Genghis Khan – English Lyrics

• By: Miike Snow
• Album: iii

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Miike Snow's 'Genghis Khan,' a captivating electropop track that not only delivers a catchy melody but also offers a unique lens into human emotions like jealousy and internal conflict. Its engaging narrative, both in lyrics and its acclaimed music video, provides an excellent opportunity to explore nuanced English expressions related to relationships and self-reflection, making language learning an exciting and memorable journey through music.

[English]

I know there's no form

And no labels to put on

To this thing we keep

And dip into when we need

And I don't have the right

To ask where you go at night

But the waves hit my head

To think someone's in your bed

I get a little bit Genghis Khan

I don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me (ooh)

With nobody else but me

I get a little bit Genghis Khan

I don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me (ooh)

With nobody else but me

...

And the lights, they glow

Like I just lost the World War

And the scene slips away

To the evenness I fake

It's a cheat somewhere

'Cause I don't really want you, girl

But you can't be free

'Cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

I get a little bit Genghis Khan

I don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me (ooh)

With nobody else but me

I get a little bit Genghis Khan

Don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me (ooh)

With nobody else but me

...

Ooh, I wanna make up my mind

But I don't know myself

No, I don't know myself

Ooh, I wanna make up my mind

But I don't know myself

No, I don't know myself

Ooh, I wanna make up my mind

But I don't know myself

No, I don't know myself

And I get a little bit Genghis Khan

I don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me (ooh)

With nobody else but me

I get a little bit Genghis Khan

I don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me (ooh)

With nobody else but me

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to have information or understanding about something
want /wɑnt/ A1	verb - to desire something
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
wave /weɪv/ B1	noun - a moving ridge on the surface of a liquid
selfish /ˈsɛl.fɪʃ/ B2	adjective - lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure
obscene /əbˈsiːn/ C1	adjective - offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences
scene /siːn/ B2	noun - a place where an incident in real life or fiction occurs or occurred
fake /feɪk/ B1	verb - to make something appear to be something it is not
genghis khan /ˈɡɛŋɡɪs kɑːn/ C2	noun - the founder of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history

Key Grammar Structures

• I know there's no form

  ➔ present simple tense with 'there's' (there is)

  ➔ 'There is' contracted as 'there's' to indicate existence of something.

• And I don't have the right

  ➔ modal verb 'don't' with 'have' for negation

  ➔ 'Don't' is a contraction of 'do not', used here with 'have' to form a negative sentence.

• I get a little bit Genghis Khan

  ➔ present tense with 'get' indicating a state or feeling

  ➔ 'Get' in the present tense expresses experiencing or feeling a certain way.

• But you can't be free

  ➔ modal verb 'can't' (cannot) expressing impossibility

  ➔ 'Can't' is a contraction of 'cannot', used here to indicate impossibility or lack of ability.

• Ooh, I wanna make up my mind

  ➔ informal 'wanna' (want to) + verb phrase

  ➔ 'Wanna' is an informal contraction of 'want to', used to express a desire to do something.

• No, I don't know myself

  ➔ present simple negative with 'don't' + 'know'

  ➔ 'Don't' is a contraction of 'do not', used with 'know' to form a negative statement about self-awareness.