Brutalist – English Lyrics

• By: Kim Petras

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the dark, cinematic world of Kim Petras with 'Brutalist.' This song is a perfect tool for learners to explore expressive, modern English vocabulary related to emotions, strength, and metaphor, all while enjoying a unique dark-pop production style.

[English]

[music]

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

There was a building there and it was

brutalist [music] and it was beautiful.

It was my favorite, but it's not there

no more because they tore it down. They

really ruined it.

My dad's [music] an architect. He used

to show me it when he would drive me to

the site. I used to see it again and

again. Didn't come back again.

I guess they ruined it.

Sometimes I lay awake when everyone's

[singing and music]

asleep and I can see the odd shapes over

me. There was a building there and it

was [music] brutalist and it was

beautiful.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it [music] was

standing on the right side of the

street. They cut my hair at the

site. I used to see it, but

it was [music] really [singing] there.

It meant so much to me, but now they

ruined it.

Yeah, but now they ruined it.

Yeah, yeah, but now they ruined it.

>> [music]

>> Yeah, yeah, they really ruined it.

Yeah, yeah, they really ruined it.

>> [music]

>> Yeah, they took a knife to it. They took

a bomb to it. They bulldozed [music]

it and they didn't give [singing] a

It really breaks my heart what

they did to it. really ruined it.

Yeah, yeah,

they really ruined it.

>> [music]

>> Yeah, yeah, they took a knife to it.

Yeah, yeah, they took a bomb [music] to

it.

Yeah, yeah, they bulldozed it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they took a knife to

[music] it.

Uh-huh, they took a bomb to it.

Yeah,

uh-huh, they bulldozed it.

Yeah, yeah, they

really ruined it.

There was a building there, and it was

brutalist, [singing] and it was

beautiful, [music]

my favorite. I want to take you there. I

want to take you there, [singing] but

they ruined it.

I want to take you there. I want to take

[singing] you there. I want to take you

there.

But, they tore it down. It's not there

no more. They really ruined it.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
brutalist /ˈbruːtəlɪst/ C2	adjective - Relating to a style of architecture characterized by massive, monolithic, and blocky appearances with a rigid geometric style.
architect /ˈɑːrkɪtekt/ B2	noun - A person who designs buildings and advises on their construction.
ruin /ˈruːɪn/ B1	verb - To reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration.
bulldoze /ˈbʊldəʊz/ C1	verb - To clear or demolish with a bulldozer.
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A1	adjective - Pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
favorite /ˈfeɪvərɪt/ A2	noun - A person or thing that is preferred to all others.
building /ˈbɪldɪŋ/ A1	noun - A structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory.
tear /teər/ B1	verb - To pull something apart or to pieces by force.
awake /əˈweɪk/ B1	adjective - Not asleep.
asleep /əˈsliːp/ A2	adjective - In a state of sleep.
odd /ɒd/ B1	adjective - Different from what is usual or expected; strange.
shapes /ʃeɪps/ A2	noun - The external form or appearance of something.
street /striːt/ A1	noun - A public road in a city or town.
knife /naɪf/ A2	noun - A tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade.
bomb /bɒm/ B1	noun - A container filled with explosive, incendiary material.

Key Grammar Structures

• There was a building there and it was brutalist.

  ➔ Existential 'There was' (Past simple)

  ➔ Used to describe the existence of something in the past. '"There was"' introduces the subject 'a building'.

• It's not there no more.

  ➔ Double negative (Non-standard/Colloquial)

  ➔ In standard English, we say 'not anymore'. The use of '"no more"' after 'not' creates a double negative common in colloquial speech.

• He used to show me it when he would drive me to the site.

  ➔ Used to (Past habits) & would (Repeated past actions)

  ➔ '"Used to"' refers to a past state, while '"would"' expresses repeated actions in the past.

• Sometimes I lay awake when everyone's asleep.

  ➔ Adjective phrase after verb (Stative)

  ➔ '"Awake"' and '"asleep"' function as adjectives describing the state of the subject, placed after the linking verbs.

• They took a knife to it.

  ➔ Idiomatic structure (Action towards an object)

  ➔ The phrase '"took a knife to it"' is an idiomatic way of saying they aggressively destroyed or damaged the building.

• It really breaks my heart what they did to it.

  ➔ Relative clause with 'what' (Nominal clause)

  ➔ '"What they did to it"' acts as a noun phrase functioning as the object of the sentence context.

• I want to take you there.

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive ('to' + verb)

  ➔ The verb 'want' is followed by the infinitive '"to take"' to indicate a desire or intention.

• It's not there no more.

  ➔ Contraction (Subject + Verb)

  ➔ '"It's"' is the contraction of 'It is', used frequently in informal spoken English.