Smoke and Mirrors – English Lyrics

• By: Paloma Faith

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I met you, we made a pact

Broke promises, the system snaps

All your lights and neon lights are old

Dicta-coated miracles

And then one day the curtain called

Behind your smile

You're bony and a fake

Give it up

You've been discovered

（Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh ooh）

Don't look back

Cause you've just lost your lova'

Give it up

Your unillusioned

（Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh ooh）

Play our tricks

And all I get is just confusion

And now we're through

The show is over

The audience is walking out the room

You know it's true when I told ya

That all this gunk

Comes back around on you

You said you were built to last

You took my hand, you made a pass

The moon eclipsed

And circled 'round my heart

With your kiss, my life began

Your love, it hit and then you ran

And I hope you pay your dues

I'm moving on

Give it up

You've been discovered

（Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh ooh）

Don't look back

Cause you've just lost your lova'

Give it up

Your inillusioned

（Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh ooh）

Play our tricks

And all I get is just confusion

And now we're through

The show is over

The audience is walking out the room

You know it's true when I told ya

That all this gunk

Comes back around on you

Uuuuuoooooooooohhhh uuuoh

Uuuuuoooooooooohhhh uuuoh

You might think

I'm sitting home and crying

But I'm not, oh no

I've pulled the Queen of Clubs

There's no denying

I'm having the time of my life

And now we're through

The show is over

The audience is walking out the room

You know it's true when I told ya

That all this gunk

Comes back around on you

And now we're through

The show is over

The audience is walking out the room

You know it's true when I told ya

That all this gunk comes back around

All this gunk

Comes back around on you

Smoke & Mirrors -Paloma Faith

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pact /pækt/ B1	noun - a formal agreement between individuals or groups
promises /ˈprɑːmɪsɪz/ A2	noun - a declaration assuring that one will do something
neon /ˈniːɒn/ B1	noun - a chemical element used in bright lighting
miracles /ˈmɪrəkəlz/ A2	noun - an extraordinary event surpassing natural laws
curtain /ˈkɜːrtən/ A1	noun - a screen of fabric hung at a window or stage
bony /ˈboʊni/ B1	adjective - thin and lacking flesh
fake /feɪk/ A2	adjective - not genuine; imitation
discovered /dɪˈskʌvərd/ A2	verb - to find or learn something for the first time
confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/ A2	noun - a lack of understanding or clarity
audience /ˈɔːdiəns/ A1	noun - a group of people watching or listening to something
gunk /ɡʌŋk/ B1	noun - a thick, dirty substance
eclipsed /ɪˈklɪpst/ B2	verb - to obscure or block out light
dues /duːz/ B1	noun - a payment required as a condition of membership
denying /dɪˈnaɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - to declare something to be false
tricks /trɪks/ A1	noun - a cunning or skillful act
illusioned /ɪˈluːʒənd/ C1	adjective - deceived by false perceptions

Key Grammar Structures

• I met you, we made a pact

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ The verbs "met" and "made" are in the simple past, indicating completed actions in the past.

• Broke promises, the system snaps

  ➔ Simple Past + Simple Present (habitual/general truth)

  ➔ "Broke" is the past form of "break", showing a finished action, while "snaps" is present simple, used for a habitual or general truth about the system.

• All your lights and neon lights are old

  ➔ Simple Present with copular verb

  ➔ "are" is the simple present of "to be", linking the subject "lights" with the adjective "old".

• And then one day the curtain called

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ "called" is the past simple form of "call", describing a completed event in the narrative.

• You're bony and a fake

  ➔ Present Simple with linking verb + adjectives (compound predicate)

  ➔ "You're" = "you are"; the linking verb "are" connects the subject "you" with the adjectives "bony" and "fake".

• Don't look back

  ➔ Imperative mood (negative) with auxiliary "do"

  ➔ "Don't" is the contraction of "do not"; it creates a negative command, followed by the base verb "look".

• You know it's true when I told ya

  ➔ Present Simple + Past Simple in a time clause

  ➔ "know" is present simple (state), while "told" is past simple describing a specific past event introduced by "when".

• I've pulled the Queen of Clubs

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ "I've" = "I have"; "have pulled" is present perfect, indicating an action that has relevance to the present.

• There's no denying

  ➔ Existential "there is" + gerund (noun‑like) phrase

  ➔ "There's" = "there is"; the gerund "denying" functions as a noun, giving the idea that denial is impossible.

• You might think I'm sitting home and crying

  ➔ Modal verb "might" + base verb; Present Continuous "am/is/are + -ing"

  ➔ "might" expresses possibility; "think" is the base verb. "I'm sitting" uses the present continuous, showing an ongoing action at the moment of speaking.