Phantom – English Lyrics

• By: WayV
• Album: Phantom

Lyrics & Translation

Learn Chinese with WayV's dramatic and theatrical song, “Phantom.” The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery and metaphors related to overcoming struggles, making it a powerful and engaging way to expand your vocabulary. The song's connection to the classic 'The Phantom of the Opera' also provides an interesting cultural touchpoint for learners.

[English]

Uh uh

What is it What is it uh uh

On the edge of unconsciousness

The nightmare shatters

Whose fears were manipulated?

The world's rules are shaken

All the noises in my brain

Night snatches every look and glance

When it just gets louder

Yeah it just gets harder

(Woah)

A fake silhouette breaks the silence (Hint me)

A dream-like abyss, who dares look? (Leave me)

(Woah)

Ay, who are you calling in your dreams? The Visions grow dim

It makes me wonder

That moment when everything shifted

4, 3, 2, 1 Times

A vile night, but it can't make real what's fake

Footsteps of a masked existence

On a journey of self-discovery

Because truth does exist

Like a phantom that be pulling my strings

Hey-yo hey-yo, the puppeteer tugs, and

In darkness, the world loses its way

Dream is a trickster hiding what's real

See through it all from behind the mask

Through the chaos feeding on fear

Oh standing in the dark

Only I can see the truth so crazy

Look as if there is no mask

The light of truth was never lost

Fade out phantom

With bated breath you await that captured gaze

Wake in the dead of night to find

The world has long lost the light

Can't get out uh

Of the phantom tower

A hazy vision of the future feels only like Déjà vu

An absurd revelation of something fake

Whet it just gets louder

Yeah it jut gets harder

(Woah)

Night of reckoning, between good and evil (Lead me)

What change will appear in that narrow hour? (Get it)

(Woah)

Ay, rise above this time of lies

With a fiery gaze

That at last sees the truth

4, 3, 2, 1 Times

With both hands, push away the beckoning evil

No longer afraid of what fear teaches

Fight through the dark, misty woods

Feeling me up alive

Like a phantom that be pulling my strings

Hey-yo hey-yo, the puppeteer tugs, and

In darkness, the world loses its way

Dream is a trickster hiding what's real

See through it all from behind the mask

Through the chaos feeding on fear

Oh standing in the dark

Only you can see the truth so babe

Look as if there is no mask

The light of truth was never lost

Fade out phantom

Yeah, it's time to stop the world from reeling

Reveal all that you are

Gonna recover the distorted truth

Like the way ahead of me

Not afraid now you can see uh uh

Rumors threadbare with time

Close your ears to weakness and nosie, Let it go

Without warning

At last, the soul is free, Over you

Keeping me alive

At the end of helpless waiting

Truth alive

Like a phantom that be pulling my strings

Hey-yo hey-yo, the puppeteer tugs, and (my feeling yeah)

Lost in this world of darkness (World of darkness)

Dream is a trickster hiding what's real (See through it all from behind the mask, Yeah)

Through the chaos feeding on fear

Oh standing in the dark (oh standing in the)

Only you can see the truth so babe (you see the truth)

