Helena Beat – English Lyrics

• By: Foster The People
• Album: Torches

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Foster the People's "Helena Beat," a song that encapsulates the vibrant yet often self-destructive atmosphere of Hollywood. Explore the song's themes, its musical style, and the striking imagery of its music video. Discover how this track combines catchy indie-pop with a deeper commentary on youth and excess.

[English]

Sometimes life it takes you by the hair

Pulls you down before you know it

It's gone and you're dead again

I've been in places and I won't pretend

That I'd make it out just to fall on my head

Wake up strange and take the walk downstairs

Hit the pawn up on the corner and pay for my rent

You know that I could not believe my own truth

Just show them what I choose

Got nothing to lose, oh, oh

Yeah, yeah, and it's okay

I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way

Yeah, yeah, and I'm alright

I took a sip of something poison, but I'll hold on tight

...

You know those days when you want to just choose

To not get out of bed

You're lost in your head again

You play the game, but you're kind of cut

'Cause you're coming down hard

Your joints are all stuck

I tried to say that it's not the only way

I never knew if I could face myself to change

You were pacing, I was insecure

Slip and fall, I'm dodging calls

Hug the prison I've been living in

Yeah, yeah and it's okay

I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way

Yeah, yeah and I'm alright

I took a sip of something poison, but I'll hold on tight

Yeah, yeah and it's okay

I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way

Yeah, yeah and I'm alright

I took a sip of something poison

Took a sip of something poison, poison

...

Yeah, yeah and it's okay

I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way

Yeah, yeah and I'm alright

I took a sip of something poison, but I'll hold on tight

Yeah, yeah and it's okay

I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way

Yeah, yeah and I'm alright

I took a sip of something poison

Took a sip of something poison, poison

(Woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh)

(Ooh, woo, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter
head /hɛd/ A1	noun - the upper part of the body where the face is located
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality
choose /tʃuːz/ B1	verb - to select from a number of alternatives
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control
strange /streɪndʒ/ B2	adjective - unusual or surprising in a way that is unsettling
poison /ˈpɔɪ.zən/ B2	noun - a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism verb - to administer poison to
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to communicate with someone by phone
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or point in space
game /ɡeɪm/ A2	noun - a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one
rent /rɛnt/ B1	noun - a payment made periodically by a tenant to a landlord for the use of land or property
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm
tight /taɪt/ B1	adjective - firmly held in place
pacing /ˈpeɪ.sɪŋ/ B2	verb - to walk at a steady and consistent speed, especially back and forth
insecure /ˌɪn.sɪˈkjʊr/ B2	adjective - not confident or assured; uncertain and anxious

Key Grammar Structures

• Sometimes life it takes you by the hair

  ➔ Subject-Verb Inversion (informal)

  ➔ Normally, it would be 'Sometimes life takes you by the hair.' The inversion 'life it takes' is used for emphasis or in informal speech.

• Pulls you down before you know it

  ➔ Time Clause with "before"

  ➔ "Before you know it" is a common idiom indicating that something happens very quickly or unexpectedly. The verb "know" is in the present tense here, even though it refers to a future event relative to the pulling down.

• I've been in places and I won't pretend

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous and Future Simple

  ➔ "I've been in places" uses the present perfect continuous, implying past experiences that continue to have relevance. "I won't pretend" uses the future simple to express a future decision or intention.

• That I'd make it out just to fall on my head

  ➔ Conditional Clause Type 2 (Hypothetical Past)

  ➔ The "'d" is a contraction of "would." This sentence expresses a hypothetical situation in the past. If I had managed to escape those places, it would have been pointless because I would have just fallen again.

• You know that I could not believe my own truth

  ➔ Past Modal Verb ('could') for possibility/ability in the past

  ➔ "Could not believe" indicates the speaker's inability or lack of capacity to believe their own truth at a point in the past.

• I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way

  ➔ Purpose Clause with "so"

  ➔ The clause "so I don't fall that way" explains the purpose of tying the hands up. It clarifies the intention behind the action.

• I took a sip of something poison, but I'll hold on tight

  ➔ Contrastive Conjunction "but" + Future Simple

  ➔ The sentence uses "but" to contrast the action of taking poison with the speaker's determination to hold on tight, even in that dangerous situation. "I'll hold" is Future Simple expressing a determination.