Royals – English Lyrics

• By: LORDE

Lyrics & Translation

"Royals" by Lorde is a groundbreaking track that invites listeners to explore English through its insightful lyrics and minimalist sound. It's a powerful example of how pop music can challenge societal norms and celebrate individuality, making it perfect for understanding contemporary English expressions of identity and critique. The song's clear, deliberate vocals and relatable themes about youth and materialism offer an accessible entry point to modern English phrasing and cultural commentary.

[English]

[Whirring Sound]

 ♪♪ 

 ♪ I've never seen a diamond in the flesh ♪ 

 ♪ I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies ♪ 

 ♪ And I'm not proud of my address ♪ 

 ♪ In a torn up town, no postcode envy ♪ 

 ♪ But every song's like ♪ 

 ♪ Gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom ♪ 

 ♪ Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room ♪ 

 ♪ We don't care ♪ 

 ♪ We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams ♪ 

 ♪ But everybody's like ♪ 

 ♪ Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece ♪ 

 ♪ Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash ♪ 

 ♪ We don't care ♪ 

 ♪ We aren't caught up in your love affair ♪ 

 ♪ And we'll never be royals (royals) ♪ 

 ♪ It don't run in our blood ♪ 

 ♪ That kind of luxe just ain't for us ♪ 

 ♪ We crave a different kind of buzz ♪ 

 ♪ Let me be your ruler (ruler) ♪ 

 ♪ You can call me queen bee ♪ 

 ♪ And baby, I'll rule (I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule) ♪ 

 ♪ Let me live that fantasy ♪ 

 ♪ My friends and I, we've cracked the code ♪ 

 ♪ We count our dollars on the train to the party ♪ 

 ♪ And everyone who knows us knows ♪ 

 ♪ That we're fine with this, we didn't come from money ♪ 

 ♪ But every song's like ♪ 

 ♪ Gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom ♪ 

 ♪ Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room ♪ 

 ♪ We don't care ♪ 

 ♪ We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams ♪ 

 ♪ But everybody's like ♪ 

 ♪ Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece ♪ 

 ♪ Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash ♪ 

 ♪ We don't care ♪ 

 ♪ We aren't caught up in your love affair ♪ 

 ♪ And we'll never be royals (royals) ♪ 

 ♪ It don't run in our blood ♪ 

 ♪ That kind of luxe just ain't for us ♪ 

 ♪ We crave a different kind of buzz ♪ 

 ♪ Let me be your ruler (ruler) ♪ 

 ♪ You can call me queen bee ♪ 

 ♪ And baby, I'll rule (I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule) ♪ 

 ♪ Let me live that fantasy ♪ 

 ♪ Oh ♪ 

 ♪ Oh (oh, oh) ♪ 

 ♪ We're bigger than we ever dreamed ♪ 

 ♪ And I'm in love with being queen ♪ 

 ♪ Oh ♪ 

 ♪ Oh (oh, oh) ♪ 

 ♪ Life is great without a care ♪ 

 ♪ We aren't caught up in your love affair ♪ 

 ♪ And we'll never be royals (royals) ♪ 

 ♪ It don't run in our blood ♪ 

 ♪ That kind of luxe just ain't for us ♪ 

 ♪ We crave a different kind of buzz ♪ 

 ♪ Let me be your ruler (ruler) ♪ 

 ♪ You can call me queen bee ♪ 

 ♪ And baby, I'll rule (I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule) ♪ 

 ♪ Let me live that fantasy ♪ 

 ♪♪ 

♪ Yeah ♪ 

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
royals /ˈrɔɪəlz/ B2	noun - Members of a royal family
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - Red liquid in the body; lineage
luxe /lʌks/ C1	noun - Luxury, opulence
crave /kreɪv/ B2	verb - Desire intensely
buzz /bʌz/ B2	noun - Thrill, excitement (slang)
ruler /ˈruːlər/ B1	noun - Sovereign leader
queen /kwiːn/ A2	noun - Female monarch; dominant figure
fantasy /ˈfæntəsi/ B1	noun - Imagined scenario or desire
diamond /ˈdaɪəmənd/ B1	noun - Precious gemstone
gold /ɡoʊld/ A2	adjective - Made of or colored like gold
caught /kɔːt/ A2	verb - Trapped or involved (in a situation)
cracked /krækt/ B1	verb - Solved or figured out (a code/problem)
code /koʊd/ B1	noun - System of symbols or secrets
dollars /ˈdɒlərz/ A2	noun - Units of currency (US)
fine /faɪn/ A2	adjective - Acceptable, satisfactory
care /keər/ A2	verb - Feel concern or interest
trashin' /ˈtræʃɪŋ/ B2	verb - Vandalizing, destroying (colloquial)
trippin' /ˈtrɪpɪŋ/ C1	verb - Hallucinating or acting recklessly (slang)

Key Grammar Structures

• I've never seen a diamond in the flesh

  ➔ Present perfect (negative)

  ➔ "I've" = "I have" shows the present perfect auxiliary; "never" makes it negative.

• I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies

  ➔ Simple past (idiomatic expression)

  ➔ "cut" is the simple past form of "cut"; the whole phrase "cut my teeth on" is an idiom meaning to gain early experience.

• We don't care

  ➔ Simple present (negative) with do‑support

  ➔ "don't" = "do not" is the auxiliary used to form the negative in the present simple.

• We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams

  ➔ Present continuous

  ➔ "We're" = "We are" + "driving" (present participle) forms the present continuous to describe an ongoing imagined action.

• And baby, I'll rule

  ➔ Simple future (will + base verb)

  ➔ "I'll" = "I will" uses the modal "will" to express a simple future intention.

• We aren't caught up in your love affair

  ➔ Passive voice (present simple)

  ➔ "aren't" = "are not" + "caught" (past participle) creates the passive construction "are not caught up".

• It don't run in our blood

  ➔ Simple present (negative) – non‑standard third‑person form

  ➔ "don't" is used instead of the standard "doesn't"; this is colloquial/non‑standard English.

• Let me be your ruler

  ➔ Imperative with "let" + bare infinitive

  ➔ "Let" functions as a polite request verb followed by the bare infinitive "be".

• We crave a different kind of buzz

  ➔ Simple present (stative verb)

  ➔ "crave" is a stative verb that naturally occurs in the simple present to express a ongoing desire.