To Be Human – English Lyrics

• By: MARINA
• Album: Love + Fear

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the universal human experience through MARINA's song "To Be Human." This track is a journey across the globe, referencing places from Kyoto to Chicago, and is a great way to learn vocabulary related to different cultures and global events. The song's clear and emotive lyrics about unity and shared feelings offer a poignant and accessible way to engage with the English language and reflect on what connects us all.

[English]

♪ The pagodas and the palaces dressed in gold leaf ♪

♪ Hide the damages ♪

♪ Spot the Geisha as she balances ♪

♪ Life's a cakewalk, full of challenges ♪

♪ Go to Russia, see the Red Square ♪

♪ Lenin's body lying dead there ♪

♪ From Kyoto, Hiroshima ♪

♪ Watch the black cloud crawling nearer ♪

♪ There were riots in America ♪

♪ Just when things were getting better ♪

♪ All the things I've done and seen ♪

♪ Still I don't know what life means ♪

♪ All the people living in, living in the world today ♪

♪ We're united by our love, we're united by our pain (ooh) ♪

♪ All the things that I've done and I've seen ♪

♪ Still I don't know, don't know what it means ♪

♪ Fly to Athens, pass the Parthenon ♪

♪ See the village where my father's from ♪

♪ To Chicago from Angola ♪

♪ São Paulo to Verona ♪

♪ And anywhere you go, you'll see (o-o-oh) ♪

♪ People are just like you and me (o-o-o-o-o-o-oh) ♪

♪ All the things I've done and seen ♪

♪ Still I don't know what life means ♪

♪ All the people living in, living in the world today ♪

♪ We're united by our love, we're united by our pain (ooh) ♪

♪ All the things that I've done and I've seen ♪

♪ Still I don't know, don't know what it means ♪

♪ To be human ♪

♪ (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh) ♪

♪ Still I don't know, don't know what it means ♪

♪ To be human, a real human being ♪

♪ I like to think about how we all look from afar ♪

♪ People driving fancy cars look like beetles to the stars ♪

♪ The missiles and the bombs sound like symphonies gone wrong ♪

♪ And if there is a God they'll know why it's so hard ♪

♪ To be human ♪

♪ (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh) ♪

♪ To be hu- Still, I don't know, don't know what it means ♪

♪ To be human, a real human being ♪

♪ I want connection (To be human) ♪

♪ I want to feel human again ♪

♪ Lost my direction (To be human) ♪

♪ I want to feel human again ♪

♪ To be human ♪

♪ To be human ♪

♪ To be human ♪

♪ To be human ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ B1	noun - physical harm caused to something verb - to harm something physically
challenge /ˈtʃælɪndʒ/ B2	noun - a task or situation that tests someone's abilities verb - to dispute the truth or validity of something
riot /ˈraɪət/ B2	noun - a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort
connection /kəˈnekʃən/ B2	noun - a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else
direction /daɪˈrekʃən/ B1	noun - a course along which someone or something moves
human /ˈhjuːmən/ A2	adjective - relating to or characteristic of people or humankind noun - a person
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - a luminous point in the night sky
missile /ˈmɪsaɪl/ C1	noun - a self-propelled guided weapon
bomb /bɒm/ B1	noun - a container filled with explosive
symphony /ˈsɪmfəni/ C1	noun - an elaborate musical composition
afar /əˈfɑːr/ B2	adverb - from a distance
fancy /ˈfænsi/ B1	adjective - elaborate in structure or decoration
beetle /ˈbiːtl/ A1	noun - an insect of the order Coleoptera
God /ɡɒd/ B1	noun - the creator and ruler of the universe