Blue Lights – English Lyrics

• By: Jorja Smith
• Album: Lost & Found

Lyrics & Translation

Learn English through the powerful storytelling of Jorja Smith's 'Blue Lights.' This song offers a unique opportunity to explore nuanced vocabulary related to social justice and emotion. Its clear, soulful vocals and compelling narrative about innocence and prejudice make it a moving and educational listening experience.

[English]

(shower water splashing)

(upbeat music begins)

♪ I wanna turn those blue lights ♪

♪ into strobe lights ♪

♪ Not blue flashing lights, ♪

♪ maybe fairy lights ♪

♪ Those blue lights (blue lights) ♪

♪ into strobe lights (strobe lights) ♪

♪ Maybe even fairy lights (fairy lights) ♪

♪ not blue flashing lights ♪

♪ Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ When you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ You better not run ♪

♪ because the sirens' not coming for you ♪

♪ What have you done? ♪

♪ You went to school that day ♪

♪ Was a bit late but it was a Monday ♪

♪ Kept after class for answering back ♪

♪ You apologized any harm in that ♪

♪ I wanna turn those blue lights ♪

♪ What have you done? ♪

♪ Into strobe lights ♪

♪ There's no need to run ♪

♪ Not blue flashing lights ♪

♪ If you've done nothing wrong ♪ ♪ Maybe fairy lights ♪

♪ Blue lights should just pass you by ♪

♪ Gun crime into your right ear ♪

♪ Drugs and violence into your left ♪

♪ Default white headphones ♪

♪ flooding the auditory subconscious waves ♪

♪ you accept ♪

♪ You're sitting on the floor back home ♪

♪ "Where you at, G? Answer your phone!" ♪

♪ Pause the poison to answer his message ♪

♪ Your boy sounds rushed, fears for his adolescence ♪

♪ I wanna turn those blue lights ♪

♪ What have you done? ♪

♪ Into strobe lights ♪

♪ There's no need to run ♪

♪ Not blue flashing lights ♪

♪ If you've done nothing wrong ♪ ♪ Maybe fairy lights ♪

♪ Blue lights should just pass you by ♪

♪ Tall black shadow as you're getting off the bus ♪

♪ Shadow shows no emotion so what's even the fuss? ♪

♪ But the face of your boy casts a darker picture ♪

♪ of the red handed act, he's gonna whisper; ♪

♪ "Look blud I'm sorry cause I know you got my back ♪

♪ He was running, I couldn't think, ♪

♪ I had to get out of that" ♪

♪ Not long ago you were miming to the "Shook Ones" ♪

♪ Now this really is part two because you're the shook one ♪

(police siren)

♪ Hands you the tool as you question your friendship ♪

♪ How's man like you gonna make me a convict? ♪

♪ Level of a felon when I've done nothing wrong ♪

♪ Blood on my hands but I don't know where it's from ♪

♪ Oh, you got blood on your hands ♪

♪ but you don't know where it's from ♪

♪ You better run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ When you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ Better run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ Cause they will be coming for you ♪

♪ Run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ Better run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ When you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ The blue lights are coming for you ♪

♪ I wanna turn those blue lights ♪

♪ What have you done ♪

♪ Into strobe lights ♪

♪ There's no need to run ♪

♪ Not blue flashing lights ♪

♪ If you've done nothing wrong ♪ ♪ Maybe fairy lights ♪

♪ Blue lights should just pass you by ♪

♪ Blud, when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ Blud, when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

♪ What have you d-d-d-done, done? ♪

♪ Don't you run ♪

♪ Don't you run ♪

♪ Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming ♪

(police sirens)

(baby crying)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - sources of illumination
hear /hɪər/ A1	verb - to perceive with the ear
coming /ˈkʌmɪŋ/ A1	verb - approaching
sirens /ˈsaɪrənz/ B1	noun - alarms that make a loud warning sound
done /dʌn/ A2	verb - completed, finished
school /skuːl/ A1	noun - a place for learning
wrong /rɒŋ/ A2	adjective - not correct or right
crime /kraɪm/ B1	noun - an illegal act
drugs /drʌɡz/ B1	noun - illegal substances
violence /ˈvaɪələns/ B1	noun - behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something
poison /ˈpɔɪzən/ B2	noun - a substance that causes illness or death when eaten, drunk, or absorbed
shadow /ˈʃædəʊ/ B1	noun - a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between light and a surface
emotion /ɪˈməʊʃən/ B1	noun - a strong feeling
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - red liquid circulating in the body
convict /ˈkɒnvɪkt/ B2	noun - a person found guilty of a criminal offense

Key Grammar Structures

• I wanna turn those blue lights into strobe lights

  ➔ Use of "wanna" as a contraction of "want to".

  ➔ "Wanna" is an informal contraction commonly used in speech and song lyrics. It expresses the desire or intention to do something. In this case, the speaker expresses their desire to transform the "blue lights".

• Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming

  ➔ Imperative sentence with a negative auxiliary verb ("don't") followed by a clause introduced by "when".

  ➔ This is a command not to take a specific action ("run") under a certain condition ("when you hear the sirens coming").

• You better not run because the sirens' not coming for you

  ➔ Use of "better" to give advice or a strong suggestion. Double negative "better not".

  ➔ "You better not" expresses a strong recommendation against running. The phrase "sirens' not coming for you" means the sirens are not targeting the listener.

• Blood on my hands but I don't know where it's from

  ➔ Use of "where it's from" as a shortened form of "where it is from".

  ➔ The phrase "where it's from" refers to the origin of the blood on the speaker's hands. The speaker does not know the source of the blood.

• How's man like you gonna make me a convict?

  ➔ Informal contraction of "How is" as "How's". Future tense using "gonna" instead of "going to". Interrogative sentence structure.

  ➔ The sentence expresses the speaker's disbelief that someone like the person they are addressing could cause them to become a convicted criminal. "Gonna" is an informal way of saying "going to".

• Now this really is part two because you're the shook one

  ➔ Use of "shook" as a slang term meaning scared or unnerved. "You're" contraction of "you are".

  ➔ The speaker is stating that the current situation is the second part of a previous event (referencing the song "Shook Ones") and that the person they are addressing is now the one who is scared or unnerved.

• Level of a felon when I've done nothing wrong

  ➔ Present perfect tense "I've done" (contraction of "I have done") indicating an action completed at an unspecified time in the past. Use of "nothing" as a negative pronoun.

  ➔ The speaker is protesting that despite not having committed any crime ("done nothing wrong"), they are being treated as if they were a serious criminal (a felon).