Baby, I'm For Real – English Lyrics

• By: The Originals
• Album: Superstar Series - Celebrating Motown's Twentieth Anniversary

Lyrics & Translation

Learn English through the timeless soul of The Originals' "Baby, I'm For Real." This song is a masterclass in expressing sincere emotion through simple, direct language. Its classic harmonies and heartfelt lyrics provide a beautiful and memorable way to understand nuances of tone and feeling in English.

[English]

Baby, baby

You don't understand

How much I love you, baby

And how much I wanna be your only man

Oh, baby

Baby, baby, baby

You don't have to go

Stay a little while longer, baby

I wanna talk to you just a little more

I see the little tears in your eyes about to fall

You are wondering if I'm for real

But if you cry, I wonder why you cry

I tell you, know why this is how I feel

Baby, I'm for real

Baby, I'm for real

Baby, I'm for real

But if you wanna know the truth about it

Girl, I just couldn't live without you

And that's why I'm confessing my love to you

So that I can live my whole life with you

Baby, baby, baby (my whole life with you)

Don't leave (my whole life with you)

Never, never, never, never gonna leave you, baby (my whole life with you)

Ooh (my whole life with you)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
go /ɡoʊ/ A1	verb - to move from one place to another
stay /steɪ/ A1	verb - to remain in the same place
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to speak
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs of sight
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to drop down noun - the season after summer
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to shed tears
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the actual state of a matter
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to remain alive adjective - not recorded; in person
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - drops of liquid from the eyes
wondering /ˈwʌndərɪŋ/ B1	adjective - feeling or expressing wonder; curious. verb - to be curious about; to feel doubt.
confessing /kənˈfesɪŋ/ B2	verb - admitting or stating openly
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - go away from.

Key Grammar Structures

• You don't understand How much I love you, baby

  ➔ Embedded question/Indirect question

  ➔ Instead of asking directly "How much do I love you?", the sentence uses an embedded question as the object of the verb "understand". The word order changes from question order to statement order ("I love you" instead of "do I love you").

• And how much I wanna be your only man

  ➔ Informal contraction "wanna"

  ➔ "Wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to". It's common in spoken English and informal writing.

• Stay a little while longer, baby

  ➔ Comparative adverb "longer"

  ➔ "Longer" is the comparative form of the adverb "long". It indicates that the action of staying should be extended compared to some previous, unstated time.

• You are wondering if I'm for real

  ➔ Conditional 'if' clause as object of 'wondering'

  ➔ The 'if' clause introduces a conditional statement that the subject is contemplating. In this case, the subject is wondering about the *condition* of whether the speaker is genuine or not.

• But if you cry, I wonder why you cry

  ➔ Double 'if' clause; Implied condition

  ➔ The first 'if' sets up a hypothetical situation. The second 'if' (within the 'wonder' clause) indicates a condition under which the speaker will be perplexed, implying the speaker doesn't *expect* the listener to cry, and will be confused *if* they do.

• Girl, I just couldn't live without you

  ➔ Conditional type 2 - Unreal past

  ➔ This sentence expresses a hypothetical situation in the present. The structure is "If I didn't have you, I couldn't live". The 'if' part is implied, not explicitly stated.

• So that I can live my whole life with you

  ➔ Subordinate clause of purpose with "so that"

  ➔ "So that" introduces a subordinate clause that explains the purpose or reason for the action in the main clause. In this case, the confession of love aims *to* enable the speaker to live their whole life with the listener.