Backslide – English Lyrics

• By: Twenty One Pilots
• Album: Clancy

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a powerful experience, and Twenty One Pilots' "Backslide" offers a compelling opportunity. The song's introspective and narrative-driven lyrics allow you to explore themes of perseverance and self-reflection. What makes this song special for learners is its blend of conversational rapping and melodic choruses, providing a varied and engaging way to pick up new vocabulary and phrasing in English.

[English]

(birds tweeting)

(trash banging) (bell tingling)

♪ I don't wanna ♪

(upbeat music)

♪ Rat race, place to place, adding weight ♪

♪ Tendencies on repeat, innit ♪

♪ Benefit from a shoe with no lace ♪

♪ Take the seat with the crease in it ♪

♪ I don't mind if it's lonely ♪

♪ I don't mind if it's fair ♪

♪ I don't care, you control me ♪

♪ Leading me anywhere ♪

♪ I don't wanna backslide to where I've started from ♪

♪ There's no chance I will shake this again ♪

♪ 'Cause I feel the pull, water's over my head ♪

♪ Strength enough for onе more time ♪

♪ Reach my hand above the tide ♪

♪ I'll take anything you have ♪

♪ If you could throw me a line ♪

♪ I should've loved you better ♪

♪ Do you think that now's the time ♪

♪ You should let go ♪

♪ It's over my head ♪

♪ Bad place, on a $100 bass ♪

♪ Kinda wishin' that I never did Saturday ♪

♪ Is that a stain, you should change ♪

♪ Are you doin' good ♪

♪ Did you solve all of your problems ♪

♪ Thanks for asking, in a way, ♪

♪ But accidentally uncovered a new one yesterday ♪

♪ What happened to what I brushed under the rug ♪

♪ I used to be the champion of a world you can't see ♪

♪ Now I'm drowning in logistics ♪

♪ I don't wanna backslide to where I've started from ♪

♪ There's no chance I will shake this again ♪

♪ 'Cause I feel the pull, water's over my head ♪

♪ Strength enough for one more time ♪

♪ Reach my hand above the tide ♪

♪ I'll take anything you have ♪

♪ If you could throw me a line ♪

♪ I should've loved you better ♪

♪ Do you think that now's the time ♪

♪ You should let go ♪

♪ I don't mind if it's lonely, it's over my head ♪

♪ I don't mind if it's fair, you should let go ♪

♪ I don't care, you control me, it's over my head ♪

♪ Leading me anywhere ♪

♪ I'll take anything you have ♪

♪ If you could throw me a line ♪

♪ I should've loved you better ♪

♪ Do you think that now's the time ♪

♪ You should let go ♪

♪ It's over my head ♪

♪ You should let go ♪

♪ It's over my head ♪

♪ I don't wanna backslide ♪

(upbeat music)

(birds tweeting) (food sizzling)

(spatula scraping) (food sizzling)

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ I don't wanna backslide to where I've started from ♪

  ➔ Present simple with 'don't wanna' for informal negation

  ➔ The phrase 'I don't wanna' is a colloquial contraction of 'I do not want to,' used here to express a strong, informal desire not to backslide.

• ♪ There's no chance I will shake this again ♪

  ➔ Present simple with 'there's' for emphasis and 'will' for future certainty

  ➔ The use of 'there's no chance' emphasizes the speaker's belief that it is impossible to repeat a certain action, while 'will' indicates a strong future certainty.

• ♪ 'Cause I feel the pull, water's over my head ♪

  ➔ Present simple with contraction 'water's' for possession

  ➔ The contraction 'water's' is short for 'water is,' indicating possession or a state of being. Here, it describes the water being over the speaker's head.

• ♪ Strength enough for one more time ♪

  ➔ Adjective 'enough' for quantity sufficiency

  ➔ The adjective 'enough' is used to indicate that there is a sufficient amount of strength for one more attempt.

• ♪ I should've loved you better ♪

  ➔ Past modal 'should have' for regret or advice

  ➔ The phrase 'I should've loved you better' uses the past modal 'should have' to express regret for not having shown more love in the past.