For Keeps – English Lyrics

• By: Lucy Dacus
• Album: Forever Is A Feeling

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poetic world of Lucy Dacus's "For Keeps" and discover the beauty of vulnerability in English lyrics. This song, with its gentle acoustic melodies and deeply honest reflections on love and impermanence, offers a unique opportunity to connect with nuanced emotional expression and expand your English vocabulary through profound storytelling.

[English]

If the Devil's in the details and God is everything

Who's to say that they are not one in the same?

But neither one of them were there

In the mezzanine cheap seats

Or waking up in dirty sheets

...

We were not something

We were not nothing

We were in between things that made sense

But you wanted it

And I wanted it

And that's the only thing that mattered in the end

...

If the Devil's in the details

Then God is in the gap in your teeth

You are doing the Lord's work

Every time you smile at me

I don't believe in anything anymore except

You and me, supremacy

...

But I still miss you

When I'm with you

'Cause I know we're not

Playing for keeps

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
details /dɪˈteɪlz/ B1	noun - small facts or pieces of information that are important
supremacy /suːˈprɪməsi/ C1	noun - the state or quality of being superior
mezzanine /mɛˈzænɪn/ B2	noun - an intermediate floor in a building
dirty /ˈdɜːti/ A2	adjective - covered or marked with an unclean substance
sense /sɛns/ A2	noun - the ability to understand or perceive something
gap /ɡæp/ A2	noun - a break or space in something
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to form the facial muscles in pleasure
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept something as true
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel sadness at the absence of someone or something
playing /ˈpleɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - engaging in activity for enjoyment
keeps /kiːps/ B1	noun - possessions
Lord /lɔːrd/ B1	noun - God
work /wɜːrk/ A2	noun - activity involving mental or physical effort
waking /ˈweɪkɪŋ/ A2	verb - ceasing to sleep
mattered /ˈmætərd/ B1	verb - to be important

Key Grammar Structures

• If the Devil's in the details and God is everything...

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 1/2) & Coordination

  ➔ The sentence begins with an 'if' clause, expressing a hypothetical situation. The use of 'and' coordinates two independent clauses. The possessive 'Devil's' shows possession.

• But neither one of them were there...

  ➔ Negative Pronoun & Past Simple (were)

  ➔ 'Neither' introduces a negative statement about two previously mentioned entities. 'Were' is the past plural form of 'to be', indicating a state in the past. Note the use of 'were' even with 'one of them' – this is common in formal English.

• We were not something, We were not nothing...

  ➔ Negative Statements & Parallel Structure

  ➔ The repetition of 'We were not...' creates a parallel structure, emphasizing the ambiguity of their relationship. The use of 'something' and 'nothing' as abstract nouns highlights the lack of definition.

• But you wanted it and I wanted it...

  ➔ Coordination & Past Tense (wanted)

  ➔ The 'and' conjunction connects two independent clauses, both expressing a desire ('wanted'). The past tense indicates a desire that existed at a specific time.

• You are doing the Lord's work...

  ➔ Present Continuous & Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ The present continuous ('are doing') suggests an ongoing action. 'The Lord's work' is an idiom meaning doing something morally good or beneficial. It's used ironically here.