Badlands – English Lyrics

• By: Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

...

Lights out tonight, trouble in the heartland

Got a head-on collision smashin' in my guts, man

I'm caught in a crossfire that I don't understand

But there's one thing I know for sure, girl

I don't give a damn for the same old played-out scenes

Baby, I don't give a damn for just the in-betweens

Honey, I want the heart, I want the soul, I want control right now

You better listen to me, baby

Talk about a dream, try to make it real

You wake up in the night with a fear so real

You spend your life waiting for a moment that just don't come

Well, don't waste your time waiting

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday

Let the broken hearts stand as the price you've gotta pay

Keep pushin' 'til it's understood

And these badlands start treating us good

Working in the fields 'til you get your back burned

Working 'neath the wheels 'til you get your facts learned

Baby, I got my facts learned real good right now

You better get it straight, darling

Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king

And a king ain't satisfied 'til he rules everything

I wanna go out tonight, I wanna find out what I got

Well, I believe in the love that you gave me

I believe in the faith that could save me

I believe in the hope and I pray that some day

It may raise me above these

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday

Let the broken hearts stand as the price you've gotta pay

Keep pushin' 'til it's understood

And these badlands start treating us good

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

...

For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside

That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive

I wanna find one face that ain't looking through me

I wanna find one place, I wanna spit in the face of these

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday

Let the broken hearts stand as the price you've gotta pay

Keep movin' 'til it's understood

And these badlands start treating us good

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Badlands, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Badlands, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Badlands, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Badlands, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Badlands, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - a source of illumination, especially an electric light
trouble /ˈtrʌbl/ A2	noun - difficulty or problems
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body
smashin' /ˈsmæʃɪŋ/ B2	verb - to break something violently or noisily
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ A2	verb - to know the meaning of something
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience dreams during sleep
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
moment /ˈməʊmənt/ A2	noun - a very brief period of time
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
price /praɪs/ A2	noun - the amount of money expected or required in payment for something
hearts /hɑːrts/ A1	noun - plural of heart
fields /fiːldz/ A2	noun - an area of land, especially one used for farming
wheels /wiːlz/ A2	noun - a circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult human male
rich /rɪtʃ/ A2	adjective - having a great deal of money or valuable possessions
king /kɪŋ/ A2	noun - the male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection. verb - feel deep affection for someone
faith /feɪθ/ B1	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something
hope /həʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen verb - want something to happen or be the case
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living, not dead
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of a person's head, from the forehead to the chin

Key Grammar Structures

• Lights out tonight, trouble in the heartland

  ➔ Inversion and Nominalization

  ➔ The sentence uses a form of inversion, where the subject and verb are implied, contributing to a dramatic tone. 'Trouble' is a nominalization of the verb 'to trouble'.

• I'm caught in a crossfire that I don't understand

  ➔ Passive voice, Relative clause

  ➔ The use of 'caught' implies a passive construction. 'That I don't understand' is a relative clause modifying 'crossfire'.

• I don't give a damn for the same old played-out scenes

  ➔ Idiom, Adjective order

  ➔ 'I don't give a damn' is an idiom. The adjective order 'same old played-out' demonstrates correct sequence.

• Honey, I want the heart, I want the soul, I want control right now

  ➔ Parallel Structure

  ➔ The repetition of 'I want' followed by nouns creates a parallel structure for emphasis.

• Talk about a dream, try to make it real

  ➔ Imperative mood, infinitive

  ➔ Uses the imperative mood ('Talk', 'try') to give instructions or express a command. The infinitive is 'to make'.

• You spend your life waiting for a moment that just don't come

  ➔ Present Simple, Relative Clause with Auxiliary

  ➔ Uses the present simple ('spend', 'don't') and features a relative clause ('that just don't come') with the auxiliary verb 'do' to emphasize negation.

• Keep pushin' 'til it's understood

  ➔ Imperative, Subordinate clause of time

  ➔ The imperative 'Keep' starts the sentence. 'Til it's understood' functions as a subordinate clause of time.

• And these badlands start treating us good

  ➔ Subject-verb inversion (implied), Present Continuous

  ➔ The sentence implies an inversion because of the phrasing. 'Start treating' uses the Present Continuous for emphasis on the ongoing nature of the action.

• Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king

  ➔ Ellipsis, Subject-verb agreement

  ➔ Ellipsis of the repeated 'wants to'. Subject-verb agreement is present despite the ellipsis.