Once Upon a Time – English Lyrics

• By: Max Oazo, Moonessa

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the emotive power of 'Once Upon a Time.' This song is an excellent tool for language learners to practice colloquial English phrasing and emotional expression within a rhythmic, easy-to-follow electronic music framework.

[English]

It's been a couple years since I've seen your face

Wondering what you're up to now (to now)

Yeah, my head is still up in space

I guess it never came down (down)

I can tell you that I've changed a bit though

Not too much since then (since then)

We were always rebellious kids

Do you remember when

We were riding through the night?

The moon was on our side

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

As high as the stars in the sky

Crossing all the lines

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

...

Do you recall the promises we used to make back then? (Back then)

Can you tell me are they still on, or is that silly of me to think?

Years I find separate us, I think of you now and then (and then)

Won't let the memories fade to dust

Baby, remember when

We were riding through the night

The moon was on our side

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

As high as the stars in the sky

Crossing all the lines

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

...

We were riding through the night

The moon was on our side

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

As high as the stars in the sky

Crossing all the lines

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
couple /ˈkʌpəl/ A2	noun - a small number; two
wondering /ˈwʌndərɪŋ/ B1	verb - feeling doubt or curiosity
rebellious /rɪˈbɛliəs/ C1	adjective - showing a desire to resist authority or convention
riding /ˈraɪdɪŋ/ A2	verb - traveling in or on a vehicle or animal
crossing /ˈkrɔsɪŋ/ B1	verb - going across or over
recall /rɪˈkɔl/ B2	verb - to bring back to mind; remember
promises /ˈprɒmɪsɪz/ A2	noun - declarations that one will do something
silly /ˈsɪli/ A2	adjective - having or showing a lack of common sense; absurd
separate /ˈsɛpəreɪt/ B1	verb - to cause to move apart
memories /ˈmɛməriz/ A2	noun - the faculty of the mind to store information
fade /feɪd/ B1	verb - to gradually disappear
dust /dʌst/ A2	noun - fine, dry powder consisting of tiny bits of matter
stars /stɑrz/ A1	noun - luminous points in the night sky
moon /mun/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of the earth
changed /tʃeɪndʒd/ A1	verb - to become different

Key Grammar Structures

• It's been a couple years since I've seen your face

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The structure "has/have + past participle" is used here for an action that started in the past and has relevance to the present.

• Wondering what you're up to now

  ➔ Present Continuous for current state

  ➔ The phrase "are you up to" is an idiomatic expression using the continuous form to ask about current activities.

• I guess it never came down

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ The verb "came" is the irregular past form of "come," indicating a completed action in the past.

• We were always rebellious kids

  ➔ Past Simple "to be"

  ➔ Using "were" describes a past state of being for the subject "we."

• Do you remember when

  ➔ Interrogative sentence structure

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "Do" is placed before the subject to form a question in the Present Simple.

• The moon was on our side

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The phrase "on our side" functions as an adverbial or adjectival descriptor indicating alignment/support.

• As high as the stars in the sky

  ➔ Comparative structure "as...as"

  ➔ This structure is used to show equality between two things regarding a specific quality (high).

• Won't let the memories fade to dust

  ➔ Future Simple (negative) and causative-like structure

  ➔ "Won't" is the contraction of "will not," and "let" is used here to mean "allow."