Look as if there is no mask

The light of truth was never lost

Fade out phantom

Uh uh

What is it What is it uh uh

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
phantom /ˈfæntəm/ B2	noun - a ghost; something that is not real but appears to be.
nightmare /ˈnaɪtmeər/ B1	noun - a frightening dream; a very unpleasant or difficult experience.
shatters /ˈʃætərz/ B2	verb - to break suddenly into many small pieces; to severely damage or destroy.
manipulated /məˈnɪpjuleɪtɪd/ B2	verb - to control or influence someone or something in a clever or dishonest way.
abyss /əˈbɪs/ C1	noun - a very deep hole or a bottomless chasm; a difficult or dangerous situation from which it is hard to escape.
silhouette /ˌsɪluˈɛt/ B2	noun - the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background.
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the quality or state of being true; something that is true.
mask /mɑːsk/ A2	noun - a covering for the face, worn as a disguise or for protection. verb - to cover (the face or part of the face) with a mask; to conceal or hide.
chaos /ˈkeɪɒs/ B2	noun - complete disorder and confusion.
puppeteer /ˌpʌpɪˈtɪə(r)/ C1	noun - a person who manipulates puppets; a person who controls others without their knowledge.
reckoning /ˈrekənɪŋ/ C1	noun - the act of calculating or estimating something; a time when past mistakes or bad actions must be dealt with.
distorted /dɪˈstɔːtɪd/ B2	adjective - pulled or twisted out of shape; giving a misleading or false account or impression.
visions /ˈvɪʒənz/ B1	noun - the ability to see; a mental image of what something could be like in the future; a vivid dream or hallucination.
unconsciousness /ʌnˈkɒnʃəsnəs/ C1	noun - the state of not being awake and aware of things; the part of the mind that contains feelings and memories of which one is not aware.
hazy /ˈheɪzi/ B2	adjective - made unclear or dim by or as if by a haze; not clear or distinct.
beckoning /ˈbekənɪŋ/ B2	verb - making a gesture with the hand, arm, or head to encourage someone to come nearer or follow; appearing attractive or inviting. adjective - attracting or inviting.
trickster /ˈtrɪkstə(r)/ C1	noun - a person who cheats or deceives people.
gaze /ɡeɪz/ B2	noun - a steady, intense, or prolonged look. verb - to look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought.
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ B1	verb - to make (something previously unknown or secret) known to others.
rumors /ˈruːmərz/ B1	noun - a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth.

Key Grammar Structures

• Whose fears were manipulated?

  ➔ Passive Voice (Past Simple) and Interrogative Possessive Pronoun 'Whose'.

  ➔ The passive voice ("were manipulated") is used when the action's recipient or the action itself is more important than the performer. "Whose" asks about the possessor of the "fears".

• A vile night, but it can't make real what's fake

  ➔ Modal Verb 'can't' (inability/impossibility), Causative Verb 'make + adjective', and Nominal Clause with 'what'.

  ➔ "can't" indicates that something is impossible. The structure "make + adjective" ("make real") means to cause something to become that adjective. "what's fake" is a nominal clause acting as the object, meaning "the thing that is fake".

• Because truth does exist

  ➔ Emphatic 'does'.

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "does" is used here to add emphasis to the main verb "exist", confirming the truth's existence strongly.

• Like a phantom that be pulling my strings

  ➔ Relative Clause (defining) with 'that'. (Note: 'be pulling' is informal/non-standard for 'is pulling').

  ➔ The clause "that be pulling my strings" identifies and describes the "phantom". It provides essential information about which phantom is being referred to.

• Dream is a trickster hiding what's real

  ➔ Present Participle ('hiding') functioning as an adjective or part of a reduced relative clause, and Nominal Clause with 'what'.

  ➔ "hiding" modifies "trickster", indicating what kind of trickster it is (one that hides). It's a reduced form of "who hides". "what's real" means "the thing that is real" and acts as the object of "hiding".

• Look as if there is no mask

  ➔ Subordinating Conjunction 'as if' for hypothetical/unreal comparisons.

  ➔ "as if" introduces a clause that describes how something appears, often suggesting it's not actually the case (a hypothetical or unreal situation). Here, it suggests looking in a way that implies no mask, even if there might be one.

• Yeah, it's time to stop the world from reeling

  ➔ Idiomatic expression 'It's time to...' and Verb pattern 'stop + object + from + gerund'.

  ➔ "It's time to..." is used to say that something should happen now or soon. The structure "stop + object + from + gerund" means to prevent someone/something from doing something. Here, to prevent "the world" from "reeling" (spinning out of control).

• Gonna recover the distorted truth

  ➔ Informal Future 'Gonna' (contraction of 'going to') and Past Participle as an adjective ('distorted').

  ➔ "Gonna" is an informal way of saying "going to", indicating future intention or a planned action. "distorted" is a past participle used as an adjective to describe the "truth" as being twisted or misrepresented.

• No longer afraid of what fear teaches

  ➔ Adverbial phrase 'No longer' (cessation of action/state) and Nominal Clause with 'what'.

  ➔ "No longer" indicates that something that was true in the past is not true anymore. "what fear teaches" is a nominal clause acting as the object of the preposition "of", meaning "the things that fear teaches".

• The light of truth was never lost

  ➔ Passive Voice (Past Simple) with the adverb of frequency 'never'.

  ➔ The passive voice "was lost" emphasizes that the "light of truth" underwent the action, not who performed it. "never" indicates that this action did not happen at any time in the past.