bandaids – English Lyrics

• By: Katy Perry

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Katy Perry's "Bandaids" offers a poignant and relatable narrative for English learners. The song's clear and emotional lyrics about heartbreak and resilience provide an excellent opportunity to understand nuanced expressions of feelings. What makes this song special for learners is its use of a central metaphor – the bandaid – to explore complex themes of love, loss, and the inadequacy of simple solutions to deep problems, making it a memorable and touching way to expand your emotional vocabulary in English.

[English]

[WATER RUNNING]

[RINGING]

SHIT.

♪♪♪

♪ HAND TO GOD I PROMISED I TRIED ♪

♪ THERE'S NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED ♪

♪ IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DID ♪

♪ IT'S WHAT YOU DIDN'T ♪

♪ YOU WERE THERE BUT YOU WEREN'T ♪

[SCREAMING]

♪ GOT SO USED TO YOU LETTING ME DOWN ♪

♪ NO USE TRYING TO SEND FLOWERS NOW ♪

♪ TELLING MYSELF YOU'LL CHANGE, YOU DON'T ♪

♪ BANDAIDS OVER A BROKEN HEART ♪

♪ TRIED ALL THE MEDICATIONS ♪

♪ LOWERED MY EXPECTATIONS ♪

♪ MADE EVERY JUSTIFICATION ♪

♪ BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT SLOW ♪

♪ BANDAIDS OVER A BROKEN HEART ♪

♪ ON THE BRIGHT SIDE ♪

♪ WE HAD GOOD TIMES ♪

♪ NEVER FAKED OUR PICTURES ♪

♪ WE WERE PERFECT ♪

♪ TILL WE WEREN'T ♪

♪ NOW WE'VE GOT TOO MANY SPLINTERS ♪

♪ GOT SO USED TO YOU LETTING ME DOWN ♪

♪ NO USE TRYING TO SEND FLOWERS NOW ♪

♪ TELLING MYSELF YOU'LL CHANGE, YOU DON'T ♪

♪ BANDAIDS OVER A BROKEN HEART ♪

♪ TRIED ALL THE MEDICATIONS ♪

♪ LOWERED MY EXPECTATIONS... ♪

[CAR HONKING]

♪ ...MADE EVERY JUSTIFICATION ♪

♪ BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT SLOW ♪

♪ BANDAIDS OVER A BROKEN HEART ♪

♪ IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED ♪

♪ TO ASK ME HOW MY DAY IS ♪

♪ I'M FLATLINING TRYNA TO SAVE THIS ♪

♪ BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT SLOW ♪

♪ BANDAIDS OVER A BROKEN HEART ♪

♪♪♪

[TRAIN HORN BLARING]

♪ IF I HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN ♪

♪ I WOULD STILL DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN ♪

♪ THE LOVE THAT WE MADE WAS WORTH IT IN THE END ♪

♪ OH YEAH, OH YEAH ♪

♪ IF I HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN ♪

♪ I WOULD STILL DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN ♪

♪ THE LOVE THAT WE MADE WAS WORTH IT IN THE END ♪

♪ OH YEAH ♪

♪ TRIED ALL THE MEDICATIONS (ALL THE MEDICATIONS) ♪

♪ LOWERED MY EXPECTATIONS (OH) ♪

♪ MADE EVERY JUSTIFICATION ♪

♪ BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT, BLEEDING OUT SLOW ♪

♪ BANDAIDS OVER A BROKEN HEART ♪

[MUSIC ENDS]

[HORN BLARING]

[GASPING FOR AIR]

[DOOR CHIMES]

[RADIO DJ] NOW IT'S CALLED "WATCH IT BURN."

WE'VE GOT NON-STOP MUSIC 30 MINUTES ON THE WAY,

SO HANG OUT AND HOLD ON TIGHT.

["WOMAN'S WORLD" PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]

♪ SEXY, CONFIDENT ♪

♪ SO INTELLIGENT... ♪

[LIGHTER FLICKING]

♪ ...SHE IS HEAVEN-SENT ♪

♪ SO SOFT ♪

[CAR ALARM BLARING]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
bandaids /ˈbænˌdeɪdz/ A2	noun - small strips of adhesive material used to cover minor wounds
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A1	adjective - damaged and no longer in one piece
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood around the body, often used metaphorically for emotions
bleeding /ˈbliːdɪŋ/ A2	verb - to lose blood from the body
medication /ˌmɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/ B1	noun - a substance used to treat illness or injury
expectations /ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃənz/ B1	noun - beliefs about what will happen or how someone will behave
justification /ˌdʒʌstɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ B2	noun - a reason or explanation given to defend or excuse an action
bright /braɪt/ A2	adjective - giving out a lot of light; intelligent or hopeful
perfect /ˈpɜːrfɪkt/ A2	adjective - having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics
splinters /ˈsplɪntərz/ B1	noun - small, sharp pieces of wood or other material that can get stuck in the skin
flatlining /ˈflætˌlaɪnɪŋ/ C1	verb - to show no change or improvement, especially in a critical situation
complicated /ˈkɒmplɪkeɪtɪd/ B1	adjective - involving many parts or steps and therefore difficult to understand or do
promised /ˈprɒmɪst/ A2	verb - to make a declaration that one will do something or that something will happen
unturned /ʌnˈtɜːrnd/ B2	adjective - not turned over or left undisturbed
lowering /ˈloʊərɪŋ/ B1	verb - to reduce the amount, level, or quality of something

Key Grammar Structures

• It's not what you did, it's what you didn't.

  ➔ Contrast structure with 'not only... but also' (here implied with 'it's ...').

  ➔ The phrase contrasts what was *done* and what was *not* done, highlighting a distinction.

• Tried all the medications.

  ➔ Past perfect tense indicating completion of a try.

  ➔ It shows an action that was attempted repeatedly or thoroughly.

• Lowered my expectations.

  ➔ Past tense with 'lowered' showing a completed action.

  ➔ It reflects a change in attitude or mindset in the past.

• Made every justification.

  ➔ Past tense with 'made' showing a completed action of providing reasons.

  ➔ It shows a completed action of rationalizing or defending something.

• If I had to do it all over again.

  ➔ Second conditional form, expressing hypothetical past scenario.

  ➔ Expresses a hypothetical situation about repeating an action in the past.

• The love that we made was worth it in the end.

  ➔ Past simple tense with 'was worth it' indicating a value judgment.

  ➔ It reflects a positive evaluation of a past action or relationship.