TIT FOR TAT – English Lyrics

• By: Tate McRae

Lyrics & Translation

If you want to dive into modern, sharp, and confident English songwriting, 'TIT FOR TAT' is a perfect example of contemporary 'revenge pop.' It’s packed with pointed, slang-infused phrases like 'Fix your fucking self, kiss my ass for that' and the core idiom 'tit for tat,' offering a powerful, conversational study in expressing anger, defiance, and getting even in a breakup scenario. The song’s viral success and immediate controversy make it a great piece for understanding current pop culture discourse.

[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/ A2	verb - to have strong affection for someone noun - an intense feeling of affection
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
deal /diːl/ B1	noun - an agreement or arrangement verb - to distribute something
messy /ˈmesi/ B1	adjective - untidy or disordered
side /saɪd/ A2	noun - a position to the left or right noun - a particular viewpoint or opinion
fight /faɪt/ B1	verb - to take part in a physical altercation noun - a physical altercation
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ B1	verb - to make or become different noun - the act or process of becoming different
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain to noun - physical or emotional pain
bruise /bruːz/ B2	noun - a discolored mark on the skin
ego /ˈiːɡoʊ/ C1	noun - a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance
respectful /rɪˈspektfəl/ B2	adjective - showing respect
narrative /ˈnærətɪv/ C1	noun - a story or account of events
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	noun - a social gathering verb - to attend a social gathering
type /taɪp/ B1	noun - a category of people or things
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to contact someone by telephone noun - a telephone conversation

Key Grammar Structures

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

  ➔ Future in the past

  ➔ The phrase 'Thought I might love you again' uses 'might' to express a past possibility, while 'I'll see how I feel' indicates a future action from a past perspective.

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

  ➔ Present continuous with future implication

  ➔ 'You're actin' like that' uses the present continuous to describe an ongoing action, while 'I never will' expresses a strong future refusal based on current behavior.

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

  ➔ Past simple with result

  ➔ The past simple 'answered' and 'sealed' are used to describe completed actions, with 'it sealed the deal' showing the direct result of the previous action.

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

  ➔ Imperative mood with coordination

  ➔ The imperative 'Let's go' is repeated to emphasize the action, with 'song for song' and 'back to back' acting as coordinated phrases to specify the manner.

• That's the best you got, where's the good one at?

  ➔ Contractions and colloquial language

  ➔ The contraction 'That's' and the colloquial 'you got' are used for informal speech, while 'where's the good one at?' employs a non-standard question structure for emphasis.