Guilty as Sin? – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the nuances of English language and emotion through Taylor Swift's "Guilty as Sin?". This song is a fantastic opportunity to learn descriptive vocabulary related to desire, guilt, and internal conflict. Its use of metaphors and rhetorical questions makes it a special piece for understanding complex emotional expression in songwriting.

[English]

Drowning in the Blue Nile

He sent me 'Downtown Lights'

I hadn't heard it in a while

My boredom's bone deep

This cage was once just fine

Am I allowed to cry?

I dream of cracking locks

Throwing my life to the wolves

Or the ocean rocks

Crashing into him tonight

He's a paradox

I'm seeing visions, am I bad?

Or mad? Or wise?

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

I keep recalling things we never did

Messy top lip kiss

How I long for our trysts

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

I keep these longings locked

In lowercase inside a vault

Someone told me

There's no such thing as bad thoughts

Only your actions talk

These fatal fantasies

Giving way to labored breath

Taking all of me

We've already done it in my head

If it's make believe

Why does it feel like a vow

We'll both uphold somehow?

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

My bedsheets are ablaze

I've screamed his name

Building up like waves

Crashing over my grave

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

What if I roll the stone away?

They're gonna crucify me anyway

What if the way you hold me

Is actually what's holy?

If long suffering propriety

Is what they want from me

They don't know how you've haunted me

So stunningly

I choose you and me

... Religiously

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

I keep recalling things we never did

Messy top lip kiss

How I long for our trysts

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

He sent me 'Downtown Lights'

I hadn't heard it in a while

Am I allowed to cry?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
drown /draʊn/ B1	verb - to die from being underwater
boredom /ˈbɔːdəm/ A2	noun - the state of feeling tired and uninterested
cage /keɪdʒ/ B1	noun - a structure made of bars for keeping animals or people confined
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears because of strong emotion
dream /driːm/ A1	verb - to imagine something that you want or wish noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in the mind during sleep
paradox /ˈpærədɒks/ C1	noun - a situation or statement that seems contradictory or absurd but may be true
vision /ˈvɪʒən/ B2	noun - the ability to see or something seen in a dream or trance
mad /mæd/ A2	adjective - crazy or mentally ill
kiss /kɪs/ A1	verb - to touch someone with the lips as a sign of affection noun - an act of kissing
long /lɒŋ/ A1	verb - to want something very much adjective - lasting a large amount of time
fantasies /ˈfæntəsiːz/ B2	noun - imaginative ideas that are not real
breathe /briːð/ A2	verb - to take air into the lungs and let it out again
guilty /ˈɡɪlti/ B1	adjective - responsible for wrongdoing
sin /sɪn/ B2	noun - an immoral act considered to violate religious principles
holy /ˈhoʊli/ B2	adjective - dedicated or consecrated to God
haunt /hɔːnt/ B2	verb - to cause to suffer with fear or anxiety
choose /tʃuːz/ A1	verb - to pick one thing or person from a group
vow /vaʊ/ B2	noun - a solemn promise or declaration