Cruel Summer – English Lyrics

• By: Bananarama
• Album: Glorious - The Ultimate Collection

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the 80s pop landscape with Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." This iconic track offers a unique blend of catchy synth-pop melodies and surprisingly poignant lyrics about summer loneliness. Exploring its English lyrics provides a great opportunity to learn everyday vocabulary and expressions related to emotions, seasons, and urban life, all while enjoying a quintessential song that defined an era and still resonates with listeners today. Its direct yet evocative language makes it perfect for language learners to grasp nuances of English pop music.

[English]

[♪♪♪]

♪ Hot summer streets ♪

♪ And the pavements are burning ♪

♪ I sit around ♪

♪ Trying to smile ♪

♪ But the air is so heavy and dry ♪

♪ Strange voices are saying ♪

♪ What did they say? ♪

♪ Things I can't understand ♪

♪ It's too close for comfort ♪

♪ This heat has got right out of hand ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (Cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer ♪

♪ Leaving me here on my own ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (It's a cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer now you're gone ♪

♪ The city is crowded, my friends are away ♪

♪ And I'm on my own ♪

♪ It's too hot to handle so I gotta get up and go ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (Cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer ♪

♪ Leaving me here on my own ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (It's a cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer now you're gone ♪

♪ You're not the only one ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (Cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer ♪

♪ (Leaving me) ♪

♪ Leaving me here on my own ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (It's a cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer now you're gone ♪

[INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE]

♪ It's a cruel, cruel summer ♪

♪ Leaving me here on my own ♪

♪ It's a cruel, cruel summer ♪

♪ Now you're gone ♪

♪ You're not the only one ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (Cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer ♪

♪ (Leaving me) ♪

♪ Leaving me here on my own ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (It's a cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer now you're gone ♪

♪ You're not the only one ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (Cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer ♪

♪ (Leaving me) ♪

♪ Leaving me here on my own ♪

♪ It's a cruel - (It's a cruel) ♪

♪ Cruel summer now you're gone ♪

[♪♪♪]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
summer /ˈsʌmər/ A1	noun - the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn
hot /hɒt/ A1	adjective - having a high degree of heat or a high temperature
streets /striːts/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
burning /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ A2	verb - producing flames and heat
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to form one's features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression
heavy /ˈhevi/ A2	adjective - of great weight; difficult to lift or move
dry /draɪ/ A1	adjective - free from moisture or liquid; not wet
voices /ˈvɔɪsɪz/ A2	noun - the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.
comfort /ˈkʌmfərt/ B1	noun - a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.
heat /hiːt/ A2	noun - the quality of being hot; high temperature
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the fingers and thumb
cruel /ˈkruːəl/ B2	adjective - willfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it.
leaving /ˈliːvɪŋ/ A1	verb - go away from
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or metropolis
crowded /ˈkraʊdɪd/ A2	adjective - full of people
gone /ɡɔːn/ A1	adjective - no longer present; departed

Key Grammar Structures

• Hot summer streets and the pavements are burning

  ➔ Present continuous tense ('are burning') to describe an action happening now or around now, emphasizing its temporary nature.

  ➔ The use of 'are burning' suggests the pavements aren't *always* burning, but that it's a particularly hot summer day. It also creates a sense of immediacy and discomfort.

• I sit around trying to smile

  ➔ Gerunds ('trying') as part of a verb phrase. 'Trying to smile' expresses an effort or attempt.

  ➔ The use of 'trying' highlights the difficulty and artificiality of the smile. The speaker isn't naturally smiling, but forcing it.

• Things I can't understand

  ➔ Relative clause ('I can't understand') modifying 'things'. Omission of the relative pronoun 'that' or 'which' is common in informal English.

  ➔ The implied full sentence is 'Things *that* I can't understand'. The omission creates a more conversational and immediate feel.

• This heat has got right out of hand

  ➔ Present perfect tense ('has got') with 'out of hand' as an idiom. Present perfect describes an action that started in the past and has relevance in the present.

  ➔ 'Out of hand' means uncontrollable. The heat started being uncomfortable and now it's unbearable. The use of 'right' before 'out of hand' emphasizes the extent of the problem.

• Leaving me here on my own

  ➔ Present participle ('Leaving') acting as a reduced relative clause or gerundive phrase, describing the consequence of the 'cruel summer'.

  ➔ It implies 'The cruel summer is leaving me here on my own'. This construction adds to the feeling of isolation.

• Now you're gone

  ➔ Simple present tense ('are') with 'gone' as an adjective (past participle used as an adjective) to describe a state of being no longer present. Implies a past event (you leaving) that has a present consequence.

  ➔ 'Gone' signifies a completed action in the past, but its effect (the speaker's loneliness) persists into the present. It's not just that you left, but that you *are now* gone, and that makes the situation cruel.

• The city is crowded, my friends are away

  ➔ Simple present tense to describe states of being. The parallelism highlights the combination of negative circumstances.

  ➔ Both statements use 'is' and 'are' to simply describe current conditions. The combined effect emphasizes the speaker's isolation and helplessness.

• So I gotta get up and go

  ➔ 'Gotta' is a contraction of 'got to', which is an informal alternative to 'have to'. It expresses obligation or necessity.

  ➔ The use of 'gotta' makes the line sound more casual and conversational, fitting the overall tone of the song. It conveys a sense of urgency – the speaker *needs* to leave.