Karma Chameleon – English Lyrics

• By: Culture Club

Lyrics & Translation

Learning English through "Karma Chameleon" offers a fun and insightful experience into the language of the 1980s pop scene. The song's repetitive and catchy chorus makes it easy for language learners to sing along and memorize vocabulary. Furthermore, the lyrics provide a great opportunity to explore themes of identity and relationships, with metaphorical language like "karma chameleon" and "colours...like my dreams," making it a special song for both its musical appeal and lyrical depth.

[English]

Desert loving in your eyes all the way.

If I listened to your lies would you say

I'm a man (a man) without conviction,

I'm a man (a man) who doesn't know

how to sell (to sell) a contradiction.

You come and go, you come and go.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,

you come and go, you come and go.

Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,

red gold and green, red gold and green.

Didn't hear your wicked words every day

and you used to be so sweet, I heard you say

that my love (my love) was an addiction.

When we cling (we cling) our love is strong.

When you go (you go) you're gone forever.

You string along, you string along.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,

you come and go, you come and go.

Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,

red gold and green, red gold and green.

Every day is like survival (sur-vi-val),

you're my lover (you're my lover), not my rival.

Every day is like survival (sur-vi-val),

you're my lover (you're my lover), not my rival.

I'm a man (a man) without conviction,

I'm a man (a man) who doesn't know

how to sell (to sell) a contradiction.

You come and go, you come and go.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,

you come and go, you come and go.

Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,

red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,

you come and go, you come and go.

Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,

red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,

you come and go, you come and go.

Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams

red gold and green, red gold and green.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon,

You come and go....

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
desert /ˈdɛz.ɚt/ B1	noun - a barren area of land with little rainfall
loving /ˈlʌvɪŋ/ B1	verb - to feel deep affection for someone
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs of sight
conviction /kənˈvɪk.ʃən/ C1	noun - a firmly held belief or opinion
contradiction /ˌkɒn.trəˈdɪk.ʃən/ C1	noun - a situation where statements or ideas oppose each other
karma /ˈkɑːrmə/ C1	noun - the sum of a person's actions that determines their future
chameleon /kəˈmiː.li.ən/ B2	noun - a reptile that can change its skin colour
colors /ˈkʌl.ɚz/ A2	noun - hues or shades perceived by the eye
dreams /driːmz/ B1	noun - mental images or thoughts occurring during sleep
red /rɛd/ A1	adjective - the color of blood or a ripe tomato
gold /ɡoʊld/ A2	noun - a precious yellow metal
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - the color of grass or leaves
wicked /ˈwɪk.ɪd/ B2	adjective - evil or morally wrong
addiction /əˈdɪk.ʃən/ B2	noun - a compulsive dependence on a substance or activity
cling /klɪŋ/ B2	verb - to hold tightly to something
strong /strɔŋ/ A2	adjective - having great physical or mental power
survival /sərˈvaɪ.vəl/ B2	noun - the act of staying alive, especially in difficult conditions
lover /ˈlʌv.ɚ/ B1	noun - a person who is in a romantic relationship
rival /ˈraɪ.vəl/ B2	noun - a competitor or opponent
sweet /swiːt/ A1	adjective - having a pleasant sugary taste

Key Grammar Structures

• If I listened to your lies would you say

  ➔ Second conditional (If + past simple, would + infinitive)

  ➔ The verb "listened" is in the past simple to show an unreal or hypothetical situation.

• I'm a man (a man) without conviction,

  ➔ Prepositional phrase with "without" + noun

  ➔ "without" introduces a noun phrase "conviction" indicating lack of something.

• I'm a man (a man) who doesn't know how to sell (to sell) a contradiction.

  ➔ Relative clause with "who" + present simple

  ➔ "who" introduces the relative clause "doesn't know how to sell a contradiction" describing "man".

• You come and go, you come and go.

  ➔ Simple present for habitual actions

  ➔ "come" and "go" are in the simple present to show repeated or habitual movement.

• Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams,

  ➔ Second conditional with "would be" + if‑clause (past simple)

  ➔ "were" is the past subjunctive of "be" used after "if" to express an unreal condition.

• Every day is like survival, you're my lover, not my rival.

  ➔ Comparative structure with "like" + noun phrase

  ➔ "like" introduces a comparison: "survival" is the thing that the day resembles.

• When we cling our love is strong.

  ➔ Zero conditional / present simple in time clause with "when"

  ➔ "When" introduces a time clause; both verbs are in the simple present to talk about a general truth.

• I heard you say that my love was an addiction.

  ➔ Reported speech with "that"‑clause after a perception verb

  ➔ "that" introduces the content of what was heard: "my love was an addiction".