Levitate – English Lyrics

• By: twenty one pilots
• Album: TRENCH

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music continues)

♪ Oh, I know how to levitate up off my feet ♪

♪ And ever since the seventh grade I learned to fire-breathe ♪

♪ And though I feed on things that fell ♪

♪ You can learn to levitate with just a little help ♪

♪ Learn to levitate with just a little help ♪

♪ Come down, come down ♪

♪ Cowards only come through when the hour's late ♪

♪ And everyone's asleep, mind you ♪

♪ Now show up, show up ♪

♪ I know I shouldn't say this ♪

♪ But a curse from you ♪

♪ Is all that I would need right now, man ♪

♪ Come down, come down ♪

♪ Cowards only come through when the hour's late ♪

♪ And everyone's asleep, mind you ♪

♪ Now show up, show up ♪

♪ I know I shouldn't say this ♪

♪ But a curse from you ♪

♪ Is all that I would need right now, man ♪

♪ Danger in the fabric of this thing I made ♪

♪ I probably shouldn't show you, but it's way too late ♪

♪ My heart is with you hiding, but my mind's not made ♪

♪ Now they know it like we both knew for some time I'd say ♪

♪ They're smirking at first blood, they're circling above ♪

♪ But this is not enough ♪

♪ Yeah, this is not what you thought ♪

♪ No, no we are not just graffiti on a passing train ♪

♪ I got back what I once bought back ♪

♪ In that slot I won't need to replace ♪

♪ This culture is a poacher of overexposure, not today ♪

♪ Don't feed me to the vultures ♪

♪ I am a vulture who feeds on pain ♪

♪ Sleep in a well-lit room, don't let the shadow through ♪

♪ And sever all I knew, yeah, sever all ♪

♪ I thought I could depend on my weekends ♪

♪ On the freezing ground that I'm sleeping on ♪

♪ Please, keep me from, please, keep me ♪

♪ Down from the ledges ♪

♪ Better test it, wooden wedges under doorways ♪

♪ Keep your wooden wedges under doors ♪

♪ Chorus, verse, chorus, verse ♪

♪ Now here comes the eight ♪

♪ Wait, habits here too, you're the worst ♪

♪ Your structure compensates ♪

♪ But compensation feels a lot like rising up to dominate ♪

♪ By track two ♪

♪ At least they all know all they hear comes from a place ♪

♪ Oh, I know how to levitate up off my feet ♪

♪ And ever since the seventh grade I learned to fire-breathe ♪

♪ And though I feed on things that fell ♪

♪ You can learn to levitate with just a little help ♪

♪ You can levitate with just a little help ♪

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music continues)

♪ Welcome to Trench ♪

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music ends) (cicadas chirping)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
levitate /ˈlɛvɪteɪt/ C1	verb - to rise or cause to rise and float in the air without physical support
fire-breathe /ˈfaɪər briːð/ C2	verb - to exhale a stream of fire, as in a performance
feed /fiːd/ A2	verb - to give food to a person or animal
cowards /ˈkaʊərdz/ B1	noun - people who lack courage to face danger or difficulty
curse /kɜːrs/ B2	noun - a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon someone
danger /ˈdeɪndʒər/ A2	noun - the possibility of suffering harm or injury
fabric /ˈfæbrɪk/ B1	noun - the basic structure or underlying framework of something
hiding /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/ A2	verb - concealing oneself or something from view
smirking /ˈsmɜːrkɪŋ/ C1	verb - smiling in an affectedly smug or offensive way
circling /ˈsɜːrkəlɪŋ/ B1	verb - moving in a circular path around something
graffiti /ɡrəˈfiːti/ B2	noun - writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface
poacher /ˈpoʊtʃər/ C1	noun - a person who hunts or fishes illegally
overexposure /ˌoʊvərɪkˈspoʊʒər/ C1	noun - the state of being exposed to something for too long or too much
vultures /ˈvʌltʃərz/ B2	noun - large birds of prey known for feeding on carrion
shadow /ˈʃædoʊ/ A2	noun - a dark area or shape produced by an object blocking light
sever /ˈsevər/ C1	verb - to cut off or divide
depend /dɪˈpend/ B1	verb - to rely on someone or something
freezing /ˈfriːzɪŋ/ A2	adjective - extremely cold
wedges /ˈwedʒɪz/ B2	noun - pieces of material tapered to a thin edge, used for filling gaps or tightening
dominate /ˈdɒmɪneɪt/ B2	verb - to have control or power over

Key Grammar Structures

• Oh, I know how to levitate up off my feet

  ➔ "know how to" + infinitive

  ➔ This structure is used to express knowledge of a skill or ability. "I know how to levitate" means the speaker possesses the skill of levitating.

• And ever since the seventh grade I learned to fire-breathe

  ➔ "ever since" + past simple clause

  ➔ "Ever since" indicates a starting point in the past (the seventh grade) from which an action or state has continued up to the present. Here, it emphasizes the origin of a learned skill.

• And everyone's asleep, mind you

  ➔ Discourse marker "mind you"

  ➔ "Mind you" is an informal discourse marker used to add a point, often a warning, an explanation, or a qualification, to what has just been said. It draws attention to the following information.

• But a curse from you Is all that I would need right now, man

  ➔ "all that" + "would" (relative clause + hypothetical desire/conditional)

  ➔ "All that" introduces a relative clause modifying "all," meaning "the only thing." "Would need" expresses a hypothetical desire or a condition of what would be required, suggesting a longing or a specific requirement in a current situation.

• Danger in the fabric of this thing I made

  ➔ Omission of relative pronoun

  ➔ In informal English, the relative pronoun (e.g., "that" or "which") can be omitted when it is the object of the relative clause. Here, "this thing [that] I made" is understood, where "that" refers to "thing" and is the object of "made."

• No, no we are not just graffiti on a passing train

  ➔ "not just"

  ➔ "Not just" is used to emphasize that something is more than what is being stated or implied. It suggests that while "graffiti" might be one aspect, there is a deeper or more significant meaning or identity.

• I am a vulture who feeds on pain

  ➔ Relative clause with "who"

  ➔ "Who feeds on pain" is a relative clause that provides essential information about the noun "vulture." "Who" is a relative pronoun used for people (or in this metaphorical context, for the speaker identifying as a 'vulture') and acts as the subject of the clause.

• Sleep in a well-lit room, don't let the shadow through

  ➔ Imperative + causative verb "let"

  ➔ This sentence uses the negative imperative ("don't let") to give an instruction or warning. "Let" is a causative verb, meaning "to allow or permit." So, "don't let the shadow through" means "do not permit the shadow to pass through."

• On the freezing ground that I'm sleeping on

  ➔ Relative clause ending with a preposition

  ➔ This is a relative clause ("that I'm sleeping on") modifying "ground." The preposition "on" is placed at the end of the clause, which is common in informal and spoken English, rather than at the beginning (e.g., "on which I'm sleeping").

• Now here comes the eight

  ➔ Inversion with "here comes"

  ➔ This structure uses inversion (verb before subject) typically for emphasis or to introduce something new or surprising. "Here comes the eight" means "the eight is coming now," but the inverted form adds a sense of immediacy or dramatic announcement.