“Rolling in the Deep” – #1 song of 2011

MTV chose “Rolling in the Deep”  by British singer Adele as the #1 song of 2011. It was the year’s most commercially successful song, and MTV called it “the feel-bad song of our time.” This song is about a breakup (the end of a romantic relationship) and the resulting strong emotions.

Adele sings, “We could have had it all” – she is imagining how good the relationship could possibly be if they had stayed together. She also says that she gave her heart to her ex-boyfriend, but he hurt her. Finally, she says “you reap what you sow” – learn the meaning of this phrase in the green Vocabulary section below!

Listen to the song and then read the lyrics:

Listen:

Lyrics:

(See the Vocabulary list for the definitions of words in green.)

There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I’ll lay your shit bare

See how I’ll leave, with every piece of you
Don’t underestimate the things that I will do
There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can’t help feeling

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
And you played it to the beat

Baby, I have no story to be told
But I’ve heard one of you and I’m gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Making a home down there as mine sure won’t be shared

The scars of your love remind you of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can’t help feeling

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
And you played it to the beat

Could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
But you played it with a beating

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you look for
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow

(Now I’m gonna wish you never had met me)
We could have had it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
We could have had it all

(Now I’m gonna wish you never had met me)
It all, it all, it all, it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

(Now I’m gonna wish you never had met me)
We could have had it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
Rolling in the deep

(Now I’m gonna wish you never had met me)
You had my heart and soul
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
And you played it to the beat

(Now I’m gonna wish you never had met me)
Could have had it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
Rolling in the deep

(Now I’m gonna wish you never had met me)
You had my heart and soul in your hand
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
But you played it, you played it, you played it to the beat

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Vocabulary

fever pitch = a high level of agitation. She is saying that her emotions are very agitated, like water boiling.

sell me out = take advantage of someone for personal benefit.

lay your shit bare = reveal or expose everything. She promises to do this if the ex-boyfriend “sells her out.” (BE CAREFUL: “shit” is an impolite word!)

underestimate = to think that something is less than it actually is.

scars = the mark on your skin after an injury gets better.

rolling in the deep = feeling very strong emotions.

played it to the beat = manipulated.

depths of your despair = very bad depression.

count your blessings = think about the things you are thankful for.

reap just what you sow = if you do good things, then good things will happen to you. If you do bad things, then bad things will happen to you.

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