Fire On Babylon – English Lyrics

• By: Sinéad O'Connor

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the raw emotion and powerful message of Sinéad O'Connor's "Fire On Babylon." This song offers a glimpse into O'Connor's personal struggles and her fight against oppression, blending genres to create a truly unique and unforgettable listening experience. Delve into the lyrics to understand the depth of her pain and resilience, and discover the musical influences that shaped this iconic track.

[English]

♪ She took my father from my life ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Took my sister and brothers ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ I watched her torturing my child ♪

♪ Feeble I was then, but now I'm grown ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Oh yes, a change has come ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ She's taken everything I liked ♪

♪ She's taken every lover ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ And all along she gave me lies ♪

♪ Just to make me think I loved her ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Oh yes, a change has come ♪

♪ Look what she did to her son ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire on ♪

♪ Life's backwards ♪

♪ Life's backwards ♪

♪ People turn around ♪

♪ The house is burned ♪

♪ The house is burned ♪

♪ The children are gone ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Oh yes, a change has come ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire, oh ♪

♪ Fire, oh ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Oh yes, a change has come ♪

♪ Look what she did to her son ♪

♪ Look what she did to her son ♪

♪ Fire, ah ha ♪

♪ Fire, ah ha ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire, aha ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

♪ Fire on Babylon ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - the state of burning verb - to set alight or start burning
babylon /ˈbæbəlɒn/ B2	noun - a historical city or a symbol of oppression
torturing /ˈtɔːrtʃərɪŋ/ B1	verb - to cause severe physical or mental pain
feeble /ˈfiːbəl/ B1	adjective - lacking physical strength or energy
grown /ɡroʊn/ A2	verb - to become mature or developed
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	noun - the act of becoming different verb - to make or become different
taken /ˈteɪkən/ A1	verb - to get or receive something
lover /ˈlʌvər/ A2	noun - a person in a romantic relationship
lies /laɪz/ A2	noun - false statements
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - to have ideas or opinions
look /lʊk/ A1	verb - to direct one's gaze toward someone or something
backwards /ˈbækˌwərdz/ A2	adverb - toward the back or in reverse
turn /tɜːrn/ A1	verb - to change direction or position
burned /bɜːrnd/ A2	verb - to be destroyed by fire
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - young human beings

Key Grammar Structures

• She took my father from my life

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ The verb "took" is in the Simple Past Tense, used to describe a completed action that happened at a specific time in the past.

• Feeble I was then, but now I'm grown

  ➔ Adjective Fronting for Emphasis & Contrastive Conjunction

  ➔ "Feeble I was then" shows an inversion where the adjective "Feeble" is placed at the beginning for emphasis, which is common in poetic or formal language. "but" is a contrastive conjunction, introducing a contrasting idea.

• Oh yes, a change has come

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ The phrase "has come" is in the Present Perfect Tense, indicating an action that started in the past and has a result or relevance in the present moment.

• I watched her torturing my child

  ➔ Perceptual Verb + Object + Present Participle

  ➔ The structure "watched her torturing" uses a perceptual verb ("watched") followed by an object ("her") and a present participle ("torturing"), to describe seeing someone in the middle of an action.

• She's taken everything I liked

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense + Omitted Relative Pronoun

  ➔ "She's taken" is Present Perfect, indicating a completed action with present relevance. "everything I liked" contains an implied relative clause where the relative pronoun "that" or "which" is omitted before "I liked".

• And all along she gave me lies

  ➔ Ditransitive Verb (Verb with two objects)

  ➔ The verb "gave" is a ditransitive verb, which takes both an indirect object ("me") and a direct object ("lies").

• Just to make me think I loved her

  ➔ Causative Verb 'make' + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ "make me think" illustrates the causative verb "make", which means to cause someone to do something. It's followed by an object ("me") and a bare infinitive ("think").

• Look what she did to her son

  ➔ Nominal Relative Clause with 'what'

  ➔ "what she did to her son" is a nominal relative clause (also called a free relative clause). "what" means "the thing that" and functions as the object of the verb "Look".

• Life's backwards

  ➔ Contraction ('s for 'is') + Predicate Adjective

  ➔ "Life's" is a contraction of "Life is". "backwards" here functions as a predicate adjective, describing the state or quality of "Life".

• The house is burned

  ➔ Passive Voice (Present Simple)

  ➔ The phrase "is burned" is in the Passive Voice, using the verb "to be" + past participle. It focuses on the action's recipient ("The house") rather than the performer of the action.