Bigmouth Strikes Again – English Lyrics

• By: The Smiths
• Album: The Queen is Dead

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Sweetness

Sweetness, I was only joking when I said

I'd like to smash every tooth in your head

...

Oh sweetness

Sweetness, I was only joking when I said

By rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed

...

And now I know how Joan of Arc felt

Now I know how Joan of Arc felt

As the flames rose to her roman nose

And her walkman started to melt

...

Bigmouth

Bigmouth

Bigmouth strikes again

And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

Bigmouth

Bigmouth

Bigmouth strikes again

And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

And now I know how Joan of Arc felt

Now I know how Joan of Arc felt

As the flames rose to her roman nose

And her hearing aid started to melt

...

Bigmouth

Bigmouth

Bigmouth strikes again

And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

Bigmouth

Bigmouth

Bigmouth strikes again

And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

Bigmouth

Bigmouth

Bigmouth strikes again

And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

Bigmouth

Bigmouth

Bigmouth strikes again

And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sweetness /ˈswiːtnəs/ B1	noun - the quality of being sweet; a pleasant, gentle, or kind quality. Often used as an endearment.
joking /ˈdʒoʊkɪŋ/ A2	verb - saying or doing something to make people laugh, often not meant to be serious. adjective - said or done as a joke; not serious.
smash /smæʃ/ B1	verb - to break something into many pieces by dropping or hitting it; to hit something very hard.
tooth /tuːθ/ A1	noun - one of the hard white structures in the mouth used for biting and chewing food.
head /hɛd/ A1	noun - the part of the body containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
bludgeoned /ˈblʌdʒənd/ C1	verb - to hit someone or something repeatedly with a heavy object.
bed /bɛd/ A1	noun - a piece of furniture for sleeping on.
Joan of Arc /ˌdʒoʊn əv ˈɑːrk/ B2	proper noun - a French peasant girl who, believing she was acting under divine guidance, led the French army to victory over the English at Orléans in 1429. She was later burned at the stake.
flames /fleɪmz/ B1	noun - hot, glowing gas that can be seen when something is burning.
rise /raɪz/ A2	verb - to move upwards; to increase in amount, level, or strength.
roman /ˈroʊmən/ B1	adjective - relating to ancient Rome or modern Rome; characteristic of the Roman nose (a nose with a high, prominent bridge).
nose /noʊz/ A1	noun - the part of the face or head through which an animal or person breathes and smells.
walkman /ˈwɔːkmən/ B2	noun - a personal stereo, originally a brand name for a portable cassette player manufactured by Sony.
melt /mɛlt/ B1	verb - to change from a solid to a liquid state, typically by heating.
bigmouth /ˈbɪɡmaʊθ/ C1	noun - a person who talks too much, especially one who reveals secrets or says things that cause trouble.
strike /straɪk/ B1	verb - to hit or attack someone or something forcefully or violently. verb - (of a disaster, disease, or other unwelcome phenomenon) to occur suddenly and cause damage or suffering.
right /raɪt/ A2	noun - a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something. noun - that which is morally good or acceptable; justice. (Often in phrases like 'by rights')
human /ˈhjuːmən/ A2	adjective - relating to or characteristic of humankind.
race /reɪs/ B1	noun - a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.; a major division of humankind. (As in 'human race')
hearing aid /ˈhɪərɪŋ eɪd/ B2	noun - a small electronic device worn in or behind the ear to amplify sound for people with hearing loss.

Key Grammar Structures

• Sweetness, I was only joking when I said

  ➔ Past continuous tense (I *was joking*), adverbial clause of time (*when* I said)

  ➔ The past continuous, "*was joking*," describes an action in progress in the past. The clause "*when* I said" functions as an adverbial clause of time.

• I'd like to smash every tooth in your head

  ➔ Conditional construction (*I'd like* - would like), infinitive verb (to *smash*)

  ➔ "*I'd like*" is the conditional form of "I would like." The infinitive "to *smash*" follows the modal verb 'would'.

• By rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed

  ➔ Modal verb (*should*), passive voice (*be bludgeoned*)

  ➔ The modal verb "*should*" expresses obligation or advice. The passive voice "*be bludgeoned*" indicates that the subject is the recipient of the action.

• And now I know how Joan of Arc felt

  ➔ Conjunction (and), Direct object (how Joan of Arc *felt*)

  ➔ The conjunction "and" connects two independent clauses. The phrase "how Joan of Arc *felt*" functions as a noun clause, acting as the direct object of "know".

• As the flames rose to her roman nose

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction (*As*), relative clause (that describes the rise of the flames)

  ➔ "*As*" introduces a subordinate clause, indicating time or reason. The clause describes the action happening.

• And her walkman started to melt

  ➔ Simple past tense (started), Infinitive of purpose (to *melt*)

  ➔ The simple past tense "*started*" indicates an action that began and ended in the past. The infinitive phrase "to *melt*" indicates purpose or result.

• And I've got no right to take my place with the human race

  ➔ Present perfect tense (*I've got*), Prepositional phrase (to take my place *with* the human race).

  ➔ The present perfect "*I've got*" connects the past action (having no right) to the present. The prepositional phrase "*with* the human race" indicates the relationship or association.