my hands over your eyes, but you'll peep through

And there'll be sun sun sun all over our bodies

And sun sun sun all down our necks

And there'll be sun sun sun all over our faces

And sun sun sun, so what the heck!

Cos I'll be laughing at all your silly little jokes

And we'll be laughing about how we used to smoke

All those stupid little cigarettes and drink stupid wine

Cos it's what we needed to have a good time

But it was fun fun fun when we were drinking

It was fun fun fun when we were drunk

And it was fun fun fun when we were laughing

It was fun fun fun, oh it was fun

...

Oh well I look at you and say

It's the happiest that I've ever been

And I'll say I no longer feel I have to be James Dean

And she'll say

"Yah well I feel all pretty happy too"

And I'm always pretty happy when I'm just kicking back with you

And it'll be love love love all through our bodies

And love love love all through our minds

And it be love love love all over her face

And love love love all over mine

Although maybe all these moments are just in my head

I'll be thinking 'bout them as I'm lying in bed

And all that I believe, it might not even come true

But in my mind I'm havin' a pretty good time with you

Oh, in five years time I might not know you

In five years time we might not speak

In five years time we might not get along

In five years time

You might just prove me wrong

...

Oh there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

Wherever you go there'll be love love love

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - move at a regular and fairly slow pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn.
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that provides light and heat to Earth
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs used for seeing
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - make the sounds and movements of the face and body that express amusement or happiness.
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - to be desired or approved of
fun /fʌn/ A2	noun - enjoyment or amusement. adjective - amusing, entertaining, or enjoyable.
bodies /ˈbɒdiz/ A2	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal, including the bones, flesh, and organs.
face /feɪs/ A2	noun - the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - be aware of (something) through touching or being touched.
happy /ˈhæpi/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
smoke /smoʊk/ B1	verb - inhale and exhale the smoke of tobacco or another substance.
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	verb - to swallow liquid
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
silly /ˈsɪli/ B1	adjective - having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment; absurd and foolish.

Key Grammar Structures

• Oh well in five years time we **could be walking** around the zoo

  ➔ Modal verb 'could' + be + present participle (walking) for future continuous in a hypothetical situation.

  ➔ The use of "could be walking" suggests a possibility or a hypothetical scenario in the future. It doesn't express certainty, but rather a potential activity.

• And I'll put my hands over your eyes, but you'll peep through

  ➔ Future Simple with "will" and contrasting conjunction "but".

  ➔ "I'll put" indicates a future action, while "but you'll peep through" introduces a contrasting future action, despite the first action trying to prevent it. The use of "peep through" implies a playful and intimate interaction.

• Cos I'll be laughing at all your silly little jokes

  ➔ Future continuous "I'll be laughing" to describe an ongoing action in the future.

  ➔ The future continuous emphasizes the duration and continuity of the action of laughing. It suggests a prolonged, continuous experience of laughing at the jokes.

• Cos it's what we **needed to have** a good time

  ➔ "Needed to have" - past tense modal verb, expressing necessity in the past to do something to achieve an outcome.

  ➔ This suggests that smoking and drinking wine were perceived as necessary components for them to enjoy themselves at that time. The phrase shows a past reliance on these things for amusement.

• It's the happiest that I've ever been

  ➔ Superlative adjective ("happiest") with Present Perfect ("I've ever been") to express an experience up to the present moment.

  ➔ This phrase emphasizes that the current state of happiness surpasses all previous experiences in terms of happiness. The present perfect highlights the ongoing relevance of the experience.

• I no longer feel I have **to be** James Dean

  ➔ Modal verb implying obligation removed: 'have to' in the negative 'no longer feel I have to'.

  ➔ This line implies the speaker previously felt pressured or compelled to adopt a certain persona (James Dean represents rebelliousness, coolness, etc.), but now they no longer feel that need.

• Although maybe all these moments are just in my head

  ➔ Modal adverb "maybe" expressing uncertainty, combined with "are" (present simple) to indicate a potential reality.

  ➔ The line introduces doubt about the reality of the previously described happy moments. It presents the possibility that these moments might only exist within the speaker's imagination.

• In five years time You might just prove me wrong

  ➔ Modal verb "might" expressing possibility in the future with the adverb "just" intensifying the action, and the idiom "prove me wrong".

  ➔ This conveys a sense of uncertainty but also a hint of hope. The speaker acknowledges that their pessimistic predictions might be incorrect, and the other person could surprise them by making the future better than expected.