Take Me Back To LA – English Lyrics

• By: The Weeknd

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the smooth rhythms and emotive storytelling of 'Take Me Back To LA' to master modern English slang and the nuances of expressing deep longing and nostalgia. Its atmospheric production makes it a perfect companion for learning how to describe complex emotions through song.

[English]

Take me back to L.A.

Where the sun would kiss on my face

Now the sunshine tracks my skin

I stayed too long

Take me back to a time

When my blood never tasted like wine

My love could fill a sea

But now I can't even feel the breeze

And it hurts when I think about (think about)

The nights we would always shout

My voice cracking when we scream

You scream, we scream

And I watched while you wiped your eyes (wiped your eyes)

Then I learned to cover mine

And that's when I realized that

It's better when I'm by myself, yeah

By myself, uh

By myself, yeah

Oh, it's better when I'm by myself

Take me back to a place

Where the snow would fall on my face

And I miss my city lights

I left too young

Take me back to a time

The trophies that I had would still shine

Now I have nothing real left

I want my soul

And it hurts when I think about (think about)

The days I would tell myself

It's okay for me to scream

To scream, to scream

I put my hand over the fire (over the fire)

And see if I can still cry (can still cry)

And that's when I realize that

I hate it when I'm by myself

By myself (whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh)

By myself

...

Oh, I hate it when I'm by myself (oh)

Oh, by myself, uh

Oh, by myself (I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be)

I hate it when I'm by myself

...

By myself

Cold, by myself (na-na-na-na-na-na)

By my-, oh

By myself

By myself

By myself

By myself

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sunshine /ˈsʌn.ʃaɪn/ A1	noun - direct sunlight unbroken by clouds
tasted /ˈteɪ.stɪd/ A2	verb - to have a particular flavor
breeze /briːz/ B1	noun - a gentle wind
shout /ʃaʊt/ A2	verb - to utter a loud cry
cracking /ˈkræk.ɪŋ/ B2	verb - breaking or splitting without complete separation
scream /skriːm/ A2	verb - to give a long, loud, piercing cry
wiped /waɪpt/ B1	verb - to clean or dry something by rubbing
realized /ˈriː.ə.laɪzd/ B1	verb - to become fully aware of something as a fact
trophies /ˈtroʊ.fiz/ B1	noun - a cup or object awarded as a prize
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to emit or reflect light
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - combustion or burning process
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - to feel intense dislike for
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low temperature

Key Grammar Structures

• Where the sun would kiss on my face

  ➔ Past Habitual Action (would)

  ➔ "Would" is used here to describe a repeated action or state that happened in the past.

• I stayed too long

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ "Stayed" indicates an action that was completed at a specific time in the past.

• When my blood never tasted like wine

  ➔ Relative Clause of Time

  ➔ "When" introduces a clause that specifies the time frame being referred to.

• The nights we would always shout

  ➔ Relative Clause with omitted 'that/which'

  ➔ The relative pronoun 'that' or 'which' is omitted after 'nights'.

• I learned to cover mine

  ➔ Infinitive Phrase (to cover)

  ➔ The infinitive 'to cover' follows the verb 'learned' to express the action learned.

• It's better when I'm by myself

  ➔ Comparative Adjective (better)

  ➔ 'Better' is the comparative form of 'good', used to indicate a higher quality or preference.

• I put my hand over the fire

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase (over the fire)

  ➔ 'Over' acts as a preposition indicating position in relation to the fire.

• And see if I can still cry

  ➔ Conditional 'if' clause

  ➔ 'If' is used here to express an inquiry or a test of possibility.