Jealous Lover – English Lyrics

• By: The Rolling Stones
• Album: Foreign Tongues

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of classic English rock with 'Jealous Lover'. This song is a fantastic way to learn conversational English expressions related to emotions and relationships, all set to the timeless, rhythmic energy of The Rolling Stones.

[English]

Listen to me

Ooh, ooh

You said you'd let me live my life

No fetters and no chains

I believed your every word

Now your tune has changed

One day after coffee

You fixed me with a stare

And said, "Where were you on Friday night?

Tell me who was there?"

Well, the only problem is

The only problem is

You're such a part of me

Yeah!

Hands off, jealous lover

Please let me be

You pray like a mantis

You're emerald green

Hands off, jealous lover

The joke's right on me

You're clinging like ivy

You're choking a tree

Yeah

That's right

We were once so generous

Sharing secrets of the heart

Now the fruit is turning sour

Got a bad taste in my mouth

Can't control the ocean

You can't control the waves

Can't control the shadows

Flickering in my cave

But there's just one thing

Well, there's just one thing

They'll only be a half of me, yeah

Hands off, jealous lover

Please let me be

Your eyes full of envy

And you're emerald green

Hands off, jealous lover

Your words harsh and mean

You pray like a mantis

You're feeding off me

Let it go, let it go, let it go, now

Let it go, let it go, let it go, now

Come on (let it go, let it go, let it go)

Hand off me (let it go, let it go, let it go)

You got to let me go, baby

Let it go, let it go, let it go (let it go, yeah)

Let it go, let it go, let it go

Come on, come on, baby, yeah

Hands off, jealous lover

Please let me be

You pray like a mantis

And you're emerald green

Hands off, jealous lover

The joke's right on me

The pearls 'round your neck

They don't make you a queen

Hands off, jealous lover

Please let me be

Your eyes are so cutting

You're my own guillotine

Hands off, jealous lover

Your words harsh and mean

You pray like a mantis

You're feeding off me

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fetters /ˈfɛtərz/ C2	noun - chains or shackles used to restrain a prisoner
jealous /ˈdʒɛləs/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements/possessions
lover /ˈlʌvər/ A2	noun - a person who is in a romantic or sexual relationship
mantis /ˈmæntɪs/ B2	noun - a predatory insect with long front legs for grasping prey
emerald /ˈɛmərəld/ B1	adjective - of a bright green color, like the gemstone
clinging /ˈklɪŋɪŋ/ B2	verb - holding on tightly to something; adhering
choking /ˈtʃoʊkɪŋ/ B1	verb - preventing someone from breathing or something from growing
generous /ˈdʒɛnərəs/ B1	adjective - showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary
sour /ˈsaʊər/ B1	adjective - having an acid taste like lemon; unpleasant in nature
envy /ˈɛnvi/ B2	noun - a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions or qualities
harsh /hɑːrʃ/ B2	adjective - unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses; cruel
guillotine /ˈɡɪlətiːn/ C1	noun - a machine with a heavy blade used for beheading
flickering /ˈflɪkərɪŋ/ C1	verb - shining unsteadily; varying in brightness

Key Grammar Structures

• You said you'd let me live my life

  ➔ Reported Speech (Future in the Past)

  ➔ The contraction "'d" stands for "would," expressing a future action relative to the past "said."

• You're such a part of me

  ➔ Intensifier "such a"

  ➔ "Such a" is used before a noun phrase to emphasize the degree or extent of something.

• You pray like a mantis

  ➔ Simile using "like"

  ➔ "Like" is used here as a preposition to compare the subject's behavior to that of a mantis.

• We were once so generous

  ➔ Adverb of frequency/time "once"

  ➔ "Once" indicates a state that was true in the past but is no longer the case.

• Can't control the ocean

  ➔ Ellipsis (Subject omission)

  ➔ In informal or poetic language, the pronoun "You" is omitted at the beginning of the sentence.

• You're feeding off me

  ➔ Phrasal verb "feed off"

  ➔ "Feed off" means to gain energy or sustain oneself by taking something from another person, often negatively.

• The pearls 'round your neck

  ➔ Prepositional reduction "'round"

  ➔ "'Round" is a common contraction of "around," used frequently in songs and informal speech.

• You're my own guillotine

  ➔ Possessive adjective "my own" for emphasis

  ➔ "My own" is used to emphasize that the person is specifically acting as a cause of the speaker's own destruction.