Big Man, Little Dignity – English Lyrics

• By: Paramore
• Album: This Is Why

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Paramore's "Big Man, Little Dignity" to explore modern English expressions of frustration and social critique. This track, with its unique blend of funky pop-rock and mature lyrical themes, offers a dynamic way to learn vocabulary related to social commentary, integrity, and personal grievances, all while enjoying Paramore's signature sound with a fresh, adult perspective.

[English]

[Music]

n

[Music]

don't mean me stare at you from across

the room it's like I'm GL to the she

side of you and you're so smooth it's

pitiful no you can get away with

anything so that's exactly what should

do big

man little

take big man

little

tle no a but

true you got no

Integrity big

[Music]

manity w w i you don't you clean up nice

but it feels good to leave the P behind

your subscription to Redemption has been

renewed you keep your head high Smooth

Operator in the stain suit big

man little

[Music]

take big

man little take a te no a face but you

o you got no

Integrity big

[Music]

man I can't

away I Miz

your I can't way like a movie that I

love to be i f aze your demise I should

look away because I know you're never

going to change I keep thinking this

time the end will be different but it is

in I keep thinking thinking the end is

going to be different but you keep on

when

I big

[Music]

man let all take a

big

man little take

a no a but

true you got

know big

man little

[Music]

a

[Music]

oh

[Music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stare stɛər A2	verb - to look at someone or something for a long time, especially with your eyes wide open
smooth smuːð A2	adjective - having a surface that is not rough
pitiful ˈpɪtɪfəl B1	adjective - deserving or eliciting pity
integrity ɪnˈtɛɡrɪti B2	noun - the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
redemption rɪˈdɛmpʃən B2	noun - the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil
operator ˈɒpəreɪtər B1	noun - a person who operates equipment or a machine
demise dɪˈmaɪz B2	noun - a person's death
change tʃeɪndʒ A1	verb - to make or become different
thinking ˈθɪŋkɪŋ A2	noun - the process of considering or reasoning about something
different ˈdɪfərənt A1	adjective - not the same as another or each other
keep kiːp A1	verb - to have or retain possession of something
high haɪ A1	adjective - great, or greater than normal, in quantity, size, or intensity
movie ˈmuːvi A1	noun - a story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on television
end ɛnd A1	noun - the final part of something
time taɪm A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole

Key Grammar Structures

• don't mean me stare at you from across the room

  ➔ Negative contraction with 'don't'

  ➔ 'Don't' is a contraction of 'do not', used to negate the verb 'mean'.

• it's like I'm GL to the she side of you

  ➔ Contraction with 'it's'

  ➔ 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is', used to compare the situation.

• you're so smooth it's pitiful

  ➔ Contraction with 'you're'

  ➔ 'You're' is a contraction of 'you are', used to describe the subject.

• so that's exactly what should do

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of 'you')

  ➔ The subject 'you' is omitted, common in informal speech.

• you got no Integrity

  ➔ Double negative

  ➔ 'No' and 'Integrity' (implied negative) create a double negative, emphasizing the lack.

• I should look away because I know you're never going to change

  ➔ Future with 'going to'

  ➔ 'Going to' is used to express a future action based on present evidence.

• but it is in I keep thinking

  ➔ Incomplete sentence (colloquial)

  ➔ The sentence is incomplete, typical of colloquial or lyrical language.

• you keep your head high

  ➔ Present simple for habitual action

  ➔ Present simple is used to describe a habitual action.