Misery Business

• By: Paramore
• Album: RIOT!

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
misery /ˈmɪzəri/ B2	noun - a state of great unhappiness or suffering
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk
caught /kɔːt/ A2	verb - past tense of catch; to seize or capture
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or event
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not under the control or power of someone else verb - to release from captivity or restraint
lie /laɪ/ A2	verb - to not tell the truth
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame
wear /wer/ A1	verb - to have clothing on one's body
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - an expression of happiness or amusement verb - to have an expression of happiness
brag /bræɡ/ B2	verb - to say something in a boastful manner
steal /stiːl/ B1	verb - to take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - to be desired or approved of
matter /ˈmætər/ A2	verb - to be important or significant noun - a subject or situation under consideration
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	verb - to make or become different noun - the act or instance of making or becoming different
sorry /ˈsɒri/ A1	adjective - feeling regret or penitence
innocent /ˈɪnəsnt/ B1	adjective - not guilty of a crime or offense
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to indulge in a daydream or fantasy

Grammar:

• I'm in the business of misery

  ➔ Prepositional phrase 'in the business of'

  ➔ This phrase means that someone is involved or engaged in a particular activity or area of work, often with a connotation of it being a primary focus or concern. Here, it's a metaphorical business.

• She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock

  ➔ Simile (using 'like') to compare the body to an hourglass and the passage of time to a ticking clock.

  ➔ The use of "like" creates a direct comparison. The hourglass highlights a traditional desirable female figure and the ticking clock indicates a perceived pressure of time and aging.

• When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth

  ➔ Past simple tense ('thought', 'caught') to describe past events.

  ➔ This line uses simple past tense to narrate what happened in the past. "Caught him by the mouth" is a metaphor for seduction.

• Two weeks and we had caught on fire

  ➔ Past perfect tense ('had caught') to indicate an action completed before another point in the past (presumably implied).

  ➔ Implies that after two weeks, their relationship quickly and intensely developed. "Caught on fire" is a metaphor for passion and intensity.

• It was never my intention to brag To steal it all away from you now

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose ('to brag', 'to steal') explains the reason for doing something (or, in this case, *not* the reason).

  ➔ The infinitive form is used to describe what the intention wasn't. It highlights the speaker's seeming innocence, while simultaneously boasting.

• Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change

  ➔ Absolute phrase or nominative absolute ( 'Second chances they'). This phrase stands apart from the sentence, providing additional information or context.

  ➔ The phrase is grammatically independent and adds a strong, declarative statement about second chances.

• Once a whore, you're nothing more

  ➔ Ellipsis: omission of words ('Once you *are* a whore'). This is used to create a more informal and impactful statement.

  ➔ The implied verb 'are' creates a quicker, harsher judgement.

• Looking as innocent as possible to get to who They want and what they want, it's easy if you do it right

  ➔ Adjective clause modifying a noun (as innocent as possible)

  ➔ "As...as possible" is a common construction to express achieving the maximum degree of a quality. This construction modifies "looking" describing how someone acts. "it's easy if you do it right" Uses an implied "to" for purpose; to get what they want is easy if you do it the correct way