Ain't Too Proud To Beg – English Lyrics

• By: The Temptations
• Album: 50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1961-1971

Lyrics & Translation

This classic Motown hit offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the emotional depth and linguistic nuances of American soul music. Through its poignant lyrics and powerful delivery, "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" teaches expressions of deep love and desperation, demonstrating how English can convey profound human vulnerability and resolve. Its straightforward yet heartfelt language makes it an excellent song for learners to grasp everyday conversational pleas and emotional intensity.

[English]

I know you wanna leave me

But I refuse to let you go

If I have to beg and plead for your sympathy

I don't mind, 'cause you mean that much to me

Ain't too proud to beg and you know it (sweet darlin')

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby

Please don't leave me, girl (don't you go)

Now I heard a cryin' man

Is half a man, with no sense of pride

But if I have to cry to keep you

I don't mind weepin' if it'll keep you by my side

Ain't too proud to beg, sweet darlin'

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

If I have to sleep on your doorstep

All night and day

Just to keep you from walkin' away

Let your friends laugh, even this I can stand

'Cause I wanna keep you, any way I can

Ain't too proud to beg (sweet darlin')

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

...

Now I've gotta love so deep, in the pit of my heart

And each day it grows more and more

I'm not ashamed to come, and plead to you baby

If pleadin' keeps you from, walkin' out that door

Ain't too proud to beg and you know it (sweet darlin')

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby

Please don't leave me girl (don't you go)

Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby (sweet darling')

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - to go away from
beg /beɡ/ B1	verb - to ask for something earnestly or humbly
plead /pliːd/ B2	verb - to make an emotional appeal
sympathy /ˈsɪmpəθi/ B2	noun - feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune
mean /miːn/ A2	verb - to signify or convey
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
sense /sens/ B1	noun - a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus
pride /praɪd/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements
weep /wiːp/ B2	verb - to cry
keep /kiːp/ A1	verb - to retain possession of
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - be in a state of rest
doorstep /ˈdɔːrstep/ B1	noun - a step or series of steps leading up to an outer door
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - move at a regular and fairly slow pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn.
friends /frendz/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - make the sounds and movements of the face and body that express amusement or happiness.
ashamed /əˈʃeɪmd/ B1	adjective - feeling embarrassment or guilt
deep /diːp/ A2	adjective - extending far down from the top or surface.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
door /dɔːr/ A1	noun - a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle

Key Grammar Structures

• I know you wanna leave me

  ➔ Contraction "wanna" (want to), colloquial use

  ➔ "Wanna" is a contraction of "want to", commonly used in informal speech and song lyrics. It simplifies the sentence and creates a more conversational tone.

• But I refuse to let you go

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose after "refuse"

  ➔ The structure "refuse" + "to" + verb shows the purpose for refusing something. Here, the subject "refuses" in "order" to let the other person go.

• If I have to beg and plead for your sympathy

  ➔ "If I have to" + verb, conditional sentence structure

  ➔ This shows a hypothetical situation and what the speaker is willing to do. "Have to" expresses obligation.

• I don't mind, 'cause you mean that much to me

  ➔ "That much" (adverbial phrase of degree)

  ➔ "That much" intensifies the verb "mean". It emphasizes the importance of the person to the speaker. It implies the person is significantly important.

• Ain't too proud to beg and you know it

  ➔ "Ain't" (am not, is not, are not), informal contraction. "Too + adjective + to + verb" structure (expressing a limit)

  ➔ "Ain't" is a very informal and sometimes grammatically incorrect contraction for "am not", "is not", or "are not." "Too proud to beg" means the speaker is "not so proud that they cannot beg". This emphasizes that the situation is dire and warrants extreme actions.

• I heard a cryin' man Is half a man, with no sense of pride

  ➔ Present participle as adjective "cryin' man" (crying man)

  ➔ "Cryin'" is a shortened, colloquial form of "crying" used as an adjective to describe the man. It's a continuous action being used to modify the noun.

• But if I have to cry to keep you

  ➔ "If I have to" + verb, conditional sentence structure

  ➔ Hypothetical situation where crying is a necessary action to keep the person they love.

• Cause I wanna keep you, any way I can

  ➔ Usage of "wanna"(want to)

  ➔ "Wanna" is a spoken contraction of "want to", commonly used in informal speech and songs. It's simplifying the sentence.

• Now I've gotta love so deep, in the pit of my heart

  ➔ "Gotta" (have got to), informal contraction

  ➔ "Gotta" is an informal contraction of "have got to", indicating obligation or necessity. It is used instead of "have to" for a more casual tone.