The word "been" without "have" (has, had).
In an old celtic song "Follow on" there is a line: "Sleepless nights been waiting for an answer", here word "been" used without the word "have" (has, had), please explain why.
In verses grammatical rules work on different?

Question

The word "been" without "have" (has, had).
In an old celtic song "Follow on" there is a line:  "Sleepless nights been waiting for an answer",  here word "been" used without the word "have" (has, had), please explain why. 
In verses grammatical rules work on different?

Answer

You are right! It should read something like, "For many sleepless nights, I have been waiting for an answer". 
However, the melody of a song often requires that the words be changed.
There is an English expression that expresses this very well. We call it "poetic licence".

Hope this helps

Answer

I see (or hear) this in song lyrics particularly. I can't think of a grammatically correct usage of "been" without "have" coming before it. However, sometimes in songs, the "I have" is implied, for example "Been down so long". I would never use this in regular conversation.

Answers · 2

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