When You Were Mine – English Lyrics

• By: Joy Crookes
• Album: Juniper

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartfelt narrative of Joy Crookes' "When You Were Mine." This song offers a beautiful opportunity to explore English through its evocative storytelling and authentic London references. Learn how personal experiences of love, acceptance, and longing are expressed through poignant lyrics and soulful melodies, making it a powerful and relatable track for language learners and music lovers alike.

[English]

- [Voicemail] First saved message.

- [Uncle T] Joy, it's Uncle T.

I need you to call me, 'cause guess what?

I've spend two nights in Brixton,

one night in Cape Town,

da, da, da, da, da, da, da, wicked.

Hey, call me, yeah?

All right, much love.

(gentle uplifting music)

♪ In the summer of '16 ♪

♪ Was it love or nicotine ♪

♪ That made us mellow on the 35 ♪

♪ It was penny paradise, just a pretty little lie ♪

♪ And it hit me when I saw you ♪

♪ Hand in hand, Coldharbour Lane ♪

♪ Never take it easy on the PDA ♪

♪ I don't miss you, least not that way ♪

♪ But someone better want me like that someday ♪

♪ Shoulder to shoulder ♪

♪ Smile with a Brixton shine ♪

♪ But you weren't that kind ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ J.D. and Cola ♪

♪ Don't even have to try ♪

♪ But you weren't that guy ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ By the Ritzy, made to measure ♪

♪ I'm shook but you look good together ♪

♪ I had my hesitation, but I just can't hate him ♪

♪ You're breaking all the rules ♪

♪ Down Electric Avenue, oh ♪

♪ I've never seen two men move ♪

♪ Hand in hand, Coldharbour Lane ♪

♪ Never take it easy on the PDA ♪

♪ I don't miss you, least not that way ♪

♪ But someone better want me like that someday ♪

♪ Shoulder to shoulder ♪

♪ Smile with the Brixton shine ♪

♪ But you weren't that kind ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ J.D. and Cola ♪

♪ Don't even have to try ♪

♪ But you weren't that guy ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ Saw you smiling ♪

♪ I don't mind it ♪

♪ Even though we had our moments hanging by a thread ♪

♪ Don't mean that I could go forget ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ Shoulder to shoulder ♪

♪ Smile with the Brixton shine ♪

♪ But you weren't that kind ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ J.D. and Cola ♪

♪ Don't even have to try ♪

♪ But you weren't that guy ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

♪ Whoa, you weren't that guy, mm, mm ♪

♪ You weren't that guy ♪

♪ When you were mine ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to telephone someone
spend /spɛnd/ B1	verb - to use time doing something
wicked /ˈwɪkɪd/ B2	adjective - very good or impressive
paradise /ˈpærədaɪs/ B2	noun - a place or state of perfect happiness
lie /laɪ/ B1	noun - a false statement verb - to be in a horizontal position
shine /ʃaɪn/ B2	verb - to emit light
hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/ C1	noun - a delay due to uncertainty
electric /ɪˈlɛktrɪk/ B2	adjective - relating to electricity
move /muːv/ A2	verb - to change position or go to a different place
breaking /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/ B2	verb (noun form 'break') - to cause to separate into pieces or to damage
rules /ruːlz/ B1	noun (plural) - principles or regulations governing conduct
move /muːv/ A2	verb - to change position or go to a different place

Key Grammar Structures

• In the summer of '16

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating time.

  ➔ The phrase "in the summer of '16" specifies when the events took place.

• I don't miss you, least not that way

  ➔ Negative form with a contrastive clause.

  ➔ The phrase "least not that way" contrasts the speaker's feelings.

• Shoulder to shoulder

  ➔ Idiomatic expression indicating closeness.

  ➔ The phrase "shoulder to shoulder" suggests being close together.

• But you weren't that kind

  ➔ Past tense with a conditional implication.

  ➔ The phrase "you weren't that kind" implies a judgment about the past.

• I had my hesitation

  ➔ Past perfect tense indicating prior experience.

  ➔ The phrase "I had my hesitation" reflects on feelings before a decision.

• Don't even have to try

  ➔ Negative imperative form.

  ➔ The phrase "don't even have to try" suggests ease in a situation.

• Even though we had our moments hanging by a thread

  ➔ Complex sentence with a concessive clause.

  ➔ The phrase "even though we had our moments" acknowledges difficulties.