Wonderful Tonight – English Lyrics

• By: Eric Clapton
• Album: The Cream Of Clapton

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful and enjoyable experience, and Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" is a perfect song for English learners. Its clear, simple, and heartfelt lyrics tell a relatable story of love and patience. By listening to this song, you can learn everyday vocabulary related to getting ready to go out and expressing affection. The song's slow tempo and Clapton's clear enunciation make it easy to follow along and understand the beautiful narrative he weaves.

[English]

It's late in the evening

She's wondering what clothes to wear

She puts on her makeup

And brushes her long blonde hair

And then she asks me

"Do I look all right?"

And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight"

...

We go to a party

And every one turns to see

This beautiful lady

Who's walking around with me

And then she asks me

"Do you feel all right?"

And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight"

I feel wonderful because I see the love light in your eyes

Then the wonder of it all is that you just don't realize

How much I love you

...

It's time to go home now

And I've got an aching head

So I give her the car keys

And she helps me to bed

And then I tell her

As I turn out the light

I say, "My darling you were wonderful tonight"

...

"Oh, my darling, you were wonderful tonight"

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wonderful /ˈwʌndərfl/ A2	adjective - extremely good or pleasing
evening /ˈiːvniŋ/ A1	noun - the period of time at the end of the day
makeup /ˈmeɪkʌp/ A2	noun - cosmetics applied to the face
blonde /blɒnd/ A2	adjective - having fair hair
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A1	noun - a social gathering
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - very attractive
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - brightness from the sun or a lamp noun - a source of illumination
realize /ˈriəlaɪz/ B1	verb - to become aware of something
aching /ˈeɪkɪŋ/ B1	adjective - causing pain
darling /ˈdɑːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - a term of endearment
wear /weər/ A1	verb - to have clothing on one's body
brush /brʌʃ/ A1	verb - to clean or groom with a brush
turn /tɜːrn/ A1	verb - to move in a different direction
help /help/ A1	verb - to assist someone
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection verb - to care deeply about someone

Key Grammar Structures

• She's wondering what clothes to wear

  ➔ Present Continuous + 'what + infinitive' phrase

  ➔ The sentence uses the Present Continuous tense ("She's wondering") to describe an ongoing action. The phrase "what clothes to wear" is an embedded question, functioning as the object of "wondering", where "what + to + verb" is used to ask about a choice or action.

• She puts on her makeup

  ➔ Phrasal Verb

  ➔ A phrasal verb is a verb combined with an adverb or a preposition (or both) to give a new meaning. Here, "puts on" means to apply or dress oneself in something.

• Who's walking around with me

  ➔ Defining Relative Clause + Present Continuous

  ➔ The clause "Who's walking around with me" is a defining relative clause, providing essential information about "This beautiful lady". "Who" refers to the lady, and "'s walking" is the Present Continuous, indicating an action happening at that moment.

• I feel wonderful because I see the love light in your eyes

  ➔ Subordinating Conjunction ('because') + Linking Verb

  ➔ "because" is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a clause explaining the reason for the main clause. "feel" is a linking verb, connecting the subject "I" to the adjective "wonderful" which describes the subject's state.

• Then the wonder of it all is that you just don't realize

  ➔ Noun Clause as Subject Complement

  ➔ The clause "that you just don't realize" functions as a noun clause, specifically as the subject complement (or predicative nominative) after the linking verb "is". It renames or describes the subject "the wonder of it all".

• How much I love you

  ➔ Noun Clause (Embedded Question)

  ➔ This is a noun clause, specifically an embedded question, functioning as the object of the verb "realize" (from the previous line). It follows the structure of a statement (subject-verb) rather than a direct question.

• And I've got an aching head

  ➔ 'Have got' (possession) + Present Participle as Adjective

  ➔ "I've got" is a common, informal way to express possession, equivalent to "I have". "aching" is a present participle functioning as an adjective, describing the noun "head".

• And she helps me to bed

  ➔ 'Help' + Object + (to) Infinitive

  ➔ The verb "help" can be followed by an object and then either a bare infinitive (without "to") or a 'to'-infinitive. Here, "to bed" implies the action of helping someone *go* to bed, with the verb of motion (go) being implied or omitted.

• As I turn out the light

  ➔ Subordinating Conjunction 'as' (time/simultaneous action)

  ➔ The subordinating conjunction "as" is used here to indicate that two actions are happening at the same time: the speaker turning out the light and telling her something. It means 'while' or 'at the same time that'.

• My darling you were wonderful tonight

  ➔ Simple Past of 'to be' + Adjective

  ➔ The simple past form of the verb "to be" ("were") is used to describe a state or quality that existed in the past. Here, it describes how "you" were perceived during the evening.