Criminals – English Lyrics

• By: Meghan Trainor
• Album: Timeless (Deluxe)

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the upbeat world of Meghan Trainor's 'Criminals' to explore modern pop vocabulary and expressions of passionate love. Its catchy lyrics and infectious energy offer a fun way to grasp everyday English phrases and emotional declarations, all while enjoying a song that became a cultural moment through its feature in a hit Netflix series.

[English]

Lock me up 'cause I've been bad

And I know I'll do it again

You're the best I ever had

I'm guilty, I confess

Blue lights, red lights

We gon' get real wild tonight (come on)

Blue lights, red lights

With you (you, you, you)

Anything that feels this good

Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal, illegal

Anything that feels this good

Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal

So, call us criminals, criminals (criminals, criminals)

Call us criminals, criminals (criminals, criminals)

I've been scheming all your time

But I know that's what you want

I swear the way you blow my mind

Should be against the law

Blue lights (hey), red lights

We gon' get real wild tonight

Blue lights, red lights

With you (you, you, you)

Anything that feels this good

Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal, illegal (hey)

Anything that feels this good

Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal

So, call us criminals, criminals (criminals, criminals)

Call us criminals, criminals, baby (criminals, criminals)

Anything that feels this good must be illegal, illegal (oh, yeah)

Anything that feels this good must be illegal, illegal (come on, slay)

Blue lights, red lights

We gon' get real wild tonight (tonight)

Blue lights, red lights

With you

Anything that feels this good

Well it must be illegal, it must be illegal, illegal (oh)

Anything that feels this good

Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal

So, call us criminals, criminals, baby (anything that feels this good)

Call us criminals, criminals (must be illegal, illegal)

Anything that feels this good

(Must be illegal) well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal (illegal)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lock /lɒk/ A2	verb - to fasten something with a lock noun - a device for fastening a door or gate
bad /bæd/ A1	adjective - not good
confess /kənˈfes/ B1	verb - to admit to something
wild /waɪld/ B1	adjective - uncontrolled or unrestrained
illegal /ɪˈliːɡəl/ B2	adjective - not allowed by law
criminal /ˈkrɪmɪnəl/ B2	noun - a person who commits crimes adjective - relating to crime
scheme /skiːm/ B2	verb - to make a plan, usually a secret one noun - a plan or design
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and knows
law /lɔː/ A2	noun - a system of rules
blow /bloʊ/ A2	verb - to move air forcefully verb - to impress greatly
tonight /təˈnaɪt/ A1	adverb - on this night
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
guilty /ˈɡɪlti/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing regret for wrongdoing
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - devices that produce light
best /best/ A2	adjective - of the highest quality

Key Grammar Structures

• Lock me up 'cause I've been bad

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous, Subordinating conjunction

  ➔ The use of the **Present Perfect Continuous** ("I've been") to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present. The subordinating conjunction **'cause'** which is similar to 'because' connects the clause of reason

• And I know I'll do it again

  ➔ Future Simple, Auxiliary Verb

  ➔ Uses the **Future Simple** with 'will' to express a future action. 'Will' acts as an auxiliary verb.

• You're the best I ever had

  ➔ Relative Clause (reduced)

  ➔ This is a reduced relative clause. The full clause would be "You're the best *that* I ever had". The relative pronoun "that" is omitted.

• I'm guilty, I confess

  ➔ Parallelism, Simple present tense

  ➔ The sentences use **parallelism**, with similar structure. Both sentences are in **Simple Present**. This creates a sense of directness and emphasis.

• Anything that feels this good

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ The phrase "that feels this good" is a relative clause modifying "Anything". The pronoun 'that' is used as the subject of the clause

• Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal, illegal

  ➔ Modal verb (must), Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ Uses the modal verb **"must"** to express a strong deduction or certainty. The repetition of the word *"illegal"* emphasizes the feeling.

• I've been scheming all your time

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ This sentence uses the **Present Perfect Continuous** tense to describe an action ('scheming') that has been happening over a period of time. It is used to emphasize the duration of the action