City's Burning – English Lyrics

• By: Heart

Lyrics & Translation

Ready to dive into a powerful piece of rock history? Heart's "City's Burning" offers a compelling narrative set against a backdrop of raw emotion and hard-hitting instrumentation. Through its vivid lyrics, you can explore expressions of anger, fear, and human reaction to devastating news. This song, with its "Plant-like rasp" vocals and "ravaging display of heavy metal rock," provides a fantastic opportunity to engage with English in a dynamic and emotionally charged context. Understanding the lyrics will unlock a deeper appreciation for this underrated gem and the storytelling prowess of Heart.

[English]

(upbeat music)

♪ Young man is angry, girl is afraid ♪

♪ She want to get high and he want to get paid ♪

♪ She had to jump up, he had to sit down ♪

♪ When they heard those words about the trouble downtown ♪

♪ He had to shout, she had to cry ♪

♪ He wanted to kill and she wanted to die ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning ♪

♪ Grab for the dial, tune out the fright ♪

♪ But he turns left and she turns right ♪

♪ She look for love songs, he buys the drive ♪

♪ But all they can pull is bad news in tonight ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning ♪

♪ Ooh mama, tell me what to do ♪

♪ Aah, daddy you better pull us through ♪

♪ Ooh mama, mama, mama, tell me what to do ♪

♪ Daddy, you better pull us through ♪

♪ Young man is angry, girl is afraid ♪

♪ He want to get high and she want to get paid ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning, burning, burning, burning ♪

♪ City's burning ♪

♪ Cities burning ♪

♪ City's burning, burning, burning, burning, burning, ohh ♪

♪ Cities burning, burning, burning ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
city /ˈsɪti/ A2	noun - a large town
burning /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ B1	adjective - on fire; producing heat and flame verb (present participle) - to set on fire; to be on fire
angry /ˈæŋɡri/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing strong displeasure
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ B1	adjective - feeling fear or anxiety
high /haɪ/ B1	adjective - at a great height; elevated adjective (slang) - under the influence of drugs, especially marijuana
paid /peɪd/ B1	verb (past participle) - gave money for something adjective - receiving payment; not unpaid
trouble /ˈtrʌbəl/ B2	noun - difficulty or problems verb - to disturb or bother
downtown /ˈdaʊntaʊn/ B2	noun - the central business area of a city
shout /ʃaʊt/ B1	verb - to speak loudly noun - a loud cry
cry /kraɪ/ B1	verb - to shed tears noun - a loud shout or wail
kill /kɪl/ B1	verb - to cause death
die /daɪ/ B1	verb - to cease living
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection or strong feeling of attachment verb - to feel deep affection for
tonight /təˈnaɪt/ A2	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise of the current day
grab /ɡræb/ B1	verb - to seize suddenly or tightly
dial /ˈdaɪəl/ B2	noun - a set of numbers on a telephone used to make a call verb - to enter numbers on a telephone
fright /fraɪt/ B2	noun - a sudden intense fear
turn /tɜːrn/ B1	verb - to rotate or move around an axis noun - an act of turning; a change in direction
pull /pʊl/ B1	verb - to draw something towards oneself
bad /bæd/ A1	adjective - of poor quality or undesirable

Key Grammar Structures

• Young man is angry, girl is afraid

  ➔ Present Simple (to be + adjective)

  ➔ The verb **"is"** links the subject to the adjective, showing a state: "Young man **is** angry".

• She want to get high and he want to get paid

  ➔ Infinitive after 'want'

  ➔ "Want" is followed by the **infinitive** "to get" to express a desire: "She **want** **to get** high".

• She had to jump up, he had to sit down

  ➔ Modal verb 'have to' for past obligation

  ➔ "Had to" expresses **obligation** in the past: "She **had to** jump up".

• He wanted to kill and she wanted to die

  ➔ Past simple + infinitive

  ➔ "Wanted" (past) is followed by the **infinitive** "to kill" to show a past desire.

• Grab for the dial, tune out the fright

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ Both clauses start with a **verb** in base form, giving a command: "**Grab** for the dial".

• But he turns left and she turns right

  ➔ Simple present for habitual actions

  ➔ The verb **"turns"** in present simple indicates a regular pattern: "he **turns** left".

• But all they can pull is bad news in tonight

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' + infinitive

  ➔ "Can" expresses **ability/possibility**, followed by the **infinitive** "pull": "they **can** **pull**".

• Daddy, you better pull us through

  ➔ 'Had better' construction (advice)

  ➔ "You **better** pull us through" is a shortened form of "you **had better** pull us through", giving strong **advice**.

• Cities burning, burning, burning

  ➔ Present participle used as adjective (gerund‑like)

  ➔ The **‑ing** form "burning" describes the city’s state, functioning like an adjective: "Cities **burning**".