Arcade – English Lyrics

• By: Duncan Laurence, FLETCHER

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the language of heartbreak and hope with Duncan Laurence's "Arcade," a captivating song that uses the arcade as a metaphor for love's challenges. This Eurovision-winning ballad offers a rich emotional experience and a chance to connect with themes of loss, longing, and resilience, showcasing Duncan Laurence's heartfelt storytelling and vocal talent .

[English]

A broken heart is all that's left

I'm still fixing all the cracks

Lost a couple of pieces when

I carried it, carried it, carried it home

I'm afraid of all I am

My mind feels like a foreign land

Silence ringing inside my head

Please, carry me, carry me, carry me home

I've spent all of the love I saved

We were always a losing game

Small-town boy in a big arcade

I got addicted to a losing game

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

All I know, all I know

Loving you is a losing game

Do you love me, or love me not?

Peeling pieces from my heart

And my rose-colored lens is gone

Still I carry, I carry, I carry on

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

All I know, all I know

Loving you is a losing game

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

All I know, all I know

Loving you is a losing game

I don't need your games, game over

...

Get me off this roller coaster

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

All I know, all I know

Loving you is a losing game

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh

All I know, all I know

Loving you is a losing game

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ in your chest that pumps blood noun - the emotional center of a person
fix /fɪks/ A2	verb - to repair something
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to no longer have something verb - to fail to win
game /ɡeɪm/ A2	noun - an activity done for fun noun - a competition
arcade /ɑːrˈkeɪd/ B1	noun - a public place with coin-operated games
addict /əˈdɪkt/ B1	verb - to be physically and mentally dependent on something
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to have a strong affection for
peel /piːl/ B1	verb - to remove the outer layer of something
carry /ˈkæri/ A2	verb - to hold and transport something
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the part of a person that thinks and feels
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ B1	noun - the absence of sound
roller /ˈroʊlər/ B1	noun - a type of amusement park ride
coaster /ˈkoʊstər/ B1	noun - a small mat to protect surfaces from drinks
pieces /ˈpiːsɪz/ A2	noun - parts of something that has been broken
saved /seɪvd/ A2	verb - protected from harm or loss
gone /ɡɔːn/ A2	adjective - no longer present

Key Grammar Structures

• A broken heart is all that's left

  ➔ Inversion after 'all'

  ➔ The structure is 'Subject + be verb', instead of the usual 'all that is left'. This emphasizes the completeness of the loss. The phrase highlights that nothing remains *except* a broken heart. The word **'all'** triggers the inversion.

• I'm afraid of all I am

  ➔ Reflexive pronoun 'all'

  ➔ The use of 'all' as a reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject 'I', encompassing the entirety of the speaker's being. It expresses fear of one's complete self. The word **'all'** refers to the entirety of the speaker's identity.

• We were always a losing game

  ➔ Metaphorical use of 'game'

  ➔ The word **'game'** isn't literal; it represents the relationship itself. It suggests a situation where success was impossible from the start, a predetermined failure. The relationship is framed as a competition with no chance of winning.

• Still I carry, I carry, I carry on

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ The repeated verb **'carry'** emphasizes the speaker's continued effort to cope with the pain and move forward, despite the difficulty. The addition of 'on' at the end reinforces the idea of perseverance.