Total eclipse of the heart

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

I tried to understand what the following stuff mean but i couldn’t got it even with a translator lol so they are:

every now…

that the best of all the years have gone by (Why did they put by at the end? Does it change something in the meaning if the by were not there?)

and I know I’ve got to get out and cry (I’ve noticed that many people use the I’ve got just as I have… or that’s what I think, is there a diference between them?)

Once upon a time I was falling in love (how else can we use Upon?)

Well… Here is the whole song : XD… I hope someone want to help me, there are many questions.

Turnaround, every now and then I get a
little bit lonely and you’re never coming around
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart

Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit restless and I dream of something wild
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit helpless and I’m lying like a child in your arms
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit angry and I know I’ve got to get out and cry
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you’ll only hold me tight
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right
Cause we’ll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
There’s nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart

2

First of all I have to say that a song is not a good way to explore correct English or English grammar, because lyricists throw out all the rules and do what they need to do for the sake of the song.

gone by = passed/past. See here:
oxfordadvancedlearnersdictio … #past_1__1

‘I’ve got to’ is a less formal alternative to ‘I have to’.

Although the word ‘upon’ has the same meaning as ‘on’, it is usually used in more formal contexts or in phrases such as ‘once upon a time’ and when emphasising something such as ‘row upon row of seats’, ‘mile upon mile of road’.
It is also used idiomatically in this phrase:
(almost) upon you
if something in the future is almost upon you, it is going to arrive or happen very soon
The summer season was almost upon them again.

3

renziebaluyut.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/did-you-know-bonnie-tyler-total-eclipse-of-the-heart-1983/

www.bookrags.com

I used to have to listen to this when my Dad would play it in the car… the links will tell you a bit more about it.

4

“As the years go by” is a common idiom - I think the song lyric is referring to this indirectly. “Once upon a time” is another idiom used almost exclusively to begin fairy tales. In this case, it is implying that her love was like a fairy tale. I agree that song lyrics are not the best way to learn English. They often say things in an usually way to fit the rhyme or meter. These days they often include a lot of slang which may become obsolete by the time the song leaves the top 40.This reminds of a very funny video: youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA. It gives a literal translations of what is actually happening in the music video - it may be useful for English learners.

5

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) apparently won’t let that be shown in most non-US countries :frowning:

6

I found this one that works in the UK (at least in Birmingham):
youtube.com/watch?v=ovEDhFfgdOo

7

I supposed that learning english with songs is not the best way to do it, and its also quite difficult. For example the kesha’s songs are very popular these days and she uses several words that I couldn’t even found in a dictionary or a translator. Such as boojy or something like that.

But the thing is that you understand what she wanna mean in the song xD… I was thinknig that upon is like above. When you say “The summer is upon them again” is like using above in spanish. However… I want to catch the meaning at least, even when the grammar is wrong.

The got thing have made me think a lot of possibilities… Because I’ve heard a lot of people using got when I thought they should use have… Like:

I gotta go to work ??
I got a playstation ??
I gotta do my homework ??

I’m not sure about those three but its something like that. Could you tell me if they are ok?

Thanks you all :smiley:

P.S: I read Alice in Wonderland and I remember the Once upon a time thing XD

8

I found that too, and almost posted it… but I decided to be circumspect about the copyright laws. :slight_smile:

9

Your examples should be written:

I’ve got to go to work
I’ve got a Playstation
I’ve got to do my homework

There is no such word as ‘gotta’ in standard English.

Informally, ‘got’ can be used as an equivalent to ‘have’. Occasionally it can also be used at formal times.

10

I would like to add that all three sentences would be common in informal conversation, but as Beesnees said, unsuitable for formal written communication.