Falling Down – English Lyrics

• By: Duran Duran, Justin Timberlake
• Album: RED CARPET MASSACRE

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Once was a man who consumed his place and time

He thought nothing could touch him

But here and now it's a different storyline

Like the straw he is clutching

Why has the sky turned grey

Hard to my face and cold on my shoulder

And why has my life gone astray

Scarred by disgrace, I know that it's over

Because I'm falling down

With people standing round

But before I hit the ground

Is there time

Could I find someone out there to help me?

Howl at the wind rushing past my lonely head

Caught inside its own motion

How I wish it was somebody else instead

Howling at all this corrosion

Why did the luck run dry

Laugh in my face, so pleased to desert me

Why do the cruel barbs fly?

Now when disgrace can no longer hurt me

Because I'm falling down

With people standing round

But before I hit the ground

Is there time

Could I find someone out there to help me?

Because I'm falling down

With people standing round

But before I hit the ground

Is there time

Could I find someone out there to help me?

I don't know why

I don't know why

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
falling /ˈfɔːlɪŋ/ A1	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely
consumed /kənˈsuːmd/ B1	verb - to spend or use up
clutching /ˈklʌtʃɪŋ/ B1	verb - to grasp or hold tightly
astray /əˈstreɪ/ B2	adjective - away from the right path or direction
scarred /skɑːrd/ B2	adjective - marked with scars
disgrace /dɪsˈɡreɪs/ B2	noun - the state of being disgraced
howling /ˈhaʊlɪŋ/ A2	verb - to make a long, loud, mournful cry
corrosion /kəˈroʊʒən/ C1	noun - the process of corroding
barbs /bɑːrbs/ C1	noun - a sharply pointed weapon or part
cruel /krʊəl/ B1	adjective - causing pain or suffering
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
rushing /ˈrʌʃɪŋ/ A2	verb - to move or act with great speed
motion /ˈmoʊʃən/ B1	noun - the action or process of moving
dry /draɪ/ A1	adjective - free from moisture
pleased /plizd/ A2	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment

Key Grammar Structures

• Once was a man who consumed his place and time

  ➔ Relative Clause & Inversion

  ➔ This line uses a "relative clause" ("who consumed his place and time") to provide more information about "a man". The phrase "Once was" is an example of "inversion", where the verb comes before the subject, similar to "There once was a man".

• He thought nothing could touch him

  ➔ Modals of Past Possibility/Ability (in reported speech)

  ➔ The modal verb "could" in "nothing could touch him" expresses past possibility or ability. It's often used in reported speech when the original statement was in the present tense (e.g., "Nothing *can* touch him").

• Why has the sky turned grey

  ➔ Present Perfect in an Interrogative Sentence

  ➔ This is a "present perfect" tense question ("Why has the sky turned grey"). It asks about an action that started in the past and has a result or consequence in the present (the sky is now grey).

• Scarred by disgrace, I know that it's over

  ➔ Past Participle Phrase (Reduced Relative Clause) & Noun Clause

  ➔ "Scarred by disgrace" is a "past participle phrase" acting as an adjective, often a reduced relative clause (e.g., "I, who am scarred by disgrace..."). "that it's over" is a "noun clause" functioning as the object of the verb "know".

• With people standing round

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase with 'with' + Object + Present Participle

  ➔ This phrase uses "with" followed by an object ("people") and a "present participle" ("standing round"). This structure describes an accompanying circumstance or a simultaneous action.

• Could I find someone out there to help me?

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Could' (polite request/possibility) & Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ "Could I find" uses the modal verb "could" to express a polite question about possibility or to make a request. "to help me" is an "infinitive of purpose", explaining the reason for finding someone.

• How I wish it was somebody else instead

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Unreal Past) after 'wish'

  ➔ The phrase "I wish it was" uses the "subjunctive mood" (specifically, the unreal past) to express a wish or regret about a present situation that is contrary to fact. In formal English, "I wish it *were*" is often preferred.

• Laugh in my face, so pleased to desert me

  ➔ Adjective + Infinitive (expressing reason/cause)

  ➔ The structure "so pleased to desert me" uses an adjective ("pleased") followed by an "infinitive" ("to desert") to explain the reason or cause for the feeling. It specifies *why* someone is pleased.

• Now when disgrace can no longer hurt me

  ➔ Time Clause with 'when' + Modal 'can' + 'no longer'

  ➔ This is a "time clause" introduced by "when" that specifies a condition or period. The phrase "can no longer" uses the modal verb "can" with "no longer" to indicate that an ability or possibility has ceased.