L.E.S. Girl – English Lyrics

• By: Madonna
• Album: Confessions On A Dance Floor: Part II

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the vibrant vernacular of New York's downtown scene with 'L.E.S. Girl.' This song is a perfect study in urban slang and descriptive storytelling, offering listeners a window into the specific 'cool' culture of the early 2000s Manhattan art scene.

[English]

Oh, little [singing] she [music]

paints her lips cherry red.

Mirror [singing and music] cracked in

her hand,

eyeliner smeared, running out the door.

Still there [singing] from the night

[music] before,

Lori's side girl.

Lost [music] in a fragile [singing]

world,

the night is kind.

The day is blue.

Everything [music]

fades [singing]

away

except for you.

You.

You.

She wears his [music and singing]

leather jacket out in the rain.

Sleeps to forget his name.

Polaroids [singing and music] are taped

to the wall.

Can't forget that boy at all,

Lori's side girl.

Lost [music] in a fragile [singing]

world,

ignoring

all the signs.

Her rent [music] is overdue.

Everything [music] fades [singing] away

except for you.

You.

You.

You.

>> [music]

[music]

>> He played guitar [singing]

on Sunset Boulevard Place.

Had a mohawk and a baby face.

Painted [music and singing] nails the

same as his boots.

Bleach [music] blonde dirty Lower East

Side

girl.

Lost [music and singing] in a fragile

world.

Drank too much whiskey.

Cigarettes

when he [music] kissed me.

Lower East Side boy.

I wasn't meant for you.

Everything fades away. [music]

Everything fades away.

>> [music]

[music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fragile /ˈfrædʒaɪl/ B2	adjective - easily broken or damaged
smeared /smɪəd/ C1	verb - to spread or smudge a substance messily
fades /feɪdz/ B1	verb - to disappear or lose brightness gradually
overdue /ˌəʊvəˈdjuː/ B2	adjective - past the deadline for payment
ignore /ɪɡˈnɔːr/ A2	verb - to refuse to take notice of
bleach /bliːtʃ/ B2	adjective - chemically lightened in color
leather /ˈlɛðə/ A2	noun - material made from animal skin
cherry /ˈtʃɛri/ A1	adjective - bright red color
whiskey /ˈwɪski/ B1	noun - a strong alcoholic drink
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ A1	noun - a surface that reflects light

Key Grammar Structures

• Mirror cracked in her hand

  ➔ Past participle as an adjective

  ➔ "Cracked" describes the state of the mirror, functioning as an adjective derived from the verb "crack".

• Still there from the night before

  ➔ Prepositional phrase of time

  ➔ "From the night before" provides context about when the subject was "still there".

• Lost in a fragile world

  ➔ Reduced relative clause

  ➔ "Lost" stands for "[Who is] lost", describing the state of the subject.

• She wears his leather jacket

  ➔ Possessive adjective

  ➔ "His" indicates possession, showing the jacket belongs to the boy mentioned.

• Her rent is overdue

  ➔ Compound adjective

  ➔ "Overdue" is a compound word meaning not paid by the expected time.

• He played guitar on Sunset Boulevard

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ "Played" indicates an action that was completed in the past.

• I wasn't meant for you

  ➔ Passive voice with modal nuance

  ➔ "Wasn't meant" implies a lack of destiny or suitability in the passive form.

• Everything fades away

  ➔ Phrasal verb

  ➔ "Fades away" is a phrasal verb meaning to slowly disappear.