Caramel – English Lyrics

• By: Sleep Token
• Album: Even In Arcadia

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Sleep Token's 'Caramel' and unravel a deeply personal narrative expressed through a captivating blend of genres. This song offers a unique opportunity to explore English vocabulary related to emotion, struggle, and the complexities of modern fame, all within a sonically rich and evolving soundscape that makes learning both engaging and deeply resonant.

[English]

Count me out like sovereigns, payback for the good times

Right foot in the roses, left foot on a landmine

I'm not gonna be there tripping on the grapevine

They can sing the words while I cry into the bassline

Wear me out like Prada, devil in my detail

I swear it's getting harder even just to exhale

Backed up into corners, bitter in the lens

I'm sick of trying to hide it every time thеy take mine

So stick to me

Stick to mе like caramel

Walk beside me till you feel nothin' as well

They ask me, "Is it goin' good in the garden?"

Say, "I'm lost, but I beg no pardon"

Up on the dice but low on the cards

I try not to talk about how it's harder now

Can I get a mirror side-stage?

Looking sideways at my own visage, gettin' worse

Every time they try to shout my real name just to get a rise from me

Acting like I'm never stressed out by the hearsay

I guess that's what I get for trying to hide in the limelight

Guess that's what I get for having 20/20 hindsight

Everybody wants eyes on 'em, I just wanna hear you sing that top line

And if you don't think I mean it, then I understand

But I'm still glad you came, so let me see those hands

So stick to me

Stick to me like caramel

Walk beside me till you feel nothin' as well

I'm fallin' free of the final parallel

The sweetest dreams are bitter

But there's no one left to tell

Too young to get bitter over it all

Too old to retaliate like before

Too blessed to be caught ungrateful, I know

So I'll keep dancin' along to the rhythm

This stage is a prison, a beautiful nightmare (Too young to get bitter over it all)

A war of attrition, I'll take what I'm given (Too old to retaliate like before)

The deepest incisions, I thought I got better (Too blessed to be caught ungrateful, I know)

But maybe I didn't

(In these days of days) Tell me, did I give you what you came for?

(I wish it all away) Terrified to answer my own front door

(I thought things had changed) Missin' my wings in a realm of angels

(But everything's the same)

So I'll keep dancin' along to the rhythm

This stage is a prison, a beautiful nightmare

A war of attrition, I'll take what I'm given

The deepest incisions, I thought I got better

But maybe I didn't

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sovereigns /ˈsɒvrɪnz/ C2	noun - supreme rulers, monarchs
roses /ˈroʊzɪz/ A2	noun - flowers of a rose plant
landmine /ˈlændmaɪn/ B2	noun - an explosive mine laid on or just under the surface of the ground
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to shed tears noun - an act of weeping
devil /ˈdevl/ B1	noun - the supreme spirit of evil
bitter /ˈbɪtər/ B2	adjective - having a sharp, pungent taste or smell; not sweet adjective - feeling or showing resentment
caramel /ˈkærəməl/ B1	noun - burnt sugar used to flavour or colour food adjective - having a caramel colour
garden /ˈɡɑːrdn/ A2	noun - a plot of ground, usually near a house, used for growing flowers, vegetables, or fruit
dice /daɪs/ A2	noun - small cubes with each side having a different number of spots on it, used in games of chance
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ A2	noun - a reflective surface
visage /ˈvɪzɪdʒ/ C1	noun - a person's face, with reference to the form or proportions of the features
stressed /strest/ B1	adjective - feeling worried or unable to relax
limelight /ˈlaɪmlaɪt/ B2	noun - the focus of public attention
hindsight /ˈhaɪn(d)saɪt/ C1	noun - understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
prison /ˈprɪzn/ B1	noun - a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed
nightmare /ˈnaɪtmeər/ B1	noun - a frightening or unpleasant dream
angels /ˈeɪndʒlz/ A2	noun - spiritual beings believed to act as attendants of God

Key Grammar Structures

• Count me out like sovereigns, payback for the good times

  ➔ Imperative mood ("Count me out") and simile ("like sovereigns")

  ➔ The sentence uses the imperative mood "Count me out" to exclude himself. The phrase "like sovereigns" employs a simile, comparing the act of being counted out to the dismissal of rulers, suggesting a significant rejection or exclusion.

• I'm not gonna be there tripping on the grapevine

  ➔ Informal Future Tense ("gonna") and idiom ("tripping on the grapevine")

  ➔ "gonna" is a colloquial shortening of "going to", used for the future tense. "Tripping on the grapevine" is an idiom that signifies being caught up in rumors or gossip.

• I'm sick of trying to hide it every time they take mine

  ➔ Present Continuous with "sick of" and implied object after "take"

  ➔ "I'm sick of trying" uses the present continuous to emphasize the ongoing frustration. "They take mine" implies that "they" are taking something that belongs to the speaker, but the specific object is unstated. The structure 'sick of + gerund' is common.

• Walk beside me till you feel nothin' as well

  ➔ Imperative mood ("Walk beside me"), subordinating conjunction ("till"), and negative adverb ("nothin'")

  ➔ "Walk beside me" is a command or request. "Till" introduces a time clause. "Nothin'" is a colloquial form of "nothing", acting as an adverb.

• I'm lost, but I beg no pardon

  ➔ Present Simple and Negative Imperative (indirect)

  ➔ "I'm lost" states a current condition. "I beg no pardon" is an indirect way of saying 'I don't ask for forgiveness', a negative imperative.

• Can I get a mirror side-stage?

  ➔ Modal verb ("Can") for a polite request

  ➔ "Can" is used to make a polite request. It's a common way to ask for something.

• Acting like I'm never stressed out by the hearsay

  ➔ Present participle ("Acting") introducing a clause, and the subjunctive mood ("I'm never stressed out") after "like" to show disbelief

  ➔ "Acting like" introduces the way someone is pretending to be. "I'm never stressed out" suggests the speaker doesn't believe the person is truly never stressed, implying they are falsely presenting themselves. Subjunctive is used to express something contrary to fact.

• Guess that's what I get for trying to hide in the limelight

  ➔ Passive voice with the idiom "that's what I get for..."

  ➔ "That's what I get for..." is a common idiom expressing a consequence of one's actions. It often implies regret. The structure shows the result of a previous action or decision.