Little Secrets – English Lyrics
Lyrics & Translation
[English]
When I came down, the dawn poured into me
I shook 'em up, the walls came crumbling
My fists kept trembling with these salty wounds
My stolen gold inside the emperor's tomb
Now painting rainbows on my ugly face
I built this cardboard neighborhood's disgrace
But I ascend and serve my feverish need
Within the confines of such chemistry
It's the way I see
Everything I need
It's no way to be
Let this be our little secret
No one needs to know we're feeling
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
But I feel alive and I feel it in me
Up and up we keep on climbing
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher)
...
My face blew up at such a casual sight
The smattered colors of ecstatic fright
The rush above me to oblivion
Outlining wet sidewalks in halogen
Oh, have you ever felt so goddamn strong?
How come it takes some people so damn long?
He tried to squeeze the lemon juice to rain
The citrus drawing out the season's stains
Watch the basin drain
As your life lines wane
And you can't explain
As your friends complain
You've caused all this pain
And you proudly shame
Your whole familiy's name
Let this be our little secret
No one needs to know we're feeling
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
But I feel alive, oh, I feel it in me
Up and up we keep on climbing
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
Mother, I can tell what you've been thinking
Staring at the stars on your ceiling
Thinking once there was a power that you were wielding
And now I've hit the mark, staring at the dark
And I cannot help but ignore the people staring at my scars
Let this be our little secret
No one needs to know we're feeling
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
But I feel alive, oh, I feel it in me
Up and up we keep on climbing
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
Let this be our little secret
No one needs to know we're feeling
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
But I feel alive, oh, I feel it in me
Up and up we keep on climbing
(Higher and higher and higher)
(Higher and higher and higher)
...
Key Vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Meanings |
|---|---|
|
crumbling /ˈkrʌm.bəlɪŋ/ B2 |
|
|
disgrace /dɪsˈɡreɪs/ B2 |
|
|
confines /kənˈfaɪn/ B2 |
|
|
chemistry /ˈkɛm.ɪ.stri/ B2 |
|
|
rainbows /ˈreɪn.boʊz/ B1 |
|
|
fears /fɪərz/ A2 |
|
|
squeeze /skwiːz/ B2 |
|
|
staring /ˈstɛərɪŋ/ B2 |
|
|
wielding /ˈwiːldɪŋ/ C1 |
|
|
staircase /ˈstɛərkeɪs/ B2 |
|
|
scars /skɑːrz/ B2 |
|
|
secret /ˈsiː.krɪt/ A2 |
|
|
climb /klaɪm/ A2 |
|
|
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2 |
|
Key Grammar Structures
-
When I came down, the dawn poured into me
➔ Past Simple Tense (came) and metaphorical use of 'poured into'
➔ The past simple describes a completed action in the past. 'Poured into' is a metaphor suggesting the dawn filled the speaker intensely.
-
My fists kept trembling with these salty wounds
➔ Past Continuous Tense (kept trembling)
➔ "Kept trembling" indicates an action that continued for a period in the past. It implies a lingering effect of the "salty wounds".
-
I built this cardboard neighborhood's disgrace
➔ Possessive case ('s) and metaphor ('cardboard neighborhood's disgrace')
➔ The "'s" indicates possession, showing the disgrace belongs to the neighborhood. 'Cardboard neighborhood' is a metaphor for something flimsy or artificial.
-
Let this be our little secret
➔ Imperative mood (Let)
➔ "Let" here is used to make a suggestion or request. The structure is "Let + object + be..."
-
No one needs to know we're feeling
➔ Present Continuous Tense (we're feeling) as a state.
➔ While present continuous often describes actions happening now, here it emphasizes the ongoing *state* of feeling something, not just the immediate act.
-
Oh, have you ever felt so goddamn strong?
➔ Present Perfect Tense (have you ever felt) and Intensifier (goddamn)
➔ The present perfect asks about a past experience within the speaker's lifetime. 'Goddamn' intensifies the feeling of 'strong'.
-
How come it takes some people so damn long?
➔ Informal Question Structure ('How come...') and Adverb of Degree ('so damn long')
➔ 'How come' is an informal way to ask 'why'. 'So damn long' emphasizes the speaker's exasperation.
-
Thinking once there was a power that you were wielding
➔ Past Continuous Tense (were wielding) in a relative clause with 'that'
➔ This describes a past action that was in progress at a specific time. The relative clause 'that you were wielding' modifies 'power'.
