Pompeii

• By: Bastille
• Album: &

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
left /lɛft/ A1	verb - past tense of leave; to go away from
days /deɪz/ A1	noun - plural of day; a period of 24 hours
walls /wɔːlz/ A1	noun - plural of wall; a vertical structure that encloses or divides an area
tumbling /ˈtʌmblɪŋ/ B2	verb - falling suddenly
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or urban area
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something noun - an intense feeling of affection
clouds /klaʊdz/ A1	noun - plural of cloud; a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere
hills /hɪlz/ A1	noun - plural of hill; a naturally raised area of land, not as high or steep as a mountain
darkness /ˈdɑːknəs/ B1	noun - the state of being dark; absence of light
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - plural of eye; the organ of sight
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
changed /tʃeɪndʒd/ A1	verb - past tense of change; to become different
optimist /ˈɒptɪmɪst/ B2	noun - a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something
lost /lɒst/ A2	adjective - unable to find one's way; no longer possessed verb - past tense of lose; to come to be without something
vices /ˈvaɪsɪz/ C1	noun - immoral or wicked behavior
dust /dʌst/ A1	noun - fine, dry particles of earth or waste matter verb - to remove dust from the surface of
rubble /ˈrʌbəl/ B2	noun - waste or rough fragments of stone, brick, or concrete, especially as the result of demolition or decay
sins /sɪnz/ B2	noun - an immoral act considered a transgression against divine law

Grammar:

• I was left to my own devices

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The subject "I" receives the action, rather than performing it. "I" didn't choose to be alone; someone or something caused it. "was left" is past simple passive.

• Many days fell away with nothing to show

  ➔ Phrasal Verb (fell away)

  ➔ "Fell away" means to disappear or become fewer. In this context, it means many days passed without achieving anything significant.

• Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 0/General Truth)

  ➔ This sentence is similar to a Type 0 conditional. Although it doesn't use "if", the question implies a condition. "Does it feel like..." is similar to saying "If you close your eyes, does it feel like...". It suggests that a particular action (closing your eyes) leads to a consistent result or feeling.

• How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

  ➔ Informal Contraction & Future Intention

  ➔ "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to", used to express future intention. The sentence expresses doubt and a question about how to maintain a positive outlook.

• We were caught up and lost in all of our vices

  ➔ Past Simple Passive (We were caught up)

  ➔ "We were caught up" is another example of the passive voice in the past simple. It indicates that something happened *to* them, rather than something they actively did. They didn't choose to be caught up; they were ensnared by something external.

• In your pose as the dust settled around us

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase as Adverbial

  ➔ The phrase "In your pose" functions as an adverbial, modifying the main clause. It adds context, specifying the manner or circumstance in which the events occurred.

• Oh, where do we begin, the rubble or our sins?

  ➔ Rhetorical Question & Ellipsis

  ➔ This is a rhetorical question; it's not meant to be answered directly, but rather to make a point. The second part of the question, "the rubble or our sins?", uses ellipsis, omitting implied words like "should we begin with".