St. Vitus Dance – English Lyrics

• By: Black Sabbath
• Album: Vol. 4

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the dark origins of heavy metal with 'St. Vitus Dance.' This track is a perfect example of how musical atmosphere can convey a medical and psychological state without a single word, offering listeners a chance to explore the evocative and descriptive power of the English language through the lens of Gothic imagery and medical history.

[English]

So you think you know what's going on inside her head

You think she wants your money

But it's you she wants instead

When you think about the things that she did long ago

It breaks your heart,but deep down

Boy,you don't want her to go

You really look so shattering

You feel you want to die

Just because of the one mistake of telling you a lie

If I were you,I'd try again and try to make amends

She only thinks of you

You know I'm talking as a friend

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shattering /ˈʃætərɪŋ/ C1	adjective - extremely upsetting or destructive
amends /əˈmɛndz/ C2	noun - compensation or reparation for a wrongdoing
mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/ A2	noun - an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong
lie /laɪ/ A2	noun - an intentional false statement
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to separate into pieces or cause emotional pain
inside /ɪnˈsaɪd/ A2	preposition - within the inner part of something
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a medium of exchange in the form of coins or banknotes
instead /ɪnˈstɛd/ B1	adverb - as an alternative or substitute
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of affection
die /daɪ/ A2	verb - to stop living
talking /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/ A1	verb - to speak in order to give information or express ideas
deep /diːp/ A2	adjective - extending far down from the top or surface

Key Grammar Structures

• So you think you know what's going on inside her head

  ➔ Embedded clause (Noun clause)

  ➔ "what's going on inside her head" acts as the object of the verb "know".

• But it's you she wants instead

  ➔ Cleft sentence (Emphasis)

  ➔ Using "It is ... that/who" structure to emphasize "you".

• When you think about the things that she did long ago

  ➔ Relative clause

  ➔ "that she did long ago" modifies the noun "things".

• You really look so shattering

  ➔ Linking verb + Adjective

  ➔ "look" functions as a linking verb here, followed by the adjective "shattering".

• If I were you, I'd try again

  ➔ Second Conditional (Hypothetical)

  ➔ "If I were you" expresses a hypothetical situation using the subjunctive mood.

• Just because of the one mistake of telling you a lie

  ➔ Gerund phrase

  ➔ "telling you a lie" acts as the object of the preposition "of".

• You know I'm talking as a friend

  ➔ Present Continuous

  ➔ "am talking" indicates an action happening at the moment of speaking.