Silent Running – English Lyrics

• By: Gorillaz, Adeleye Omotayo
• Album: Cracker Island

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the "mesmerizing dreamlike state" of Gorillaz's "Silent Running" featuring Adeleye Omotayo. This soulful, mid-tempo funk track provides an excellent opportunity to learn English by studying its evocative, metaphorical language, such as the title itself which is a multi-layered term. The song's complex lyrics, which Damon Albarn explained concern the modern feeling of being lost in a digital labyrinth, make it a fascinating listen for understanding contemporary existential themes in English.

[English]

Stop, 'cause you're killing me

You brought me back and you made me feel free

Rowdy waves and your energy

You pulled me fragile from the wreckage

I got so lost here

Machine assisted, I disappeared

To a dream you don't wanna hear

How I got caught up in nowhere again

It feels like I've been silent running

Through the infinite pages, I've scrolled out

Searching for a new world

(For a new world)

Waits on the sunrise

I'm silent running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running

I'm silent running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

(Oh)

Run, run, running

I'm silent running

Stop 'cause you'll make me cry

I think it's time that I decide

What I've done when I trip and fly

And where it's taking me

(Taking me)

'Cause there's no way out of here

(No way out)

In the labyrinth I disappeared

(No one here)

To the dark fleet that got me here

(Underground)

I got caught up in no where again

It feels like I've been silent running

Through the infinite pages, I've scrolled out

Searching for a new world

(Searching for a new world)

Waits on the sunrise

I'm silent running

(Run, run, running)

(I'm silent running)

(Run, run, running)

(I'm silent running)

(Run, run, running)

(I'm silent running)

(Run, run, running)

(I'm silent running)

I'm silent running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

(Run, run, running)

(It made me cry)

(Run, run, running)

(This is the season of madness)

Run, run, running

(Back to you)

I'm silent running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run, running

Run, run, running, run, run running

Run, run

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fragile /ˈfrædʒaɪl/ B1	adjective - easily broken or damaged
wreckage /ˈrekɪdʒ/ B2	noun - the remains of something that has been badly damaged or destroyed
labyrinth /ˈlæbəˌrɪnθ/ C1	noun - a complicated network of passages or paths; a maze
infinite /ˈɪnfənət/ B2	adjective - limitless or endless in space, time, or quantity
sunrise /ˈsʌnˌraɪz/ B1	noun - the time in the morning when the sun appears above the horizon
machine /məˈʃiːn/ B1	noun - a device that uses power to perform a specific task
energy /ˈɛnərdʒi/ B1	noun - the capacity to do work; vigor or vitality
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A2	verb - to move quickly on foot; to operate continuously
silent /ˈsaɪlənt/ B1	adjective - making no sound; quiet
pages /ˈpeɪdʒɪz/ A2	noun - individual sides of a book, newspaper, or document
madness /ˈmædnəs/ B2	noun - the state of being mentally ill; extreme foolishness or chaos
season /ˈsizən/ A2	noun - one of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter)
dark /dɑːrk/ A2	adjective - having little or no light; gloomy
caught /kɔːt/ B1	verb - to capture or seize; to become trapped
disappear /ˌdɪsəˈpɪr/ B1	verb - to cease to be visible; to vanish
decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ B1	verb - to choose something after thinking about possible options
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to shed tears, often as a response to pain or emotion

Key Grammar Structures

• Stop, 'cause you're killing me

  ➔ Imperative + Contraction + Present progressive

  ➔ The verb ""killing"" is in the present progressive (you are killing) to show an ongoing action, while "Stop" is an imperative command and "'cause" is a contraction of "because".

• You brought me back and you made me feel free

  ➔ Simple past tense + Coordination with "and" + Causative construction

  ➔ Both verbs ""brought"" and ""made"" are in the simple past, showing completed actions. The conjunction "and" links two clauses, and "made me feel" is a causative pattern (cause someone to experience a feeling).

• I got so lost here

  ➔ Simple past of "get" + adjective phrase (resultative)

  ➔ The verb ""got"" (past of get) is used with the adjective phrase ""so lost"" to express a change of state – becoming very lost.

• It feels like I've been silent running

  ➔ Simple present + like + present perfect continuous

  ➔ The main verb ""feels"" is in the simple present. The clause after "like" uses ""I've been"" (present perfect continuous) to describe an ongoing feeling that started in the past and continues now.

• Through the infinite pages, I've scrolled out

  ➔ Present perfect + prepositional phrase

  ➔ ""I've"" (I have) forms the present perfect with "scrolled" to indicate an action that has relevance to the present. The prepositional phrase ""Through the infinite pages"" tells where the action occurs.

• I think it's time that I decide

  ➔ "It’s time" + that‑clause (subjunctive‑like structure)

  ➔ After "it’s time", the clause "that I decide" uses the base form "decide" (no "to") as a subjunctive‑like expression meaning the speaker feels it’s the right moment to make a decision.

• There's no way out of here

  ➔ Existential "there is" + negative "no" + noun phrase + prepositional phrase

  ➔ "There" is the dummy subject. "No" negates the noun phrase "way" and the prepositional phrase "out of here" specifies where the way would lead.

• It made me cry

  ➔ Causative verb "make" + object + bare infinitive

  ➔ The verb ""made"" (past of make) is a causative. It is followed directly by the object "me" and the bare infinitive "cry" to show that the subject caused the speaker to cry.