Helena Beat – English Lyrics

• By: Foster The People
• Album: Torches

Lyrics & Translation

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.