Like a Prayer – English Lyrics

• By: Josh Fawaz
• Album: Like a Prayer

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

When you call my name

It's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees

I wanna take you there

In the midnight hour

I can feel your power

Just like a prayer

You know I'll take you there

When you call my name

It's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees

I wanna take you there

I hear your voice

It's like an angel sighing

I have no choice

I hear your voice

Feels like flying

When you call my name

It's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees

I wanna take you there

In the midnight hour

I can feel your power

Just like a prayer

You know I'll take you there!

Oh-oh-oh!

When you call my name

It's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees

I wanna take you there

When you call my name

It's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees

I wanna, I wanna take you there

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
prayer /prɛər/ B1	noun - a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity
knees /niːz/ A1	noun - the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans
midnight /ˈmɪdnaɪt/ A2	noun - twelve o'clock at night
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events
voice /vɔɪs/ A2	noun - the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth
angel /ˈeɪndʒəl/ B1	noun - a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God
sighing /ˈsaɪɪŋ/ B2	verb - emitting a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, or tiredness
choice /tʃɔɪs/ A2	noun - an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities
flying /ˈflaɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - moving through the air using wings or an aircraft
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to cry out to someone in order to summon them or attract their attention

Key Grammar Structures

• It's like a little prayer

  ➔ Similes with 'like'

  ➔ We use 'like' to compare two things. Here, the feeling of the name being called is compared to 'a little prayer'.

• I'm down on my knees

  ➔ Prepositional phrase of position

  ➔ The phrase 'on my knees' describes the physical position of the subject.

• I wanna take you there

  ➔ Informal contraction 'wanna'

  ➔ 'Wanna' is a common contraction of 'want to', frequently used in songwriting and casual speech.

• I can feel your power

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' for sensory perception

  ➔ Here, 'can' is used with a verb of perception ('feel') to emphasize the ability to experience the feeling at that moment.

• It's like an angel sighing

  ➔ Gerund as a descriptive modifier

  ➔ The gerund 'sighing' acts to describe the specific action of the 'angel'.

• I have no choice

  ➔ Quantifier 'no'

  ➔ 'No' is used here to indicate the complete absence of choices, serving as a stronger negative than 'don't have any'.

• Feels like flying

  ➔ Subjectless verb phrase

  ➔ In casual or poetic English, the subject 'it' is often omitted at the start of a sentence.