Illusion – English Lyrics

• By: Dua Lipa
• Album: Radical Optimism

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Dua Lipa's "Illusion," a vibrant track that makes learning English both fun and insightful. This song, with its clear and empowering lyrics, offers a great way to grasp everyday English phrases related to relationships and self-confidence. Its catchy dance beats and straightforward narrative make it easy to follow along, helping you pick up new vocabulary and expressions while enjoying a global pop hit. Get ready to dance and learn with Dua Lipa!

[English]

I been known to miss a red flag

I been known to put my lover on a pedestal

In the end, those things just don't last

And it's time I take my rose-colored glasses off

I already know your type, tellin' me the things I like

Tryin' make me yours for life, takin' me for a ride

I already know your type, think you can play your cards right

Don't you know I could do this dance all night?

Ooh, what you doin'?

Don't know who you think that you're confusin'

I be like, "Ooh, it's amusin'"

You think I'm gonna fall for an illusion

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance all night (I be like)

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance, dance

Was a time when that shit might have worked

Was a time when I just threw a match and let it burn

Now I'm grown, I know what I deserve

I still like dancin' with the lessons I already learned

I already know your type, tellin' me the things I like

Tryin' make me yours for life, takin' me for a ride

I already know your type, think you can play your cards right

Don't you know I could do this dance all night?

Ooh, what you doin'?

Don't know who you think that you're confusin'

I be like, "Ooh, it's amusin'"

You think I'm gonna fall for an illusion

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance all night (I be like)

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance all night

Dance, dance

Illusion, I really like the way you're movin'

Yeah, I just wanna dance with the illusion

Yeah, I just wanna dance with

Yeah, I just wanna dance with

I could dance all night

Ooh, what you doin'?

Don't know who you think that you're confusin'

I be like, "Ooh, it's amusin'"

You think I'm gonna fall for an illu–

Ooh, what you doin'?

Don't know who you think that you're confusin'

I be like, "Ooh, it's amusin'"

You think I'm gonna fall for an illusion

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
miss /mɪs/ A1	verb - to feel sadness about the absence of someone or something verb - to fail to hit or catch
flag /flæɡ/ A2	noun - a piece of cloth with a special design that is used as a symbol
lover /ˈlʌvər/ A2	noun - a person who is in love with someone
pedestal /ˈpedɪstl/ B2	noun - a base or support on which something stands
rose-colored /roʊz ˈkʌlərd/ C1	adjective - having a positive or optimistic view of things
type /taɪp/ A1	noun - a category of people or things having common characteristics.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
ride /raɪd/ A1	noun - a journey on a horse, bicycle, motorcycle, or in a vehicle. verb - sit on and control the movement of (a horse, bicycle, motorcycle, etc.).
cards /kɑːrdz/ A1	noun - a piece of thick, stiff paper or thin pasteboard, typically rectangular, used for writing or printing on.
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - move rhythmically to music noun - an act of dancing
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
confusing /kənˈfjuːzɪŋ/ B2	adjective - difficult to understand
amusing /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/ B2	adjective - causing laughter or providing entertainment
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control
illusion /ɪˈluːʒən/ B2	noun - a false idea or belief
shit /ʃɪt/ B1	noun - excrement noun - something worthless or contemptible
match /mætʃ/ A2	noun - a short, thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with a specially prepared chemical that ignites friction verb - correspond to or be similar to
grown /ɡroʊn/ A2	adjective - having reached full development; adult
lessons /ˈlesənz/ A2	noun - a period of learning or teaching
moving /ˈmuːvɪŋ/ A2	adjective - producing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy. verb - changing position

Key Grammar Structures

• I been known to miss a red flag

  ➔ Present Perfect Passive with "be known to"

  ➔ This construction expresses a general truth or commonly known fact about the subject. "I "have been known" to" miss red flags means that it's a characteristic or tendency of the speaker to overlook warning signs.

• I been known to put my lover on a pedestal

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose after "be known to"

  ➔ The infinitive "to put" explains the *purpose* for which the speaker is known. It's not just that she is known; she's known *for the purpose of* putting her lover on a pedestal.

• Tryin' make me yours for life, takin' me for a ride

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clauses (Participle Clauses)

  ➔ "Tryin' make me yours..." and "Takin' me for a ride" are reduced relative clauses. The full clauses would be "(He is) trying to make me yours..." and "(He is) taking me for a ride". The auxiliary verb and relative pronoun are omitted for brevity and informality. It expresses simultaneous actions.

• Don't you know I could do this dance all night?

  ➔ Modal Verb "could" for Ability/Potential

  ➔ "Could" expresses the speaker's ability or potential to dance all night. It implies she has the stamina and skill to do so.

• Don't know who you think that you're confusin'

  ➔ Embedded Question with Omitted Question Word and Relative Pronoun

  ➔ This is an embedded question functioning as the object of "Don't know". "Who you think that you're confusing" is equivalent to "Who you think you are confusing". The 'that' is also optional, further simplifying the structure and making it more colloquial. The formal construction might be: "I don't know who you think you are confusing."

• Was a time when that shit might have worked

  ➔ Past Modal of Possibility (might have + past participle)

  ➔ "Might have worked" expresses a possibility that something *could have* happened in the past but didn't or is no longer true. It suggests that the tactic described used to be potentially effective, but now it is not.

• Now I'm grown, I know what I deserve

  ➔ Noun Clause as Object ("what I deserve")

  ➔ The clause "what I deserve" functions as the object of the verb "know". It is a noun clause introduced by the relative pronoun "what", referring to something unspecified that the speaker deserves.