Heartbreaker – English Lyrics

• By: Mariah Carey, Jay-Z

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker," a vibrant pop and R&B track featuring Jay-Z. This song is an excellent way to explore English language nuances, especially in describing complex romantic entanglements and emotional resilience. Pay attention to Mariah's clever use of vocabulary like "incessantly" and "relinquish," which elevate the lyrical depth beyond typical pop. Its catchy, sampled beat and dynamic vocal delivery make it a memorable and engaging piece for language learners to sing along to, while the narrative offers insights into a common relationship dilemma.

[English]

(brakes screech)

- I can't believe you guys brought me here.

How could you do this to me?

- M, your man is cheating on you.

- We're gonna go in there and we're gonna kick his butt.

- I'm not going in there.

Please take me home.

- Ooh, and we're gonna kick her butt too.

- You need to go in there and get your man.

(girls chattering)

- [Jay-Z] Yeah! - Can ya do it like this?

- [Jay-Z] All right, let's go. (upbeat pop music)

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

- [Jay-Z] Hey, we gotta bounce to this like this.

Ya almost gotta watch.

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Boy, your love's so good ♪

♪ I don't wanna let go ♪

♪ And although I should, I can't leave you alone ♪

♪ 'Cause you're so disarming ♪

♪ I'm caught up in the midst of you ♪

♪ And I cannot resist, and oh ♪

♪ Boy, if I do ♪

♪ The things you want me to ♪

♪ The way I used to do ♪

♪ Would you love me, baby? ♪

♪ Holdin' me, feelin' me ♪

♪ 'Cause ya go and break my heart ♪

♪ Heartbreaker, you've got the best of me ♪

♪ But I just keep on coming back incessantly ♪

♪ Oh, why did you have to run your game on me? ♪

♪ I should have know right from the start ♪

♪ You'd go and break my heart ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ It's a shame to be so euphoric and weak ♪

♪ When you smile me ♪

♪ And you tell me the things that you know ♪

♪ Persuade me to relinquish my love to you ♪

♪ But I cannot resist at all ♪

♪ Boy, if I do ♪

♪ The things you want me to ♪

♪ The way I used to do ♪

♪ Would you love me, baby? ♪

♪ Holdin' me, feelin' me ♪

♪ 'Cause ya go and break my heart ♪

♪ Heartbreaker, you've got the best of me ♪

♪ But I just keep on coming back incessantly ♪

♪ Oh, why did you have to run your game on me? ♪

♪ I should have known right from the start ♪

♪ You'd go and break my heart ♪

- [Jay-Z] All right, yo.

She wanna shop with Jay, play box with Jay.

She wanna pillow fight in the middle of the night.

She wanna drive my Benz with five of her friends.

She wanna creep past the block spyin' again

She wanna roll with Jay, chase the skeeos away.

She wanna fight with lame chicks, blow my day.

She wanna inspect the rest, kick me to the curbs

if she find one strand of hair longer than hers.

She want love in the jacuzzi, rub up in the movies,

access to the old crib, keys to the new crib.

She wanna answer the phone, tattoo her arm.

That's when I gotta send her back to her mom.

She called me "Heartbreaker."

When we apart, it makes her wanta piece of paper,

scribble down "I hate ya."

But she know she love Jay

because she love everything Jay say, Jay does, and uh.

♪ Heartbreaker, you've got the best of me ♪

♪ But I just keep on coming back incessantly ♪

♪ Oh, why did you have to run your game on me? ♪

♪ I should have known right from the start ♪

♪ You'd go and break my heart ♪

♪ Heartbreaker, you- ♪

(suspenseful music)

(footsteps walking)

- Excuse me, I just, I-

(Mariah grunts) Err!

(Mariah punches woman) (woman moans)

(dog barks)

(dog continues barking)

- Oh!

(Mariah mouths "Sorry")

(woman kicks Mariah)

(woman grunting)

(dog barking)

♪ Got the best of me ♪

♪ But I just keep on coming back incessantly ♪

♪ Oh, why did you have to run your game on me? ♪

♪ I should have known right from the start ♪

♪ You'd go and break my heart ♪

♪ Heartbreaker, you've got the best of me ♪

♪ But I just keep on coming back incessantly ♪

♪ Oh, why did you have to run your game on me? ♪

♪ I should have known right from the start ♪

♪ You'd go and break my heart ♪

♪ Heartbreaker, you've got the best of me ♪

♪ But I just keep on coming back incessantly ♪

♪ Oh, why did you have to run your game on me? ♪

♪ I should've known right from the start ♪

♪ You'd go and break my heart ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

♪ Gimme your love, gimme your love ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ in your chest that sends the blood around your body
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to have a strong affection for someone
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to separate into pieces
game /ɡeɪm/ B1	noun - a form of play or sport
best /bɛst/ A2	adjective - of the highest quality
want /wɒnt/ A1	verb - to desire something
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to have information or understanding
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
alone /əˈloʊn/ B1	adverb - without anyone else
incessantly /ɪnˈsɛsəntli/ C1	adverb - without interruption
persuade /pərˈsweɪd/ B2	verb - to convince someone to do something
disarming /dɪsˈɑːrmɪŋ/ C2	adjective - having the effect of allaying suspicion or hostility

Key Grammar Structures

• Gimme your love, gimme your love

  ➔ Imperative form with 'gimme' (short for 'give me') used to make a request or command.

  ➔ 'Gimme' is an informal contraction used to request something directly.

• You'd go and break my heart

  ➔ Conditional perfect with 'would' to express hypothetical situations or future-in-the-past intentions.

  ➔ 'Would' indicates a hypothetical or unlikely action in the past or future.

• I'm caught up in the midst of you

  ➔ The phrase 'caught up' uses the phrasal verb in the present tense to indicate being deeply involved or entangled.

  ➔ The phrase implies being emotionally or mentally absorbed in something or someone.

• But I just keep on coming back incessantly

  ➔ Use of 'keep on' + verb in the present participle to express continuous or repeated action.

  ➔ 'Keep on' emphasizes the ongoing nature of the repeated action.

• Boy, your love's so good

  ➔ Possessive structure with 'your love's' (short for 'your love is') indicating a description or state.

  ➔ It's a contraction of 'your love is' used informally to describe the quality of love.

• And I cannot resist at all

  ➔ Negative modal with 'cannot' to express inability or lack of power to resist.

  ➔ Indicates the speaker's inability or helplessness in resisting temptation or influence.

• But I just keep on coming back incessantly

  ➔ The adverb 'incessantly' intensifies the verb phrase, indicating persistent repetition without pause.

  ➔ 'Incessantly' is an adverb that describes something happening continuously or without stopping.