Let You Win – English Lyrics

• By: Lily Allen

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw, unsparing honesty of Lily Allen's 'Let You Win,' a powerful moment of lyrical defiance from her latest album. As a piece of modern Confessional Pop, this song is an excellent resource for language learners to encounter authentic, contemporary English vocabulary related to complex emotions, relationships, and self-reclamation, delivered with Allen's signature whip-smart, conversational style.

[English]

I've become invisible, Stuck here in my palace, 

I'm so fucking miserable, In my rabbit hole, yeah I'm Alice. 

And I'm expected to be nice, Picking up the pieces, 

What is it you sacrifice? I'm protecting you from your secrets. 

Don't tell the children, The truth would be brutal, 

Your reputation's unstained. God knows how long you've been, 

Getting away with it, Already let you win, 

All I can do is sing, So why should I let you win? 

I will not absorb your shame, It was you who put me through this, 

I could tell myself you'll change, Do it all again, 

Be deluded. Never get your sympathy, 

I don't think you re able, But I can walk out with my dignity, 

If I lay my truth on the table. Lie to the children, the ending was mutual, 

I'll shoulder all of the pain. I'm sick of carrying, 

Suffering for your sins, I've already let you in, 

So why should I let you win, You've taken everything.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəbl/ B2	adjective - unable to be seen
miserable /ˈmɪzərəbl/ B1	adjective - very unhappy or uncomfortable
sacrifice /ˈsækrɪfaɪs/ B2	verb - to give up something valuable for a cause noun - an act of giving something up
secrets /ˈsiːkrɪts/ A1	noun - information kept hidden from others
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - young people, usually under 18
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the actual facts or reality
brutal /ˈbruːtl/ B2	adjective - extremely cruel or unpleasant
reputation /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃn/ B2	noun - the opinion people have about someone or something
unstained /ʌnˈsteɪnd/ C1	adjective - not marked or damaged
win /wɪn/ A1	verb - to achieve victory in a competition
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to make musical sounds with the voice
absorb /əbˈsɔːrb/ B2	verb - to take in or soak up
shame /ʃeɪm/ B1	noun - a feeling of embarrassment or guilt
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	verb - to make or become different
deluded /dɪˈluːdɪd/ C1	adjective - believing something that is not true
sympathy /ˈsɪmpəθi/ B2	noun - understanding and care for someone's suffering
dignity /ˈdɪgnəti/ B2	noun - calm or serious manner showing self-respect
mutual /ˈmjuːtʃuəl/ B2	adjective - shared by two or more people
pain /peɪn/ A1	noun - physical suffering or discomfort
sins /sɪnz/ B2	noun - immoral acts violating religious or moral law

Key Grammar Structures

• I've become invisible

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The phrase uses the present perfect ('ve become) to indicate a past action with present relevance, showing a change in state that continues to affect the present.

• I'm so fucking miserable

  ➔ Present Continuous

  ➔ The phrase uses the present continuous ('m ...ing) to express an ongoing state or emotion, emphasizing the current feeling of misery.

• What is it you sacrifice?

  ➔ Interrogative Sentence with Inversion

  ➔ The sentence uses inversion in an interrogative structure ('What is it you sacrifice?) to emphasize the question and create a formal or poetic tone.

• I'm protecting you from your secrets.

  ➔ Present Continuous with 'ing' Form

  ➔ The phrase uses the present continuous with the 'ing' form ('m protecting) to describe an ongoing action, emphasizing the continuous effort of protecting.

• God knows how long you've been

  ➔ Emphatic Structure with 'God knows'

  ➔ The phrase uses an emphatic structure with 'God knows' to express strong emphasis or frustration about the duration of the action.

• I will not absorb your shame

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will'

  ➔ The phrase uses the future simple with 'will' to express a strong determination or refusal in the future, emphasizing the speaker's resolve.

• If I lay my truth on the table

  ➔ Conditional Clause with 'If'

  ➔ The phrase uses a conditional clause with 'if' to express a hypothetical situation, indicating a possible action and its consequence.

• You've taken everything

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The phrase uses the present perfect ('ve taken) to indicate a past action with present relevance, showing the ongoing impact of the action.