Only Time – English Lyrics

• By: Enya
• Album: A Day Without Rain

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language can be a journey of discovery, much like the message within Enya's 'Only Time.' This song, with its simple yet profound English lyrics, offers a beautiful and accessible way to explore themes of time, love, and destiny. Its calming melody and clear pronunciation make it an excellent choice for language learners to practice listening skills and connect with the emotional power of music. What makes 'Only Time' special is its universal message of hope, which transcends language barriers and offers a comforting embrace to all who listen.

[English]

Who can say where the road goes

Where the day flows

Only time

And who can say if your love grows

As your heart chose

Only time

...

Who can say why your heart sighs

As your love flies

Only time

And who can say why your heart cries

When your love lies

Only time

...

Who can say when the roads meet

That love might be

In your heart

And who can say when the day sleeps

If the night keeps

All your heart

Night keeps all your heart

...

Who can say if your love grows

As your heart chose

Only time

And who can say where the road goes

Where the day flows

Only time

Who knows

Only time

Who knows

Only time

...

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
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or course for traveling from one place to another
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period of light between sunrise and sunset
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
say /seɪ/ A1	verb - utter words so as to communicate something
goes /ɡoʊz/ A1	verb - to move or travel; proceed
grows /ɡroʊz/ A2	verb - to increase in size or amount; to become larger or more developed
flows /floʊz/ B1	verb - to move along steadily and continuously in a current or stream
chose /tʃoʊz/ B1	verb - past tense of choose; to pick out or select (someone or something) as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives
sighs /saɪz/ B2	verb - emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or a similar emotion noun - an act of sighing
flies /flaɪz/ A2	verb - move through the air using wings
cries /kraɪz/ A2	verb - shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
lies /laɪz/ B1	verb - be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface verb - present false information with the intention of deceiving
sleeps /sliːps/ A1	verb - be in a state of rest or inactivity for a period of time.
keeps /kiːps/ A2	verb - continue to have or hold

Key Grammar Structures

• Who can say where the road goes

  ➔ Indirect Question; Modal Verb 'can'

  ➔ The structure is an indirect question embedded within a statement. Instead of asking "Where does the road go?", it asks "Who can say where the road goes?". "Can" expresses possibility or ability.

• Where the day flows

  ➔ Relative Clause (reduced)

  ➔ This is a reduced relative clause. The full clause would be "where the day *that* flows". The relative pronoun "that" is omitted.

• As your heart chose

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'as' indicating manner/way; Past Simple tense.

  ➔ "As" here means "in the way that". The past simple "chose" indicates a completed action in the past.

• Why your heart sighs

  ➔ Noun clause (indirect question); Present Simple (habitual action)

  ➔ "Why your heart sighs" functions as the object of the verb "say". The present simple "sighs" suggests the heart sighs regularly or habitually.

• As your love flies

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'as' indicating time; Present Simple tense.

  ➔ "As" here means "while" or "when". The present simple "flies" suggests a general truth or a present action happening in real-time.

• When your love lies

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction 'when' indicating time; Present Simple tense (third-person singular)

  ➔ "When" introduces a time clause. "Lies" is the third-person singular present simple form, agreeing with "your love" (singular). Note that "lies" here means 'is untrue' or 'deceives', not 'is horizontal'.

• That love might be

  ➔ Modal verb 'might' (expressing possibility); Infinitive 'be'

  ➔ "Might" expresses a weaker degree of possibility than "may" or "could". "Be" is the infinitive form of the verb.

• If the night keeps all your heart

  ➔ Conditional clause (Type 1 - possible/probable future); Present Simple; 'keeps' + object

  ➔ This is a Type 1 conditional, expressing a possible future outcome. "Keeps" here means 'retains' or 'holds onto'.