I'm Afraid (Dawn's Song Of Fears) – English Lyrics

• By: Sara Bareilles
• Album: Girls5eva (Music From The Peacock Original Series)

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I'm afraid of heights, afraid of tryin'

I'm afraid I might have been a little stupid to write this song

I'm afraid that during high winds

The stop sign will uproot and decapitate me

Or that I might thrive on to Scientology

I'm afraid that after I die

Someone will have sex with my dead body

And be like, "Not worth it"

I'm afraid I could raise a son who'd get radicalized on Reddit

Or that he'll Back to the Future, and I'll think he's hot

I'm afraid that I'll accidentally text a pic of my vagina to my dad

And I'm afraid that on Ancestry.com

I might find out I have a bunch of half siblings

And they'll want to be in my life

I'm afraid that if I got an awful disease, I wouldn't be brave

I'd just be a bitch and be mean or if I needed emergency heart surgery

The doctor would go, "Hello nipple hair"

Sometimes I'm afraid to hold a new baby

What if I lose control of my arms for a second?

And throw it at the ceiling fan or something like that

Can't I trust my arms?

And I'm afraid

That under every bus stop is a sinkhole of rats

And I'm afraid

They lie about expiration dates and my hummus is just fungus

And afraid that the second I leave town, I'll get a UTI

Why can't they just sell those pills over the counter?

I don't need a doctor

I know exactly what it is

Oh, back to my kid, I have more stuff about him

I only breastfed for four months, is he gonna be a bond trader?

And I'm afraid that if I'm lucky enough to be 80

I'll be one of those ladies who's entire scalp is visible when the sun shines through her salmon colored hair

And I'm afraid that someone will find out that I memorize all the words to Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"

Or that I bought seven seasons of The Mentalist

And of course, I'm afraid that somewhere, deep inside of me

Is a lost tampon

Where did you go?

Where did you go?

I am afraid

...

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm afraid I might have been a little stupid to write this song

  ➔ Modal Perfect (might have + Past Participle)

  ➔ The phrase "might have been" indicates a past possibility or conjecture that the speaker was stupid. It expresses an assumption or a less certain conclusion about a past event.

• I'm afraid that if I got an awful disease, I wouldn't be brave

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ The "if I got... I wouldn't be" structure describes a hypothetical or imaginary situation in the present or future and its probable result. It's used for things that are unlikely or unreal.

• I'm afraid I could raise a son who'd get radicalized on Reddit

  ➔ Relative Clause with Contraction and Get-Passive

  ➔ "who'd get radicalized" is a defining relative clause modifying "son." "who'd" is a contraction of "who would." "get radicalized" is an informal way to form the passive voice, emphasizing the process of becoming radicalized.

• Sometimes I'm afraid to hold a new baby

  ➔ Adjective + Infinitive (Afraid to do something)

  ➔ "afraid to hold" means the speaker is reluctant or scared to perform the action of holding. It implies a fear of doing something specific, rather than a general fear of something (which would be "afraid of [noun/gerund]").

• That under every bus stop is a sinkhole of rats

  ➔ Locative Inversion

  ➔ This sentence uses "locative inversion," where a prepositional phrase of place ("under every bus stop") comes before the verb ("is") and the subject ("a sinkhole of rats") to emphasize the location. The more common order would be "A sinkhole of rats is under every bus stop."

• And I'm afraid that if I'm lucky enough to be 80, I'll be one of those ladies...

  ➔ First Conditional

  ➔ The "if I'm lucky... I'll be" structure expresses a real or probable situation in the future and its likely result. It's used for things that are possible and likely to happen.

• And afraid that the second I leave town, I'll get a UTI

  ➔ Time Clause with "The Second"

  ➔ "the second I leave town" acts as a time clause, meaning "immediately after I leave town." It emphasizes the instantaneous nature of one event following another.

• And I'm afraid that someone will find out that I memorize all the words to Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"

  ➔ Noun Clause (after "afraid")

  ➔ "that someone will find out" is a noun clause acting as the object of the verb "am afraid." It introduces the content of the speaker's fear or apprehension. The second "that I memorize" is also a noun clause, object of "find out."

• I'm afraid I could raise a son who'd get radicalized on Reddit

  ➔ Modal Verb "Could" (Hypothetical Possibility/Ability)

  ➔ "could raise" indicates a hypothetical ability or possibility in the present or future. The speaker is expressing a fear about a potential future action they might take or a potential outcome.

• I only breastfed for four months, is he gonna be a bond trader?

  ➔ Informal Future ("gonna")

  ➔ "gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to." It's used to express future plans, intentions, or predictions, often in spoken English, and implies a less formal tone.