Burning Down the House – English Lyrics

• By: Paramore
• Album: Everyone’s Getting Involved

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Paramore's vibrant cover of "Burning Down the House" and discover a high-energy anthem of rebellion and self-liberation. With Hayley Williams' powerful vocals, you'll experience a masterclass in conveying strong emotions and challenging norms, making it a fantastic song for understanding expressive English through its vivid imagery and urgent message of change.

[English]

(Who got a match?)

Ooh, watch out

You might get what you're after

Cool, babies

Strange, but not a stranger

I'm an ordinary guy

Burning down the house

Hold tight

Wait 'til the party's over

Hold tight

We're in for nasty weather

And there has got to be a way

Burning down the house

Well, here's your ticket, pack your bags

Time for jumpin' overboard

Transportation is here

Close enough, but not too far

Maybe you know where you are

Fightin' fire with fire

Ooh, all wet

Hey, you might need a raincoat

Shakedown

Dreams walking in broad daylight

Three hundred sixty-five degrees

Burning down the house

It was once upon a place

Sometimes I listen to myself

Gonna come in first place

And people on their way to work

Say, "Baby, what did you expect?"

Gonna burst into flames, ah

...

Burning down the house

My house's

Out of the ordinary

That's right

Don't wanna hurt nobody

Some things sure can sweep me off my feet

Ah, burning down the house

No visible means of support

And you have not seen nothing yet

Everything's stuck together

Well, I don't know what you expect

Staring into the TV set

Fightin' fire with fire, ah

Ooh

Ah, yeah

...

Burning down the house

...

Burning down the house

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
burning /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ B1	verb - to be on fire; to be consumed by fire adjective - on fire; enthusiastic or passionate
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
watch /wɒtʃ/ A2	verb - to look at someone or something for a period of time
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒər/ A2	noun - a person whom one does not know
guy /ɡaɪ/ A1	noun - a man
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	noun - a social gathering
weather /ˈweðər/ A2	noun - the state of the atmosphere at a particular time
ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/ A1	noun - a piece of paper that allows you to do something, such as travel on a train
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
daylight /ˈdeɪlaɪt/ A2	noun - the natural light of the day
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position, point, or area in space
flames /fleɪmz/ B1	noun - the state of burning
ordinary /ˈɔːrdəneri/ B1	adjective - with no special or distinctive features; normal
flames /fleɪmz/ B1	noun - the state of burning
feet /fiːt/ A1	noun - the part of the leg below the ankle

Key Grammar Structures

• You might get what you're after

  ➔ Modal verb 'might' + infinitive

  ➔ The modal verb 'might' indicates *possibility* or *probability*.

• I'm an ordinary guy

  ➔ Present simple tense (to be) + adjective + noun

  ➔ Used to describe a *fact* or *general truth*. The subject 'I' uses the present simple form of 'to be' ('am').

• We're in for nasty weather

  ➔ Future simple with 'be in for'

  ➔ 'Be in for' expresses *expectation* or *anticipation* of something, in this case, bad weather.

• Time for jumpin' overboard

  ➔ Noun phrase: 'Time for + gerund'

  ➔ This structure indicates that it's *time* to do the action, 'jumpin' overboard'. The gerund 'jumpin' acts as a noun.

• Close enough, but not too far

  ➔ Adjective clauses with comparative adverbs

  ➔ Uses comparative adverbs 'enough' and 'far' to modify the adjectives, creating a nuanced comparison.

• Fightin' fire with fire

  ➔ Gerund phrase as object of a preposition

  ➔ 'Fightin'' acts as a noun, and the phrase 'with fire' is the prepositional phrase completing the meaning.

• Sometimes I listen to myself

  ➔ Simple present tense + reflexive pronoun

  ➔ Indicates a regular action or state in the present time. The reflexive pronoun 'myself' reflects the action back to the subject.

• Everything's stuck together

  ➔ Present simple passive voice

  ➔ The subject 'everything' is being acted upon. 'Stuck' is the past participle.