traitor – English Lyrics

• By: Olivia Rodrigo

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Olivia Rodrigo's "traitor" offers a compelling entry point into modern English lyricism. The song's clear and emotionally charged narrative about betrayal provides a relatable context for understanding nuanced vocabulary related to feelings and relationships. Its straightforward structure and repetitive chorus make it easier for learners to follow along and pick up new phrases. What makes "traitor" special for language learning is its use of colloquial and emotionally direct language, offering a glimpse into how a younger generation expresses complex feelings.

[English]

Ooh-whoa

Brown guilty eyes and little white lies, yeah

I played dumb, but I always knew

That you talked to her, maybe did even worse

I kept quiet so I could keep you

And ain't it funny how you ran to her

The second that we called it quits?

And ain't it funny how you said you were friends?

Now it sure as hell don't look like it

You betrayed me

And I know that you'll never feel sorry for the way I hurt, yeah

You talked to her when we were together

Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter

It took you two weeks to go off and date her

Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor

Now you bring her around just to shut me down

Show her off like she's a new trophyㅤ

And I know if you were true, there's no damn way that you

Could fall in love with somebody that quickly

Ain't it funny? All the twisted games

All the questions you used to avoid

Ain't it funny? Remember I brought her up

And you told me I was paranoid?

You betrayed me

And I know that you'll never feel sorry for the way I hurt, yeah

You talked to her when we were together

Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter

It took you two weeks to go off and date her

Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor

(Ah-ah-ah) God, I wish that you had thought this through

Before I went and fell in love with you

(Ah-ah-ah) when she's sleepin' in the bed, we made

Don't you dare forget about the way

You betrayed me

'Cause I know that you'll never feel sorry for the way I hurt, yeah

You talked to her when we were together

You gave me your word, but that didn't matter

It took you two weeks to go off and date her

Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still, you're still a traitor (ah-ah-ah)

Yeah, you're still a traitor

Ooh

God, I wish that you had thought this through

Before I went and fell in love with you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
traitor /ˈtreɪtər/ B2	noun - a person who betrays trust
betrayed /bɪˈtreɪd/ B1	verb - revealed or exposed someone's true feelings or identity
funny /ˈfʌni/ A1	adjective - amusing or strange
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
lies /laɪz/ A1	noun - false statements verb - to tell a lie
ran /ræn/ A1	verb - moved quickly on foot
sorry /ˈsɒri/ A1	adjective - feeling regret
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - caused pain or injury verb - felt pain adjective - injured or in pain
loved /lʌvd/ A1	verb - had deep affection for
matter /ˈmætər/ B1	verb - be important noun - a substance or situation
games /geɪmz/ A1	noun - activities done for fun or competition
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ A1	verb - bring back into the mind
told /toʊld/ A1	verb - communicated information
paranoid /ˈpærənɔɪd/ B2	adjective - unreasonably suspicious
wish /wɪʃ/ A2	verb - desire or hope for noun - an expression of desire
fell /fɛl/ A2	verb - dropped or collapsed
dare /dɛr/ A2	verb - have the courage to do something
forget /fərˈɡɛt/ A2	verb - fail to remember
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method or route
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection verb - feel deep affection for
bed /bɛd/ A1	noun - a piece of furniture for sleeping

Key Grammar Structures

• Brown guilty eyes and little white lies, yeah

  ➔ Adjectives modifying nouns, use of coordinating conjunctions

  ➔ The sentence uses a series of descriptive adjectives – “brown,” “guilty,” “little,” “white” – to modify the nouns they precede. The conjunction 'and' connects these descriptive phrases. The 'yeah' is a discourse marker.

• I played dumb, but I always knew

  ➔ Past simple tense, coordinating conjunction 'but' expressing contrast

  ➔ The sentence uses the past simple tense ('played', 'knew') to describe completed actions in the past. 'But' introduces a contrasting idea – despite appearing naive, the speaker was aware.

• It took you two weeks to go off and date her

  ➔ Impersonal 'it' construction with 'take' to express time, infinitive phrase 'to go off and date her'

  ➔ The phrase 'It took you...' is a common way to express the time required to complete an action. 'To go off and date her' is an infinitive phrase acting as the object of 'took'.

• Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor

  ➔ Contraction 'didn't', coordinating conjunction 'but' introducing a contrasting idea, declarative statement

  ➔ The sentence acknowledges the lack of physical infidelity ('didn't cheat') but asserts moral betrayal ('still a traitor'). The 'but' highlights the speaker's feeling that emotional betrayal is just as damaging.

• You gave me your word, but that didn't matter

  ➔ Past simple tense, use of 'give' with abstract noun 'word', coordinating conjunction 'but' expressing contrast

  ➔ Giving one's 'word' is an idiom meaning to make a promise. The sentence highlights the broken promise and the speaker's disillusionment, emphasizing that the promise held no weight.