Coming Undone – English Lyrics

• By: Korn

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the intense world of Korn's "Coming Undone," a powerful nu metal anthem that vividly expresses the feeling of psychological collapse and the battle to hold oneself together. Through its raw lyrics and aggressive sound, you can explore expressions of mental strain and vulnerability, learning how English can convey profound emotional turmoil with striking imagery. This song is special for its candid exploration of internal struggles and its enduring impact on the rock charts.

[English]

(intense industrial music)

♪ Keep holding on ♪

♪ When my brain's ticking like a bomb ♪

♪ Guess the black thoughts ♪

♪ Have come again to get me ♪

♪ Sweet bitter words ♪

♪ Unlike nothing I've heard ♪

♪ Sing along, mockingbird ♪

♪ You don't affect me ♪

♪ That's right ♪

♪ Deliverance of my heart ♪

♪ Please strike ♪

♪ Be deliberate ♪

♪ Wait, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ Irate, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ Too late, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ What looks so strong, so delicate ♪

♪ Wait, I'm starting to suffocate ♪

♪ And soon I anticipate ♪

♪ I'm coming undone ♪

♪ What looks so strong, so delicate ♪

♪ Choke, choke again ♪

♪ I thought my demons were my friends ♪

♪ Pity me in the end ♪

♪ They're out to get me ♪

♪ Since I was young ♪

♪ I tasted sorrow on my tongue ♪

♪ And the sweet sugar gun ♪

♪ Does not protect me ♪

♪ That's right ♪

♪ Trigger between my eyes ♪

♪ Please strike ♪

♪ Make it quick now ♪

♪ Wait, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ Irate, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ Too late, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ What looks so strong, so delicate ♪

♪ Wait, I'm starting to suffocate ♪

♪ And soon I anticipate ♪

♪ I'm coming undone ♪

♪ What looks so strong, so delicate ♪

(intense industrial music continues)

♪ I'm trying to hold it together ♪

♪ Head is lighter than a feather ♪

♪ Looks like I'm not getting better ♪

♪ Not getting better ♪

♪ Wait, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ Irate, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ Too late, I'm coming undone ♪

♪ What looks so strong, so delicate ♪

♪ Wait, I'm starting to suffocate ♪

♪ And soon I anticipate ♪

♪ I'm coming undone ♪

♪ What looks so strong, so delicate ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
undone /ʌnˈdʌn/ B1	adjective - not done or completed; in a state of disarray
suffocate /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ B2	verb - to die or be unable to breathe
deliberate /dɪˈlɪbəˌreɪt/ B2	verb - to think carefully before doing something adjective - done on purpose
irate /ˈaɪreɪt/ C1	adjective - extremely angry
anticipate /ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt/ B2	verb - to expect or foresee something
demons /ˈdɛmənz/ B1	noun - an evil spirit or devil
sorrow /ˈsɒroʊ/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep sadness
ticking /ˈtɪkɪŋ/ A2	verb - to make a series of short, sharp sounds
mockingbird /ˈmɒkɪŋbɜːrd/ B1	noun - a bird that mimics the calls of other birds
deliverance /dɪˈlɪvərəns/ B2	noun - the act of being saved or freed from something
trigger /ˈtrɪɡər/ B1	noun - a device that releases a mechanism verb - to cause something to happen
choke /tʃoʊk/ B1	verb - to have difficulty breathing because something is blocking the throat
pity /ˈpɪti/ A2	noun - a feeling of sorrow and compassion verb - to feel sorry for someone
tongue /tʌŋ/ A1	noun - the fleshy muscle in the mouth used for tasting and speaking
feather /ˈfɛðər/ A1	noun - one of the soft, light growths forming the plumage of a bird

Key Grammar Structures

• When my brain's ticking like a bomb

  ➔ Present continuous tense with contraction

  ➔ "brain's ticking" is a contraction of "brain is ticking", using present continuous to describe ongoing action.

• You don't affect me

  ➔ Present simple negative

  ➔ "don't affect" is the negative form of present simple, showing that the subject does not influence the speaker.

• Wait, I'm coming undone

  ➔ Present continuous with auxiliary verb and gerund

  ➔ "I'm coming undone" shows an action happening now, using 'I am' + verb + ing form.

• What looks so strong, so delicate

  ➔ Present simple tense with subject-verb inversion in a relative clause

  ➔ "What looks so strong" uses 'what' as a relative pronoun with verb before complement, describing something with certain qualities.

• I thought my demons were my friends

  ➔ Past simple tense with reported thought

  ➔ "I thought" expresses a past mental action, followed by a plural past simple verb "were" in a reported clause.

• Please strike

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ "Please strike" is a polite imperative sentence giving a direct command or request.

• I'm trying to hold it together

  ➔ Present continuous tense with infinitive phrase

  ➔ "I'm trying" uses present continuous, followed by the infinitive "to hold" expressing purpose or intent.

• Head is lighter than a feather

  ➔ Comparative structure with 'than'

  ➔ "lighter than a feather" compares two things, using comparative adjective + 'than' to show degree.