What Was That – English Lyrics

• By: Lorde

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Lorde's introspective world with "What Was That," a synth-pop gem that dissects the complexities of heartbreak. Explore vivid memories and raw emotions as Lorde questions a past relationship, offering listeners a chance to reflect on their own experiences with love and loss. This song provides a poignant exploration of post-relationship reflection.

[English]

A place in the city, a chair in the bed

I cover up all the mirrors, I can't see myself yet

I wear smoke like a wedding veil

Make a meal I won't eat

Step out into the street, alone in a sea

It comes over me

Oh, I'm missing you

Yeah, I'm missing you

And all the things we used to do

MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up

We kissed for hours straight

Well baby, what was that?

I remember saying then

"This is the best cigarette of my life"

Well, I want you just like that

Indio haze, we're in a sandstorm

And it knocks me out

I didn't know then

that you'd never be enough for me

Since l was seventeen, I gave you everything

Now, we wake from a dream

Well, baby, what was that?

What was that?

Baby, what was that?

Do you know you're still with me

When I'm out with my friends?

I stare at the painted faces that talk current affairs

You had to know this was happening

You weren't feeling my heat

When I'm in the blue light, down to be myself right

I face reality

I tried (I tried)

To let (To let)

Whatever has to pass through me, pass through

But this is still a problem, I know

It might not let me go

MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up

We kissed for hours straight

Well baby, what was that?

I remember saying then

"This is the best cigarette of my life"

Well, I want you just like that

Indio haze, we're in a sandstorm

And it knocks me out

I didn't know then

But you'd never be enough for me

Since l was seventeen, I gave you everything

Now, we wake from a dream

Well, baby, what was that?

What was that?

'Cause I want you just like that

(When I'm in the blue light, I can make it alright)

What was that?

(When I'm in the blue light, I can make it alright)

Baby, what was that?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or urban area
cover /ˈkʌvər/ A2	verb - to place something over or in front of something else noun - something that is put over or on top of something else
smoke /smoʊk/ A2	noun - the cloud of black, gray, or white gases and dust that is produced by burning something verb - to inhale and exhale the smoke of burning tobacco or a drug
wedding /ˈwedɪŋ/ A2	noun - a marriage ceremony and any celebrations associated with it
meal /miːl/ A1	noun - an occasion when food is eaten
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
garden /ˈɡɑːrdən/ A1	noun - a plot of ground, usually near a house, used for growing flowers, vegetables, or fruit
pupil /ˈpjuːpl/ B1	noun - the dark circular opening in the center of the iris of the eye, through which light passes to the retina
cigarette /ˌsɪɡəˈret/ A2	noun - a thin cylinder of finely cut tobacco rolled in paper for smoking
haze /heɪz/ B2	noun - a slight obscurity in the air
sandstorm /ˈsændstɔːrm/ B2	noun - a storm of wind carrying sand through the air in a desert region
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience a dream
friends /frendz/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
faces /ˈfeɪsɪz/ A1	noun - the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin
reality /riˈæləti/ B2	noun - the state of things as they actually exist
problem /ˈprɒbləm/ A2	noun - a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome

Key Grammar Structures

• I cover up all the mirrors, I can't see myself yet

  ➔ Present Simple (habitual) + Modal verb ‘can’ (negative)

  ➔ The verb "cover" is in the present simple to describe a regular action, and "can't" is the negative form of the modal verb "can" expressing inability.

• I wear smoke like a wedding veil

  ➔ Present Simple + Comparative structure with “like”

  ➔ The verb "wear" is in the present simple, and the phrase "like a wedding veil" uses the comparative particle "like" to draw a similarity.

• Step out into the street, alone in a sea

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The verb "Step" is used without a subject, giving a direct command or suggestion – the imperative mood.

• Oh, I'm missing you

  ➔ Present Continuous (progressive) for ongoing feelings

  ➔ The contraction "I'm" stands for "I am" followed by the verb "missing" in the -ing form, forming the present continuous to show an ongoing emotional state.

• I remember saying then "This is the best cigarette of my life"

  ➔ Verb + gerund (remember + gerund) for recalled actions

  ➔ The verb "remember" is followed by the gerund "saying", indicating that the speaker recalls the act of saying the quoted sentence.

• Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything

  ➔ Past Simple with time clause introduced by “since”

  ➔ The verb "gave" is in the past simple, and the phrase "Since I was seventeen" provides a past time reference that sets the context for the action.

• I tried to let whatever has to pass through me, pass through

  ➔ Verb + infinitive (try + to‑infinitive) and relative clause with “whatever”

  ➔ The verb "tried" is followed by the infinitive "to let", showing purpose. The clause "whatever has to pass through me" functions as a noun phrase introduced by the indefinite pronoun "whatever".

• I didn't know then that you'd never be enough for me

  ➔ Past Simple negative + that‑clause (reported speech) with modal “would”

  ➔ The auxiliary "didn't" forms the negative past simple of "know", and the that‑clause "that you'd never be enough for me" reports a thought using the modal "would" (contracted as "you'd").