Tit for Tat – English Lyrics

• By: Tate McRae
• Album: So Close To What

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the confident, boundary-setting language of "Tit for Tat," a sharp pop anthem from Tate McRae. You can learn powerful phrases for expressing self-respect and firmness (like the song's title, which means retaliation in kind) while enjoying the track's rhythmic pop and hip-hop style. The song is a masterclass in modern pop storytelling, turning a personal experience into a universally relatable declaration of autonomy.

[English]

(Thought I might love you again, I'll see how I feel)

(Now that you're actin' like that, boy, I never will)

(Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal)

Right now, I'm not even about you

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm not even about you

The day I met you, boy, I thought it was a blessin'

In the heat of it, I always took your side

It's a shame you out here tryna make it messy

Wow, you're messy, damn

We were good, I thought we made it through the endin'

I was hearin' shit I never thought you'd say

Could have picked it up exactly where we left it

Took our future off your plate

Let's go song for song, let's go back to back (back to back)

Let's go tit for tat, boy, you asked for that (asked for that)

That's the best you got, where's the good one at? (Good one at)

I was never as far away as you thought

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm not even about you

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm not even about you (oh)

I was nothin' but respectful, and you know that (yeah, you know that)

Why you changin' up the narrative to write?

No, I can't do this, you're makin' me do this

If you want to fight

Let's go song for song, let's go back to back (back to back)

Fix your fuckin' self, kiss my ass for that (ass for that)

That's the best you got, where's the good one at? (Good one at)

Should've known you'd be the type to change (oh, yeah)

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm not even about you

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm not even about you

That looks like it really hurts

That bruise on your ego

I know that it makes it worse

It had to be me, though

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm-

Thought I might love you again, see how I feel

Now that you're actin' like that, I never will

Last night, she answered my call, it sealed the deal

Right now, I'm partyin' without you

(Thought I might love you again)

(Now that you're actin' like that) I'm partyin' without you

(Last night, she answered my call)

I'm partyin' without you

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or physical sensation
call /kɔːl/ A2	noun - an act of contacting someone by phone verb - to contact or shout to someone
seal /siːl/ B2	verb - to close something tightly to make it secure
deal /diːl/ B1	noun - an agreement or arrangement
act /ækt/ B1	verb - to behave in a certain way
messy /ˈmesi/ B2	adjective - untidy or complicated
shame /ʃeɪm/ B2	noun - a painful feeling of guilt or embarrassment
future /ˈfjuːtʃər/ A2	noun - the time yet to come
best /bɛst/ A2	adjective - of the highest quality or standard
hurt /hɜːrt/ B1	verb - to cause pain or injury adjective - feeling pain or emotionally upset
bruise /bruːz/ B2	noun - an injury appearing as a discolored mark on the skin
ego /ˈiːɡoʊ/ C1	noun - a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance
respectful /rɪˈspɛktfəl/ B2	adjective - showing politeness or honor
narrative /ˈnærətɪv/ C1	noun - a spoken or written account of connected events
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	verb - to celebrate or have a social gathering

Key Grammar Structures

• Thought I might love you again, I'll see how I feel

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Might' with Conditional Mood

  ➔ This line uses the modal verb "might" to express possibility in a conditional structure, where "I'll see how I feel" indicates a future action contingent on circumstances.

• Now that you're actin' like that, boy, I never will

  ➔ Conjunctive Adverb 'Now That' with Present Continuous

  ➔ Here, "now that" acts as a conjunctive adverb introducing a cause, combined with "you're actin'" as abbreviated present continuous slang for "acting," negating a future possibility with "never will."

• The day I met you, boy, I thought it was a blessin'

  ➔ Past Simple Tense with Gerund 'Blessin'

  ➔ This sentence employs past simple for completed actions, with "blessin'" as a colloquial gerund for "blessing," emphasizing a past belief represented by "thought it was."

• It's a shame you out here tryna make it messy

  ➔ Present Continuous for Ongoing Actions

  ➔ The "it's a shame" introducer leads into "tryna" as slang abbreviation for "trying to," which is present continuous, describing an ongoing attempt to "make it messy."

• Could have picked it up exactly where we left it

  ➔ Modal Perfect 'Could Have' for Hypothetical Past Actions

  ➔ "Could have" is a modal perfect form indicating what was possible in the past but didn't happen, here regretting not resuming from "where we left it."

• Let's go song for song, let's go back to back

  ➔ Imperative Mood with Reduplication

  ➔ This uses the imperative "let's go" for suggestions, with repetition in "back to back" for emphasis on matching actions "song for song."

• Fix your fuckin' self, kiss my ass for that

  ➔ Imperative with Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ The imperatives "fix" and "kiss" express commands, with "kiss my ass" as an idiom meaning dismissal or contempt, intensified by "fuckin'."

• That looks like it really hurts

  ➔ Present Simple for Stative Verbs

  ➔ "Looks" is a stative verb in present simple, used to describe appearance or perception, with "it" referring to something implied (like the bruise).

• That bruise on your ego

  ➔ Possessive Structure with Metaphor

  ➔ "On your ego" uses possessive "your" metaphorically to describe emotional damage, not literal "bruise," emphasizing figurative hurt.

• I know that it makes it worse

  ➔ Reported Speech Structure with Clauses

  ➔ "I know that" introduces a that-clause reporting knowledge or belief, where "it makes it worse" is embedded as the object clause.