Orphans – English Lyrics

• By: Beck

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poetic depth of Beck's "Orphans" and enhance your English skills by exploring its rich, metaphorical lyrics. This song offers a unique opportunity to delve into themes of alienation and resilience, all while learning nuanced vocabulary and phrasing. The blend of introspective lyrics and a captivating psychedelic rock melody makes "Orphans" a compelling and memorable way to engage with the English language.

[English]

Think I'm stranded but I don't know where

I got this diamond I don't know how to shine

In the sun where the dark winds wail

And these children leave their rulers behind

As we cross ten leagues from a rubicon

The matchsticks for my bones

If we can learn how to freeze ourselves alive

We can learn to leave these burdens to burn

Cast out these creatures of woe

Who shatter themselves

Fighting the fire with your bare hands

...

Now my journey takes me further south

I want to hear what the blind men sing

With their fossils and their gypsy bones

I'll stand beside myself so I'm not alone

And how can I make new again

What rusts every time it rains

And the rain it comes and floods our lungs

We're just orphans in a tidal wave's wake

...

If I wake up and see my maker coming

With all of his crimson and his iron desire

...

We'll drag the streets with the baggage of longing

To be loved or destroyed from a void

To a grain of sand in your hand

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stranded /ˈstrændɪd/ B1	adjective - left without the means to move from somewhere.
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to give off bright light.
winds /wɪndz/ A2	noun - the natural movement of air.
rulers /ˈruːlərz/ B1	noun - people who control a country or empire.
leagues /liːɡz/ B2	noun - a unit of distance, typically equal to three miles.
rubicon /ˈruːbɪkən/ C1	noun - a point of no return.
freeze /friːz/ A2	verb - to turn into ice.
burn /bɜːrn/ A2	verb - to be on fire.
shatter /ˈʃætər/ B2	verb - to break suddenly and violently into pieces.
journey /ˈdʒɜːrni/ A2	noun - an act of traveling from one place to another.
blind /blaɪnd/ A2	adjective - unable to see.
fossils /ˈfɒsɪlz/ B1	noun - the remains of ancient plants and animals.
rusts /rʌsts/ B1	verb - to be corroded by iron oxide.
floods /flʌdz/ A2	verb - to cover with water.
orphans /ˈɔːrfənz/ B1	noun - children whose parents have died.
wake /weɪk/ A2	noun - the track left on the surface of water by a moving vessel.
maker /ˈmeɪkər/ B1	noun - a person who makes something.
desire /dɪˈzaɪər/ B2	noun - a strong feeling of wanting something.
longing /ˈlɒŋɪŋ/ B2	noun - a yearning desire.