Cruel World – English Lyrics

• By: Holly Humberstone
• Album: Cruel World

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Holly Humberstone's "Cruel World" to explore the raw and relatable emotions of long-distance love through poignant English lyrics. Her intimate storytelling offers a unique window into navigating complex feelings, making it a perfect song to connect with the nuances of contemporary English songwriting and expression.

[English]

[INDIE-POP MUSIC]

♪ SAY IT BACK ♪

♪ I NEED TO HEAR YOU, NEED YOUR BABY BACK ♪

♪ I PLAY IT COOL ♪

♪ I MISS YOUR KISSES ON A FEEDBACK LOOP ♪

♪ AND NOW THE LIGHTS ARE GETTIN' LOW ♪

♪ MIRROR-BALLS AND PHEROMONES ♪

♪ I CAN BE A SOCIAL HAND GRENADE ♪

♪ TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK BOOM ♪

♪ AND EVERYBODY'S GETTIN' CLOSE ♪

♪ TAKING OFF EACH OTHER'S CLOTHES ♪

♪ I WONDER WHERE YOU ARE TONIGHT ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD WITHOUT YOU, BABY ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD ♪

♪ SUGAR, DON'T YOU BE RUNNING AWAY FOR LONG, PLEASE ♪

♪ LET'S CATCH A MOVIE AND GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN ♪

♪ WHEREVER YOU ARE IS MY FAVOURITE PLACE ♪

♪ AND IT'S A CRUEL WORLD WITHOUT YOU, BABY ♪

[CHORUS VOCALIZING]

♪ SO SAD ♪

♪ YOU'RE PLAYIN' SHOWS, I COMATOSE IN MY BED ♪

♪ (YEAH-YEAH-YEAH-YEAH) ♪

♪ AND I'LL BE GOING OUT TONIGHT ♪

♪ I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO WITH MYSELF ♪

♪ THERE'LL BE MODERN LOVERS HOLDING TIGHT ♪

♪ UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ♪

♪ BEFORE I KILL THE BUZZ, I MIGHT ♪

♪ CURL-CURL-CURL UP AND DIE ♪

♪ AND EVERYBODY'S GETTIN' CLOSE ♪

♪ TAKING OFF EACH OTHER'S CLOTHES ♪

♪ I WONDER WHERE YOU ARE TONIGHT ♪

♪ AND IT'S A CRUEL WORLD WITHOUT YOU, BABY ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD ♪

♪ NO, SUGAR, DON'T YOU BE RUNNING AWAY FOR LONG, PLEASE ♪

♪ WE'RE HAND IN HAND AS THE BAND STARTS TO PLAY ♪

♪ WHEREVER YOU ARE IS MY FAVOURITE PLACE ♪

♪ AND IT'S A CRUEL WORLD WITHOUT YOU, BABY ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD WITHOUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME ♪

♪ NEED YOU CLOSE TO ME, CLOSE TO ME, I ♪

♪ HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BREATHE WITHOUT YOU, BABE? ♪

♪ I NEED YOU TOUCHING ME, TOUCHING ME ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD ♪

♪ WITHOUT YOU, BABY ♪

♪ OH, YEAH ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD ♪

♪ SUGAR, DON'T YOU BE RUNNING AWAY FOR LONG, PLEASE ♪

♪ TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES AND STICK AROUND FOR A CHANGE ♪

♪ IT COULD BE REAL CUTE IF THIS TIME YOU STAYED ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL WORLD ♪

♪ WITHOUT YOU, BABY ♪

♪ (IT'S A CRUEL WORLD WITHOUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME) ♪

♪ NEED YOU CLOSE TO ME BABY, (CLOSE TO ME) ♪

♪ IT'S A REAL CRUEL WORLD, MY BABY ♪

♪ (HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BREATHE WITHOUT YOU, BABE?) ♪

♪ IT'S A CRUEL, CRUEL WORLD (YEAH) WITHOUT YOU, BABE ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cruel /kruːəl/ A2	adjective - causing or deserving feelings of distress or suffering
pheromone /ˈfɛrəməʊn/ B2	noun - a chemical substance produced by animals that affects the behavior or physiology of others of the same species
grenade /ɡrɪˈneɪd/ A2	noun - a small bomb that is thrown by hand or launched
tick /tɪk/ A1	verb - to make a series of short, sharp sounds
comatose /ˈkɒmətəʊz/ B2	adjective - in a state of deep unconsciousness
ultraviolet /ˌʌltrəˈvɑɪəlɪt/ B1	adjective - relating to electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light
curl /kɜːl/ A2	verb - to form or cause to form a curved shape
sugar /ˈʃʊɡə/ A1	noun - a sweet-tasting substance used to sweeten food and drink
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A1	verb - to move swiftly on foot
caught /kɔːt/ A2	verb - to capture or become aware of something
favourite /ˈfeɪvərɪt/ A1	adjective - liked or enjoyed more than others
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow
tight /taɪt/ A2	adjective - fixed or fastened firmly
buzz /bʌz/ A2	noun - a low, continuous humming sound
cute /kjuːt/ A1	adjective - attractive or pretty, especially in a childish or endearing way

Key Grammar Structures

• I need your baby back

  ➔ Causative structure: Need + object + particle

  ➔ The usage of 'need' here implies a strong desire for the person to return to the speaker's possession/life.

• I can be a social hand grenade

  ➔ Modal verb of possibility: Can

  ➔ Using 'can' describes a capacity or a potential state of the subject's behavior in social settings.

• Taking off each other's clothes

  ➔ Present participle as a descriptive clause

  ➔ The 'ing' form describes the concurrent action of the people mentioned in the previous lines.

• Sugar, don't you be running away for long

  ➔ Imperative with emphatic 'you'

  ➔ The inclusion of 'you' before the verb makes the command more direct and emotionally charged.

• Wherever you are is my favourite place

  ➔ Relative adverb clause as the subject

  ➔ The phrase 'wherever you are' functions as the singular noun phrase serving as the subject of the sentence.

• I comatose in my bed

  ➔ Adjective used as a verb (poetic license)

  ➔ Typically an adjective, 'comatose' is used here to imply the action of falling into a deep, immobile state.

• Before I kill the buzz, I might curl up and die

  ➔ Conditional structure with 'might'

  ➔ 'Might' expresses a remote possibility or intention regarding the subject's future emotional state.

• How am I supposed to breathe without you?

  ➔ Be supposed to structure

  ➔ This structure is used to express expectation, duty, or, in this rhetorical question, the impossibility of a task.