MULTIMEDIA-ENGLISH
Rule the world (Take That)
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4:16
Video page URL
https://multimedia-english.com/videos/music/rule-the-world-take-that-19
Description

soundtrack for the movie "Stardust" (plays at the end of the film).


You can sing to the karaoke version here.

Transcript

You light the skies up above me
A star so bright you blind me, yeah
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t fade away, don’t fade away

Oh

Yeah, you and me we can ride on a star
If you stay with me, girl
We can rule the world
Yeah, you and me we can light up the sky
If you stay by my side
We can rule the world

If walls break down, I will comfort you
If angels cry, oh I’ll be there for you
You've saved my soul
Don’t leave me now, don’t leave me now

Oh

Yeah you and me we can ride on a star
If you stay with me girl
We can rule the world
Yeah you and me, we can light up the sky
If you stay by my side
We can rule the world

Ooh

All the stars are comin' out tonight
They're lightin' up the sky tonight
For you, for you
All the stars are comin' out tonight
They’re lightin' up the sky tonight
For you, for you

Oh

Yeah you and me we can ride on a star
If you stay with me girl
We can rule the world
Yeah you and me, we can light up the sky
If you stay by my side
We can rule the world

All the stars are comin' out tonight
They’re lightin' up the sky tonight
For you, for you
All the stars are comin' out tonight
They're lightin' up the sky tonight
For you, for you

All the stars, are comin' out tonight
They're lightin' up the sky tonight
For you, for you

All the stars, are comin' out tonight
They're lightin' up the sky tonight
For you, for you

Explanations

CAN= notice the pronunciation of this auxiliary verb in the affirmative. We pronounce it with a SCHWA, or better still, with no vowel at all, so the pronunciation is usually /kn/. If you pronounce it with the vowel in CAT it would be usually interpreted as a negative (can't).

THE SKIES= the sky. It sounds more poetical in the plural.

ABOVE= over, higher than (without contact).  /əbʌv/

YOU LIGHT THE SKIES UP ABOVE ME= "to light up" means "illuminate". When a phrasal verb (verb + particle) is a transitive verb, the particle may go before or after the direct object, so we can say "you light up the sky" or "you light the sky up".

BLIND= a blind person is someone who can’t see. To blind someone is to make them stop seeing (for instance because there is a very strong light or because you cover their eyes)

FADE AWAY= slowly disappear

RULE= govern, control

LIGHTIN' / COMIN'= lighting, coming. In colloquial English you often hear the verb ending -ing pronounced as -in; the difference is that the final nasal consonant is then pronounced with the tip of your tongue (as in "No"), though it should be pronounced at the back of your throat. The letter G in the ending -ING doesn't represent a sound, it's only marking the difference between the alveolar -N and the guttural -NG sounds.

LIGHT UP THE SKY= to illuminate the sky

BY MY SIDE= next to me

TO COMFORT SOMEONE= to bring them peace, to calm them and make them feel good.  /kʌmfə*t/.

CRY= it may be "shout" or "weep". Here it means "to weep" (when you’re sad and drops of "water" fall down your eyes)

SOUL= spirit

Meaning

In the Daily Mail it says, Stardust's director Matthew Vaughan asked Take That if they would be interested in writing a song for the film. Gary Barlow recalls: "We live near each other in London so I said: 'Come along to our place at 6 and I'll give you our answer.' Matthew came at 6 and in that time we'd composed and written a song. We played it for him and now it's going to be in the film." That's why they wrote a love song using the metaphor of a star to show how much she means for him.

It might just be a coincidence, but in the 'If angels cry, oh I’ll be there for you' line, the way he says 'if an-' sounds like Yvaine. Which is the name of the star in the film/book. I can't help hearing 'Yvaine jels cry' every time I listen.