Babylon – English Lyrics

• By: SZA

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the poignant lyricism of SZA's "Babylon" to enhance your English vocabulary with its rich, metaphorical language. The song's exploration of complex emotions and its biblical allusions offer a unique and compelling way to learn and appreciate the nuances of expressive language in music.

[English]

Crucify, cru-crucify me

Crucify, cru-cru

I can't recall the last time I took advice from anyone

Shaped like a figure eight who trusts pretty girls anyway?

And I can't recall the last time I took advice from anyone

I'm sure I'll be the death of me

And I can't recall the last time I took love from anyone

I called daddy, who's got one anyway?

Not me

Are you hating youself?

Do you really hate me?

Are you hating yourself?

Was it worth it?

Would you do it again?

Aren't you tired of always making amends?

I know you hate me now

I bet you hate me now

Bring on the thorny crown

Crucify me

Cross my heart then I hope to die

With a peace of mind (a peace of mind)

Piece together my brain soon as

This beat rewind (beat rewind)

Nitrogen and propane

I spike your drink at times (turn up, turn up)

I make it hard to swallow this game

You throw up every line

I notice people got Napoleon complex

But that's my confession

You said that we're equal but I know you're

Beyond gassing that I'm beyond desperate (yeah that)

6AM on a Friday morning, my darkest hours

Them heartless hours

My apartment is lost in a coffin

I'm dead to the world like I popped me a couple downers

Down & Out on my luck

Salt water all on my tux and I call, she don't pick up

Then I fall when summer is ending

I mean there's no pretending

I'm stuck in my ways and you're offended

That's life, that's you, this me, that's vice

You're wrong, I'm right, that's right

I belong somewhere on ice

I'm colder a new blood type? Even colder

Cold shoulder, Born Sinner, you know? Cole showed us!

I have nothing to lose, my dark side been well in-tuned

A Gemini go show them faces

And this here just one of my moods, Babylon

Was it worth it?

Would you do it again?

Aren't you tired of always making amends?

I know you hate me now

I bet you hate me now

Bring on the thorny crown

Crucify me

Crucify, cru-crucify me

Crucify, cru-cru

Crucify, cru-crucify me

Crucify, cru-cru

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
crucify /ˈkrʊsɪfaɪ/ C2	verb - to put to death by nailing or binding to a cross
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ B1	verb - to remember something
advice /ədˈvaɪs/ B1	noun - guidance or recommendations offered to someone about what they should do
trust /trʌst/ A2	verb - to believe in someone's reliability or truth
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - to feel intense dislike for someone or something
crown /kraʊn/ B1	noun - a circular ornamental headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority
peace /piːs/ A1	noun - freedom from disturbance; tranquility
piece /piːs/ A1	noun - a portion of an object or material verb - to assemble from parts
spike /spaɪk/ B2	verb - to add alcohol or a drug to someone's drink without their knowledge
swallow /ˈswɒləʊ/ B1	verb - to cause to pass down the throat
complex /ˈkɒmpleks/ B2	noun - a related group of unconscious feelings or thoughts that cause behavior patterns
confession /kənˈfeʃn/ B2	noun - a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime
desperate /ˈdespərət/ B2	adjective - feeling or showing hopelessness
apartment /əˈpɑːtmənt/ A2	noun - a suite of rooms forming one residence
coffin /ˈkɒfɪn/ B2	noun - a long, narrow box in which a dead body is buried
offended /əˈfendɪd/ B2	adjective - feeling resentful or upset
colder /ˈkəʊldə/ A2	adjective - having a low temperature (comparative)
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to be deprived of something
moods /muːdz/ B1	noun - temporary states of mind or feeling
amends /əˈmendz/ C1	noun - compensation for a loss or injury

Key Grammar Structures

• I can't recall the last time I took advice from anyone

  ➔ Negative modal + verb (can't + recall) + past simple in a subordinate clause

  ➔ The modal **"can't"** expresses inability; the verb **"recall"** is in the base form, and the past simple **"took"** appears in the noun clause after *the last time*.

• I'm sure I'll be the death of me

  ➔ First person present simple (am) + adjective (sure) + future simple with will + infinitive phrase

  ➔ The contraction **"I'm"** (I am) shows present simple; **"sure"** is an adjective; **"I'll"** (I will) forms the future simple, and **"be"** is the infinitive verb that follows.

• Are you hating yourself?

  ➔ Present continuous interrogative with verb *hate* (normally stative) – rhetorical question

  ➔ The auxiliary **"Are"** forms a question in the present continuous; **"hating"** is the -ing form of a verb that is usually not used in continuous tenses, giving a strong emotional emphasis.

• Would you do it again?

  ➔ Modal verb *would* + base verb (do) – conditional question, polite request or speculation

  ➔ The modal **"Would"** introduces a hypothetical situation; **"do"** stays in the base form because modals are followed by infinitives without *to*.

• I belong somewhere on ice

  ➔ Verb *belong* + prepositional phrase (somewhere on ice) – expressing location or state

  ➔ The verb **"belong"** is followed by the prepositional phrase **"somewhere on ice"**, which tells where the subject feels they fit.

• My apartment is lost in a coffin

  ➔ Passive voice (is lost) + prepositional phrase (in a coffin)

  ➔ The auxiliary **"is"** + past participle **"lost"** forms the passive; the prepositional phrase **"in a coffin"** indicates where the loss is imagined.

• I have nothing to lose, my dark side been well in‑tuned

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose (*to lose*) after *nothing*; reduced clause (*my dark side been…*) – ellipsis of *has*

  ➔ The phrase **"nothing to lose"** uses the infinitive **"to lose"** to express purpose; the second part **"my dark side been well in‑tuned"** drops the auxiliary **"has"**, a common colloquial ellipsis.

• Was it worth it?

  ➔ Past simple interrogative with *was*; rhetorical question about value

  ➔ The auxiliary **"Was"** forms a past‑tense question; **"it"** refers to the previously mentioned action, and **"worth"** functions as an adjective meaning valuable.

• Who's got one anyway?

  ➔ Contraction *who's* (who is) + present perfect *got*; informal rhetorical question

  ➔ The contraction **"Who's"** stands for **"who is"**; **"got"** is the past participle used here as a present perfect to mean *has*; the sentence is a rhetorical way to ask if anyone actually has one.