Nightmare – English Lyrics

• By: Avenged Sevenfold
• Album: Nightmare

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and emotional journey with Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare." This powerful heavy metal anthem offers a unique opportunity to explore dark, poetic English lyrics that delve into themes of consequence and eternal punishment. The song's raw energy and complex vocabulary make it a compelling tool for language learners, while its creation, born from both a conceptual vision and immense personal loss, adds a profound layer of meaning that transcends language.

[English]

Nightmare

(Now your nightmare comes to life)

Dragged you down below, down to the devil's show

To be his guest forever (peace of mind is less than never)

Hate to twist your mind, but God ain't on your side

An old acquaintance severed (burn the world, your last endeavor)

Flesh is burning, you can smell it in the air

'Cause men like you have such an easy soul to steal (steal)

So stand in line while they ink numbers in your head

You're now a slave until the end of time here

Nothing stops the madness, turning, haunting, yearning, pull the trigger

You should have known the price of evil

And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah

Ooh, it's your f-in' nightmare

(While your nightmare comes to life)

Can't wake up in sweat 'cause it ain't over yet

Still dancing with your demons (victim of your own creation)

Beyond the will to fight, where all that's wrong is right

Where hate don't need a reason (loathing self-assassination)

You've been lied to just to rape you of your sight

And now they have the nerve to tell you how to feel (feel)

So sedated as they medicate your brain

And while you slowly go insane, they tell you

"Given with the best intentions, help you with your complications"

You should have known the price of evil

And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah

No one to call, everybody to fear

Your tragic fate is looking so clear, yeah

Ooh, it's your f-in' nightmare

...

Fight (fight), not to fail (fail)

Not to fall (fall), or you'll end up like the others

Die (die), die again (die)

Drenched in sin (sin), with no respect for another

Oh

Down (down), feel the fire (fire)

Feel the hate (hate), your pain is what we desire

Lost (lost), hit the wall (wall)

Watch you crawl (crawl), such a replaceable liar

And I know you hear their voices (calling from above)

And I know they may seem real (these signals of love)

But our life's made up of choices (some without appeal)

They took for granted, your soul, and it's ours now to steal

(As your nightmare comes to life)

You should have known the price of evil

And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah

No one to call, everybody to fear

Your tragic fate is looking so clear, yeah

Ooh, it's your f-in' nightmare

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
nightmare /ˈnaɪtˌmɛər/ B1	noun - A very unpleasant dream
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
devil /ˈdɛvəl/ B1	noun - The supreme spirit of evil; Satan
hate /heɪt/ A2	noun - Intense dislike; hatred verb - To feel intense dislike for
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought
god /ɡɒd/ A1	noun - A superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature or human affairs; a deity
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - The earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features
flesh /flɛʃ/ B2	noun - The soft substance consisting of muscle and fat that is found between the skin and bones of a human or animal body
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
slave /sleɪv/ B1	noun - A person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.
madness /ˈmædnəs/ B2	noun - The state of being mentally ill; extreme folly or recklessness
evil /ˈiːvəl/ B1	noun - Profoundly immoral and wicked. adjective - Morally reprehensible; wicked.
sweat /swɛt/ B1	noun - Moisture exuded through the pores of the skin, typically as a result of heat or physical exertion verb - To exude moisture through the pores of the skin
demons /ˈdiːmənz/ B2	noun - An evil spirit or devil
tragic /ˈtrædʒɪk/ B2	adjective - Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow
fate /feɪt/ B1	noun - The development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - Combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - Physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury
voices /ˈvɔɪsɪz/ A2	noun - The sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.

Key Grammar Structures

• Dragged you down below, down to the devil's show

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase "Dragged you down" uses the past simple tense to indicate an action that has already happened.

• You should have known the price of evil

  ➔ Modal Perfect

  ➔ The phrase "should have known" indicates a past obligation or expectation that was not fulfilled.

• Nothing stops the madness, turning, haunting, yearning, pull the trigger

  ➔ Gerunds

  ➔ The words "turning, haunting, yearning" are gerunds that describe ongoing actions.

• Can't wake up in sweat 'cause it ain't over yet

  ➔ Informal Contractions

  ➔ The phrase "can't" and "ain't" are informal contractions commonly used in spoken English.

• Your tragic fate is looking so clear

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase "is looking" uses the present continuous tense to describe an ongoing situation.

• You've been lied to just to rape you of your sight

  ➔ Present Perfect Passive

  ➔ The phrase "have been lied to" indicates an action that has been done to the subject in the past.

• And while you slowly go insane, they tell you

  ➔ Adverbial Clauses

  ➔ The clause "while you slowly go insane" provides context for the main action.