Lucretia – English Lyrics

• By: Megadeth
• Album: Rust In Peace

Lyrics & Translation

Want to dive deep into the advanced vocabulary of Thrash Metal? Megadeth's “Lucretia” is your lesson. You can learn about complex song structures, intricate, melodic riffing, and sophisticated guitar modes used in Marty Friedman’s lauded solo. The lyrics, which tell a story of paranoia and a secret escape to visit a ghost or fortune teller, also offer a powerful insight into dark and mysterious storytelling.

[English]

Sitting up late at night

I tiptoe through the darkness

Cold as Hell, black as spades

Aware of my immediate surroundings

In my place, I escape

Up into my hideout

Hiding from everyone

My friends all say "Dave, you're mental anyway" (Hey!)

Drift into a deeper state

I stalk the cobwebbed stairways

Dirt grits beneath my feet

The stair creaks, I precariously sneak (Yeah!)

...

Hypnosis guides my hand

I slip-slide through the walkways

Sit in granny's rocking chair

Memories are whirling by (Yeah!)

Reminisce in the attic

Lucretia waits impatiently

Cobwebs make me squint

The cobra so eloquently glints

Moonbeams surge through the sky

The crystal ball is energised

Surely that, like the cat waiting

Lucretia rocks away (Hey!)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
darkness /ˈdɑːknəs/ A2	noun - The state of being with no light.
aware /əˈweə(r)/ B1	adjective - Knowing or realizing something.
escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ A2	verb - To get away from a place or situation.
hideout /ˈhaɪdaʊt/ B2	noun - A place where someone hides, usually to avoid danger.
mental /ˈmentl/ B1	adjective - Relating to the mind; psychological.
stalk /stɔːk/ B2	verb - To follow or approach something quietly and secretly.
cobweb /ˈkɒbweb/ B2	noun - A web spun by a spider.
grit /ɡrɪt/ C1	noun - Very small pieces of stone or sand.
precariously /prɪˈkeəriəsli/ C1	adverb - In a way that is uncertain or dangerous.
hypnosis /hɪpˈnəʊsɪs/ C1	noun - A trance-like state in which a person loses control of voluntary action.
reminisce /ˌremɪˈnɪs/ B2	verb - To think or talk about past experiences.
attic /ˈætɪk/ B1	noun - A space or room at the top of a building, under the roof.
impatiently /ɪmˈpeɪʃəntli/ B2	adverb - In a way that shows irritation due to delay.
cobra /ˈkəʊbrə/ B2	noun - A large, poisonous snake from Africa or Asia.
eloquently /ˈeləkwəntli/ C1	adverb - In a fluent, persuasive, and expressive way.
glint /ɡlɪnt/ C1	verb - To give off small flashes of light.
moonbeam /ˈmuːnbiːm/ B2	noun - A ray of light from the moon.
crystal /ˈkrɪstl/ B1	noun - A clear, transparent material with a regular shape.
energise /ˈenədʒaɪz/ B2	verb - To give energy or strength to something.

Key Grammar Structures

• Sitting up late at night

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase uses the present continuous tense with 'sitting up' to describe an action happening at the moment of speaking.

• I tiptoe through the darkness

  ➔ Present Simple Tense with Adverb

  ➔ The verb 'tiptoe' is in the present simple tense, and 'through the darkness' acts as an adverbial phrase modifying the verb.

• Cold as Hell, black as spades

  ➔ Simile (As + Adjective)

  ➔ The phrase uses similes with 'as' to compare the coldness to Hell and the darkness to spades.

• Aware of my immediate surroundings

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The prepositional phrase 'of my immediate surroundings' modifies the adjective 'aware', providing more detail.

• My friends all say 'Dave, you're mental anyway' (Hey!)

  ➔ Direct Speech

  ➔ The phrase uses direct speech with quotation marks to report exactly what the friends said.

• Hypnosis guides my hand

  ➔ Subject-Verb Inversion

  ➔ The sentence uses subject-verb inversion for emphasis, placing 'Hypnosis' at the beginning.

• Memories are whirling by (Yeah!)

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense with Adverb

  ➔ The present continuous tense 'are whirling' is used with the adverb 'by' to describe an ongoing action.

• The crystal ball is energised

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The sentence uses the passive voice with 'is energised' to focus on the action rather than the doer.