'You've Changed' by Billie Holiday

The verb 'change' is tricky to use correctly. It belongs to a group of verbs called 'ergative' verbs. These verbs are strange because they have a passive meaning. Therefore, you cannot use passive grammar with them. Look at these examples:

the situation has been changed = NOT CORRECT
the situation has changed = CORRECT

Also, the verb 'change' is usually used in the present perfect tense because we want to emphasise the contrast between NOW and the past.

Here is a famous jazz song which uses this verb. Listen to the song and notice how Billie uses the verb 'change'.

Billie Holiday is one of the most famous female singers in jazz, probably the greatest female jazz singer who ever lived. She had a tragic life, full of pain and drug addiction and violent abuse from the men she loved. She also suffered a lot of discrimination because she was black. You can hear her pain in her singing.

You've changed
That sparkle in your eyes has gone
Your smile is just a careless yawn
You're breaking my heart
You've changed.

You've changed
Your kisses now are so blase
You're bored with me in every way
I can't understand
You've changed.

You've forgotten the words 'I love you'
Each memory that we shared
You ignore every star above you
I can't realise you ever cared
You've changed.

You're not the angel I once knew
No need to tell me that we're through
It's all over now.
You've changed.

Vocabulary:
sparkle = a light in your eyes that shows you are excited
blase = boring
we're through = our relationship is over