Do You Really Want to Hurt Me – English Lyrics

• By: Adam Lambert
• Album: High Drama

Lyrics & Translation

Discover a new side to the 80s classic "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" with Adam Lambert's dramatic and atmospheric cover. This version offers a fantastic opportunity to explore the nuances of English lyrics through a fresh and modern musical lens. The song's themes of vulnerability and love are given a new, intense emotional weight, making it a compelling piece for language learners to connect with the deeper meaning of the words.

[English]

Do you really wanna hurt me?

Do you really wanna make me cry?

Precious kisses, words that burn me

Lovers never ask you why

In my heart the fire's burning

Choose my colour, find a star

Precious people always tell me

That's a step, a step too far

If it's love you want from me

Then take it away

Everything's not what you see

It's over again

Do you really wanna hurt me?

Do you really wanna make me cry?

Precious kisses, words that burn me

Lovers never ask you why

You hear them talking, but believe me

If it's true, you don't know

This boy loves without a reason

I'm prepared to let you go

If it's love you want from me

Then take it away

Everything's not what you see

It's over again

Give me time to realize my crime

Let me love and steal

I have danced, inside your eyes

How can I be real?

How can I be?

...

How can I be real?

Do you really wanna hurt me?

Do you really wanna make me cry?

Do you really wanna hurt me?

Do you really wanna make me cry?

Do you really wanna hurt me?

Do you really wanna make me cry?

Do you really wanna hurt me?

Do you really wanna make me cry?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause physical or emotional pain noun - physical or emotional pain
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears, usually because of sadness
burn /bɜːrn/ A2	verb - to be on fire; to damage with heat
fire /faɪər/ A2	noun - the process of burning
star /stɑːr/ A2	noun - a celestial body that emits light
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to have a strong affection for
reason /ˈriːzn/ B1	noun - a cause or explanation
prepare /prɪˈpeər/ B1	verb - to make ready
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence
realize /ˈriːlaɪz/ B2	verb - to become fully aware of something
crime /kraɪm/ B2	noun - an act punishable by law
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move rhythmically to music
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
real /riːəl/ B1	adjective - actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact
talking /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/ A2	verb - saying words to communicate
believe /bɪˈliːv/ B1	verb - to accept something as true

Key Grammar Structures

• Do you really wanna hurt me?

  ➔ Question formation with auxiliary verb 'do' and informal 'wanna'

  ➔ The sentence uses the auxiliary verb "do" to form a question. "Wanna" is a colloquial contraction of "want to", commonly used in informal speech and songs.

• Precious kisses, words that burn me

  ➔ Relative clause with pronoun 'that'

  ➔ The phrase contains a relative clause "that burn me" which modifies the noun "words". The relative pronoun "that" introduces the clause and refers back to "words".

• In my heart the fire's burning

  ➔ Present continuous tense with contracted form

  ➔ The sentence uses the present continuous tense "is burning" (contracted as "'s burning") to describe an action happening at the moment of speaking. This tense emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action.

• Choose my colour, find a star

  ➔ Imperative form for commands or instructions

  ➔ The sentences use the imperative form, which is used to give commands, instructions, or requests. The imperative uses the base form of the verb without a subject.

• If it's love you want from me

  ➔ Conditional clause with omitted relative pronoun

  ➔ The sentence begins with a conditional clause "If it's love you want from me". The relative pronoun "that" is omitted after "love" (the full form would be "love that you want from me"). This is common in informal English.

• How can I be real?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with modal verb 'can'

  ➔ The sentence is an interrogative using the modal verb "can" to express ability or possibility. The structure follows the pattern: question word + modal verb + subject + main verb.

• I have danced, inside your eyes

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ The sentence uses the present perfect tense "have danced" to describe an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past but has relevance to the present. The structure is: subject + have/has + past participle.

• Give me time to realize my crime

  ➔ Imperative followed by infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The sentence begins with an imperative "Give me time" followed by an infinitive of purpose "to realize my crime". The infinitive explains why the time is needed - for the purpose of realizing the crime.