Cinnamon Girl – English Lyrics

• By: Prince
• Album: Musicology

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical journey with Prince's "Cinnamon Girl" to explore profound social commentary and rich storytelling in English. This song offers a unique opportunity to delve into emotionally charged narratives about identity and prejudice in a post-9/11 world. Its poignant lyrics and narrative structure make it an exceptional piece for understanding how music can address complex societal issues, providing both a cultural and linguistic learning experience.

[English]

As war drums beat in Babylon

Cinnamon Girl starts to pray

I never heard a prayer like this one

Never before that day

Tearful words of love for people she had never met before

Asking God to grant them mercy in this face of a holy war

Cinnamon Girl

Cinnamon Girl

Cinnamon Girl of mixed heritage

Never knew the meaning of color lines

911 turned that all around

When she got accused of this crime

So began the mass illusion, war on terror alibi

What's the use when the God of confusion keeps on telling the same lie?

Cinnamon Girl

Cinnamon Girl

Don't cry, don't shed no tears

One night won't make us feel

'Cause we know how this movie's ending

Cinnamon Girl

As war drums beat in Babylon

And scorch the blood red sky

Militants bomb the foreign gun

Both side's children die

Cinnamon Girl opens the book she knows will settle all the scores

Then she prays after the war that there will not be anymore

Cinnamon Girl

Cinnamon Girl

Cinnamon Girl

Don't worry, baby, it's gonna be alright

Cinnamon Girl

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
war /wɔːr/ B1	noun - armed conflict between countries or groups
drums /drʌmz/ B1	noun - percussion instruments that are struck
Babylon /ˈbæbɪlɒn/ C1	proper noun - ancient city in Mesopotamia
pray /preɪ/ A2	verb - to speak to a deity, asking for help or expressing thanks
prayer /ˈprɛər/ A2	noun - a spoken or silent request to a deity
tearful /ˈtɪrfəl/ B2	adjective - full of or causing tears
mercy /ˈmɜːrsi/ B2	noun - compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone
holy /ˈhoʊli/ B1	adjective - sacred, dedicated to religious purposes
heritage /ˈhɛrɪtɪdʒ/ B2	noun - property inherited from the past
illusion /ɪˈluːʒən/ C1	noun - a false perception or belief
terror /ˈtɛr.ər/ B2	noun - extreme fear
confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/ B2	noun - lack of clarity or order
lie /laɪ/ B1	noun - a false statement verb - to tell a falsehood
scorch /skɔːrtʃ/ C1	verb - to burn the surface of something
militants /ˈmɪlɪtənts/ C1	noun - people who use violent methods for political goals
bomb /bɒm/ B1	noun - explosive device verb - to attack using bombs
foreign /ˈfɒrən/ B1	adjective - from another country
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - young human beings
settle /ˈsɛtəl/ B2	verb - to resolve or reach an agreement
alibi /ˈælɪbaɪ/ C1	noun - proof that one was elsewhere at the time of an alleged crime

Key Grammar Structures

• As war drums beat in Babylon

  ➔ Present Simple (adverbial clause with "as")

  ➔ The verb "beat" is in the present simple to describe an ongoing action that occurs while something else happens.

• Cinnamon Girl starts to pray

  ➔ Present Simple + infinitive (verb + "to" + base form)

  ➔ The verb "starts" is in the present simple, followed by the infinitive "to pray" indicating the beginning of an action.

• I never heard a prayer like this one

  ➔ Past Simple negative with "never"

  ➔ The adverb "never" negates the past simple verb "heard", indicating that the speaker has not experienced such a prayer at any time before.

• Tearful words of love for people she had never met before

  ➔ Past Perfect ("had met")

  ➔ The past perfect "had never met" shows an action that occurred before another past reference point (the words being spoken).

• When she got accused of this crime

  ➔ Passive voice ("got accused")

  ➔ The verb phrase "got accused" is a passive construction meaning that someone else performed the action of accusing her.

• So began the mass illusion, war on terror alibi

  ➔ Inversion for emphasis (verb before subject)

  ➔ The verb "began" appears before the subject "the mass illusion", creating an inverted clause for dramatic effect.

• What's the use when the God of confusion keeps on telling the same lie?

  ➔ Present Simple with "keeps on" + gerund

  ➔ The phrase "keeps on telling" uses the verb "keeps" (present simple) followed by "on" + gerund "telling" to express a repeated or habitual action.

• Don't cry, don't shed no tears

  ➔ Imperative negative with "don't"

  ➔ The word "Don't" is a contraction of "do not" used to give a direct negative command: "Do not cry".

• Cinnamon Girl opens the book she knows will settle all the scores

  ➔ Relative clause with future meaning ("she knows will settle")

  ➔ The clause "she knows will settle all the scores" is a relative clause where "will settle" is in the future simple, showing what the book is expected to do.