Careless Memories – English Lyrics

• By: Duran Duran
• Album: Duran Duran

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotional landscape of Duran Duran's "Careless Memories," a powerful new wave track that offers a unique gateway to understanding English expressions of heartbreak and lingering regret. This song stands out for its urgent vocals, guitar-driven rhythms, and atmospheric synths, providing a dynamic context for learning vocabulary related to intense feelings, complex relationships, and the persistent nature of memory. Its vivid imagery and passionate delivery make it an engaging piece for language learners to explore.

[English]

So soon, just after you're gone

My senses sharpen

But it always takes so damn long

Before I feel how much my eyes have darkened

Fear hangs a plane of gunsmoke

Drifting in a room

So easy to disturb

With a thought

With a whisper

With a careless memory

Wiith a careless memory

On the table

Signs of love lie scattered

And the walls break

With a crashing within

It's not as though

As though you really mattered

Being close

How could I let you go

Without some feeling

Some precious sympathy following?

Fear hangs a plane of gunsmoke

Drifting in a room

So easy to disturb

With a thought

With a whisper

With a careless memory

Wiith a careless memory

With a careless memory

Wiith a careless memory

Oh, I walk out into the sun

I try to find a new day

But the whole place

It just screams in my eyes

Where are you now

'Cause I don't want to meet you?

I think I'd die

I think I'd laugh at you

I know I'd cry

What am I supposed to do?

Follow you?

Outside, the thoughts come flooding back, now

I just try to forget you

So easy to disturb

With a thought

With a whisper

With a careless memory

With a careless memory

With a careless memory

With a careless memory

With a careless memory

Look Out

Look Out

Look Out

Look Out

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
careless /ˈkɛərləs/ B1	adjective - Not giving enough attention or thought to what you are doing, so that you make mistakes or damage things.
memory /ˈmɛməri/ A2	noun - The ability to remember information, experiences, and people; a particular event or fact that you remember.
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
sharpen /ˈʃɑːrpən/ B2	verb - To make something sharper or more acute; to become sharper.
darken /ˈdɑːrkən/ B1	verb - To make or become dark or darker.
gunsmoke /ˈɡʌnsmoʊk/ C1	noun - The smoke produced when a gun is fired.
drift /drɪft/ B2	verb - To be carried slowly by a current of air or water; to move aimlessly from place to place.
disturb /dɪˈstɜːrb/ B1	verb - To interrupt someone's sleep, relaxation, or privacy; to make someone anxious or upset.
thought /θɔːt/ A2	noun - An idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind; the process of thinking.
whisper /ˈwɪspər/ B1	noun - A soft, low sound, especially of a person's voice. verb - To speak very softly using one's breath rather than one's throat, especially for the sake of secrecy.
scatter /ˈskætər/ B2	verb - To throw in various random directions; to spread widely over an area. adjective - Spread widely over an area in an irregular way.
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - To separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain; to damage something so that it is no longer usable.
crashing /ˈkræʃɪŋ/ B2	noun - A sudden loud noise, typically one indicating a violent impact or collapse.
matter /ˈmætər/ B1	verb - To be of importance; to have significance.
precious /ˈprɛʃəs/ B2	adjective - Of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly.
sympathy /ˈsɪmpəθi/ B2	noun - Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.
scream /skriːm/ B1	verb - To utter a loud, sharp, piercing cry, typically as an expression of extreme emotion.
die /daɪ/ A1	verb - To stop living.
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - To shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow.
forget /fərˈɡɛt/ A2	verb - To fail to remember something; to fail to do something.

Key Grammar Structures

• But it always takes so damn long

  ➔ Dummy Subject "It" with time expressions

  ➔ The pronoun "it" is used as a dummy subject, and "takes" indicates the duration required for an action or event.

• Before I feel how much my eyes have darkened

  ➔ Noun Clause with "how much" and Present Perfect

  ➔ The phrase "how much my eyes have darkened" functions as a noun clause, acting as the object of "feel." "have darkened" is in the present perfect, indicating a state resulting from a past action.

• Drifting in a room

  ➔ Present Participle Phrase (Adjectival)

  ➔ "Drifting in a room" is a present participle phrase modifying "gunsmoke" (from the previous line), describing its ongoing action.

• So easy to disturb

  ➔ Adjective + Infinitive

  ➔ The infinitive "to disturb" follows the adjective "easy," explaining what is easy to do.

• Signs of love lie scattered

  ➔ Past Participle as an Adjective (Stative Passive)

  ➔ "scattered" is a past participle acting as an adjective, describing the state of "signs of love." This is often called a stative passive construction.

• As though you really mattered

  ➔ Subordinate Conjunction "As though"

  ➔ "As though" introduces a subordinate clause expressing a hypothetical or imagined situation, often implying that something is not true or is uncertain.

• How could I let you go

  ➔ Modal Verb "Could" for Regret/Hypothetical Past

  ➔ "Could" is used here in a rhetorical question to express regret or difficulty in understanding a past action or decision.

• What am I supposed to do?

  ➔ "Be Supposed To" for Obligation/Expectation

  ➔ "am I supposed to do" indicates what is expected or what one should do according to a rule, custom, or external expectation.

• the thoughts come flooding back

  ➔ Verb + Present Participle (for manner)

  ➔ The verb "come" is followed by the present participle "flooding," which describes the manner in which the thoughts return, emphasizing intensity.

• I think I'd die

  ➔ Contraction "I'd" for Conditional "Would"

  ➔ "I'd" is a contraction of "I would," used here to express a hypothetical or imagined consequence in a conditional context.