The Other Side of Paradise – English Lyrics

• By: Glass Animals
• Album: How to Be a Human Being

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the intricate storytelling of Glass Animals' "The Other Side of Paradise," a song where complex narratives about fame, loss, and coping are woven into a hypnotic sonic landscape. By exploring its layered English lyrics, you can grasp the band's unique ability to create immersive worlds, making it a compelling entry point into their distinctive alternative pop sound.

[English]

When I was young and stupid, my love

left to be a rock and roll star

He told me, please dont worry, wise

little smile that spoke so safely

He broke the one way ticket, out

west that's where they make it

Six kids stuck in a bed sit, two

sons swept poolside with jet

He met a girl who wore a satchip, in

freddo clothes and jumbo jewelry

Gonna be a phenomenal man, he's

gonna be a gem of what you want

He's got a gold conglomerate,

he's set over the play phone

I try to keep my cool, but my

life comes in slow motion

My mind may be blue, I wish

you could see the market true

Caught up in a rush, killing you, dreaming

of the song you wrote it through

Gonna be a great man, he

was, he goes in a fist fight

You might want to, say no

more, time to get born new

You put paradise on hold on to, a single rose

Where I was from and all alone,

one left to be a rock and roll star

He'd stay and treat his lady,

give everything to his new baby

I'm missing, dont you blame me,

that boy went stone cold crazy

Caught up in camera lusties,

chasing that daddy pipe dream

I know you dont but I, I know

you dont but I still try

My thunder shook him down, my

thunder came and shook him down

That girl is gone but I, that

girl is gone but I still try

I think it's over now, the bullet hit but maybe not

I feel so fucking numb, it

hits my head and I feel numb

My body's looking wrong, my body's

looking wrong, my body's looking wrong

My mind may be blue, I wish

you could see the market true

Caught up in a world that's

stealing you, dreaming in the sun

You're going through, a little bit of grief

But he goes, he goes in a fist fight

You might want to, say no

more, time to get born new

You put paradise on hold on to, a single rose

I'm missing, dont you blame me,

that boy went stone cold crazy

Caught up in camera lusties,

chasing that daddy pipe dream

I'm missing, dont you blame me,

that boy went stone cold crazy

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
paradise /ˈpærəˌdaɪs/ B1	noun - a place or state of great happiness or beauty; heaven
rock /rɒk/ B1	noun - a solid mineral material forming part of the Earth's surface noun - a genre of popular music that originated in the 1950s
roll /roʊl/ A2	noun - a small rounded loaf of bread
star /stɑr/ A2	noun - a celestial body; a famous person noun - a famous or outstanding person
left /lɛft/ B1	verb - to go away from a place; to depart
worry /ˈwɜri/ B1	verb - to feel anxious or concerned
smile /smaɪl/ A2	noun - a pleased or kind facial expression
spoke /spoʊk/ B1	verb - past tense of speak
ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/ B1	noun - a card or paper that allows entry or travel
life /laɪf/ A2	noun - the existence of living beings; the quality or state of being alive
blue /bluː/ A2	adjective - color of the clear sky; sad or depressed
market /ˈmɑrkɪt/ B1	noun - a place where goods are bought and sold; the economy of a region
dream /driːm/ B1	noun - a series of thoughts while asleep; an aspiration verb - to experience dreams while asleep; to imagine or hope for
rose /roʊz/ A2	noun - a flowering plant of the genus Rosa noun - past tense of rise
camera /ˈkæmərə/ B1	noun - a device for recording images
lust /lʌst/ B2	noun - an intense or uncontrolled desire, especially sexual
daddy /ˈdædi/ A2	noun - father; a term of affection
pipe /paɪp/ A2	noun - a tube through which something flows; a smoking pipe
numb /nʌmb/ A2	adjective - lacking sensation; unable to feel, often due to cold or shock

Key Grammar Structures

• When I was young and stupid, my love left to be a rock and roll star

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ Used to describe completed actions in the past. In "When I was young and stupid, my love "left" to be a rock and roll star", "left" indicates a finished action at an unspecified time.

• He told me, please dont worry, wise little smile that spoke so safely

  ➔ Reported Speech

  ➔ Conveying what someone said without direct quotes, often with backshift. Here, "He "told" me, please dont worry" reports his speaking indirectly, with commas indicating the quotation.

• He broke the one way ticket, out west that's where they make it

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ To express why an action is done, using 'to + infinitive'. "Out west that's where they "make" it" uses the infinitive "to make" to show the purpose of going west.

• my life comes in slow motion

  ➔ Inversion for Emphasis

  ➔ Word order is reversed for emphasis or formality. In "my life "comes" in slow motion", the subject-verb inversion emphasizes the idea of life unfolding slowly.

• Gonna be a phenomenal man, he's gonna be a gem

  ➔ Future with 'Gonna'

  ➔ Informal way to express future using 'going to'. "He's "gonna" be a phenomenal man" indicates a plan or prediction about becoming successful.

• Caught up in a rush, killing you, dreaming of the song

  ➔ Gerunds in a Series

  ➔ Using gerunds (-ing form) as nouns in a list. "Caught up in a rush, "killing" you, "dreaming" of the song" uses gerunds to describe ongoing activities or states.

• That girl is gone but I, that girl is gone but I still try

  ➔ Concessive Conjunction 'But'

  ➔ Indicating contrast despite a given condition. "That girl is gone "but" I still try" shows persistent effort even though she's left.

• Caught up in camera lusties, chasing that daddy pipe dream

  ➔ Present Continuous for Repeated Actions

  ➔ Describes ongoing or habitual actions in the present. "Caught up in camera "lusties", "chasing" that daddy pipe dream" conveys obsession with fame and dreams over time.