My Father's Eyes – English Lyrics

• By: Eric Clapton
• Album: Pilgrim

Lyrics & Translation

Explore Eric Clapton's poignant ballad, “My Father's Eyes,” a heartfelt exploration of family, loss, and connection. This song offers a unique opportunity to delve into themes of generational ties and personal reflection, all while appreciating Clapton's soulful guitar work and emotive storytelling.

[English]

Sailing down behind the sun

Waiting for my prince to come

Praying for the healing rain

To restore my soul again

Just a toerag on the run

How did I get here?

What have I done?

When will all my hopes arise?

How will I know him?

When I look in my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

When I look in my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

...

Then the light begins to shine

And I hear those ancient lullabies

And as I watch this seedling grow

Feel my heart start to overflow

Where do I find the words to say?

How do I teach him?

What do we play?

Bit by bit, I've realized

That's when I need them

That's when I need my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

That's when I need my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

(Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)

...

Then the jagged edge appears

Through the distant clouds of tears

I'm like a bridge that was washed away

My foundations were made of clay

As my soul slides down to die

How could I lose him?

What did I try?

Bit by bit, I've realized

That he was here with me

I looked into my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

I looked in my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

...

My father's eyes (look into my father's eyes)

My father's eyes

I looked into my father's eyes

(Look into my father's eyes) my father's eyes

...

(Look into my father's eyes)

...

(Look into my father's eyes, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)

(Look into my father's eyes)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sailing /ˈseɪlɪŋ/ A2	verb - moving in a boat using sails
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that provides light and warmth to Earth
prince /prɪns/ A2	noun - a male member of a royal family
healing /ˈhiːlɪŋ/ B1	noun - the process of becoming healthy again adjective - tending to cure or restore to health
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - water falling in drops from the atmosphere verb - to fall as rain
restore /rɪˈstɔːr/ B2	verb - to bring back to an original state
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot noun - an act of running
hopes /hoʊps/ B1	noun - feelings of expectation and desire; a belief that something good will happen
father /ˈfɑːðər/ A1	noun - a male parent
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs of vision
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to emit light; be bright
ancient /ˈeɪnʃənt/ B2	adjective - belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence
lullabies /ˈlʌləbaɪz/ B1	noun - a soothing song sung to children
seedling /ˈsiːdlɪŋ/ B2	noun - a young plant grown from seed
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood throughout the body
words /wɜːrdz/ A1	noun - units of language with meaning
edge /edʒ/ B1	noun - the outside limit of an object, area, or surface
tears /tɪrz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye

Key Grammar Structures

• Sailing down behind the sun

  ➔ Present Participle as Adverbial Modifier

  ➔ The phrase "Sailing down" acts as an adverbial modifier, describing how the subject (presumably a feeling or abstract concept) is moving. It implies a continuous action happening simultaneously with the main verb's implied action.

• Waiting for my prince to come

  ➔ Gerund phrase as Subject Complement

  ➔ Here, "Waiting for my prince to come" is a gerund phrase functioning as a subject complement (though the subject is implied). It clarifies what the singer is "doing" or what state they are in.

• How did I get here?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with Auxiliary Verb

  ➔ This is a direct question using the auxiliary verb "did" to form the past simple tense. The subject "I" follows the auxiliary verb in the inverted sentence structure typical of questions.

• What have I done?

  ➔ Present Perfect Interrogative

  ➔ This is a question in the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed at an unspecified time in the past that has relevance to the present. The structure is 'have/has + subject + past participle'.

• When will all my hopes arise?

  ➔ Future Simple Interrogative with Modal Auxiliary

  ➔ This is a question in the future simple tense, using the modal auxiliary "will" to express a future event. The word order is inverted: auxiliary + subject + main verb.

• How will I know him?

  ➔ Future Simple Interrogative with Modal Auxiliary

  ➔ Similar to the previous line, this is a question in the future simple, using "will" to inquire about future knowledge or recognition.

• When I look in my father's eyes

  ➔ Subordinate Clause of Time

  ➔ "When I look in my father's eyes" is a subordinate clause of time, introduced by the conjunction "when." It sets the temporal context for the main clause (which is implied, suggesting something happens at this time).

• I'm like a bridge that was washed away

  ➔ Relative Clause with Passive Voice

  ➔ The phrase "that was washed away" is a relative clause modifying the noun "bridge." It is in the passive voice, indicating that the bridge was the recipient of the action of being washed away, rather than performing the action.