Seek & Destroy – English Lyrics

• By: SZA
• Album: SOS

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into SZA's powerful anthem, "Seek & Destroy," a raw and honest exploration of navigating emotional turmoil and finding freedom. Through its evocative lyrics and R&B melodies, this song offers a unique window into expressing vulnerability and resilience in English. It's a fantastic way to learn common phrases related to emotional expression, personal boundaries, and empowerment, making it special for its relatable themes and SZA's distinctive vocal delivery.

[English]

You push me past my own capacity, boy

Permission to crash, collecting damages, boy

No reaching or grabbing for more clarity now

Seek and destroy, all missiles deployed

Do it to you

Do it to you

I had to do it to you

Do it to you, oh-oh-oh

Don't make me do it to you

Do it to you

Do it to you

I hate to do it to you, oh

Do what I gotta do (oh-ah-ah-ah-ah)

I can't stand it, the urge is so demanding

The purge, so necessary

The art of war, god-, I'm drained

Now that I ruin everything, I cannot complain

Now that I've ruined everything, I'm so f- free

Now that I've ruined everything, keep it all for me

Now that I've ruined everything, space is all I need

Do it to you

Do it to you

I had to do it to you

Do it to you, oh-oh-oh

Don't make me do it to you

Do it to you

Do it to you

I hate to do it to you, oh

Do what I gotta do (oh-ah-ah-ah-ah)

Chasing fat a- and fake connections

Chasing facades in all directions

Chances are I've got no direction

Begging my angels for protection

Danger arise and I deflect it

New d- arrives and I e- it

Begging my angels for protection

Thanking my stars living reckless

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Do it to you

Do it to you

I had to do it to you

Do it to you, oh-oh-oh

Don't make me do it to you

Do it to you

Do it to you

I hate to do it to you, oh

Do what I gotta do (oh-ah-ah-ah-ah)

All the pain I know

Is used to fuel my soul

No control

I do it to you, do it to you, oh

All the hurt I know

Is used to heal my soul

No control

I do it to you, do it to you, oh

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
seek /siːk/ A1	verb - to search for something
destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ A2	verb - to damage so badly that something no longer exists or cannot be repaired
deploy /dɪˈplɔɪ/ B2	verb - to move troops or equipment into a position, especially in order to prepare for military action
ruin /ˈruːɪn/ B1	verb - to severely harm or damage something noun - the state of being severely damaged or destroyed
drain /dreɪn/ B1	verb - to make someone feel exhausted or emotionally empty
chase /tʃeɪs/ A2	verb - to follow someone or something in order to catch or attack them
facade /fəˈsɑːd/ C1	noun - an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant reality
direction /dəˈrɛkʃən/ A2	noun - a course along which someone or something moves
protection /prəˈtɛkʃən/ A2	noun - the act of protecting someone or something
deflect /dɪˈflɛkt/ B2	verb - to cause something to change direction
reckless /ˈrɛklɪs/ B1	adjective - without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action
fuel /fjuːəl/ A2	noun - a substance that is consumed to provide energy verb - to supply or power something with fuel
urge /ɜːrdʒ/ B1	noun - a strong desire or impulse verb - to strongly encourage or persuade someone to do something
purge /pɜːrdʒ/ C1	verb - to remove people considered undesirable from an organization or place noun - an instance of removing people considered undesirable
missile /ˈmɪsaɪl/ B1	noun - a weapon that is fired from a vehicle or machine and flies through the air
clarity /ˈklærɪti/ B2	noun - the quality of being clear, easy to understand, or obvious

Key Grammar Structures

• You push me past my own capacity, boy

  ➔ Simple present tense

  ➔ The verb "push" is in simple present tense to express a habitual or ongoing action. "You push" indicates something that regularly happens in the present.

• Permission to crash, collecting damages, boy

  ➔ Gerund phrase

  ➔ "Collecting" is a gerund (verb + -ing) functioning as a noun phrase. It describes an action as a thing or concept, showing the result of the crash.

• No reaching or grabbing for more clarity now

  ➔ Prohibitive form with 'No' + gerund

  ➔ The structure "No + gerund" (reaching, grabbing) is used to give strong prohibitions or commands, similar to "Don't reach or grab" but more emphatic.

• Seek and destroy, all missiles deployed

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ "Seek and destroy" is in the imperative mood, used to give commands or make requests. The subject "you" is implied but not stated.

• I had to do it to you

  ➔ Past modal obligation (had to)

  ➔ "Had to" expresses past necessity or obligation. It indicates that the speaker was required or compelled to perform the action in the past.

• Don't make me do it to you

  ➔ Causative structure (make + object + base verb)

  ➔ The causative structure "make + object + base verb" (make me do) indicates that someone is causing or forcing another person to perform an action.

• Now that I ruin everything, I cannot complain

  ➔ Adverbial clause of reason (Now that + clause)

  ➔ "Now that" introduces an adverbial clause of reason, explaining why something happens. It establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between the two clauses.

• All the pain I know is used to fuel my soul

  ➔ Passive voice (is used to)

  ➔ The passive voice "is used to" focuses on the action done to the subject rather than who performs the action. Here, the pain is being utilized by someone (unstated) for a purpose.

• I do it to you, do it to you, oh

  ➔ Emphatic repetition

  ➔ The phrase "do it to you" is repeated for emphasis and emotional impact. Repetition in lyrics often serves to reinforce a theme or intensify the feeling being expressed.

• All the pain I know is used to fuel my soul

  ➔ Relative clause (I know)

  ➔ The relative clause "I know" modifies "pain" by providing additional information about it. It's a reduced relative clause where the relative pronoun "that" has been omitted.