Bones – English Lyrics

• By: Imagine Dragons
• Album: Mercury – Acts 1 & 2

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in the powerful English lyrics of Imagine Dragons' "Bones" to explore themes of life, death, and inner strength. This mid-tempo rock anthem offers a unique blend of introspective meaning and energetic delivery, making it an engaging song to learn new vocabulary and expressions related to human resilience and existential reflection. Its clear vocals and compelling narrative provide an excellent opportunity to understand nuanced English phrasing in a musical context.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
bones /boʊnz/ A2	noun - the rigid parts of the skeleton of vertebrates.
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ B1	noun - an emotional state or reaction.
magic /ˈmædʒɪk/ B2	noun - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. adjective - wonderful; exciting.
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
stones /stoʊnz/ A1	noun - small pieces of rock.
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought. verb - be annoyed or worried by something
patience /ˈpeɪʃns/ B2	noun - the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
losing /ˈluːzɪŋ/ B1	verb - be deprived of something.
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B1	noun - the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events. verb - determine the behavior or supervise the running of.
reaper /ˈriːpər/ C1	noun - death personified as a cloaked skeleton holding a large scythe.
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.
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ A2	noun - a reflective surface, now typically of glass backed with a metal coating.
burning /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ B1	verb - damaged or destroyed by fire adjective - very strong
entertaining /ˌentərˈteɪnɪŋ/ B2	adjective - providing amusement or enjoyment.

Key Grammar Structures

• GIMME GIMME GIMME SOME TIME TO THINK

  ➔ Imperative (Gimme)

  ➔ "Gimme" is a colloquial contraction of "Give me." It's an example of using the imperative mood, which expresses a command or request. This usage is informal.

• WAIT UNTIL THE REAPER TAKES MY LIFE

  ➔ Subordinate clause with "until"

  ➔ The sentence contains a subordinate clause beginning with "until", indicating a time condition. The main clause is implied (e.g., "I will..."), and the action is contingent on the reaper taking the speaker's life.

• NEVER GONNA GET ME OUT ALIVE

  ➔ Future with "gonna" (informal)

  ➔ "Gonna" is a colloquial contraction of "going to", commonly used to express the future tense in informal speech. It indicates a future intention or prediction.

• I GOT THIS FEELING YEAH YOU KNOW

  ➔ Present Perfect (I've got / I got)

  ➔ "I got" is a colloquial alternative to "I've got," representing the present perfect tense. It indicates that the speaker has a feeling at the present moment, having acquired it at some point in the past. In American English, "I got" is often used instead of "I have got".

• WHERE I’M LOSING ALL CONTROL

  ➔ Relative Clause with "where"

  ➔ "Where I'm losing all control" is a relative clause modifying the preceding noun phrase (the "feeling"). "Where" refers to a state or condition in which the speaker is losing control.

• CAUSE THERE’S MAGIC IN MY BONES

  ➔ Existential "there is"

  ➔ "There's magic in my bones" uses the existential "there is/there's" to express the existence of something (magic) in a specific location (the speaker's bones). It asserts the presence of magic.

• PLAYING WITH A STICK OF DYNAMITE

  ➔ Present Participle as a Gerund/Noun Modifier

  ➔ "Playing" acts as a present participle. In this context, it could be short for "(I am) playing", suggesting an ongoing action, or it can be considered a gerund describing an action used as a noun. Another intepretation is, that it is a modifier of the one who is speaking.

• THERE WAS NEVER GREY IN BLACK AND WHITE

  ➔ Past Tense with "Never"

  ➔ This sentence uses the past tense ("was") along with the adverb "never" to emphatically state that a certain condition (the presence of grey in black and white) did not exist at any point in the past. The use of "never" intensifies the negation.