When You Die – English Lyrics

• By: MGMT

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with MGMT's "When You Die," a track that brilliantly fuses catchy melodies with thought-provoking, surreal lyrics. This song offers a unique opportunity to explore English vocabulary and expressions that convey complex emotions, from nihilism and anger to satire and self-reflection. Its diverse interpretations, from political commentary to personal identity struggles, make it a rich text for understanding nuanced meanings and idiomatic phrases, all wrapped in a distinctive psychedelic indie-pop sound. What makes this song special is its audacious juxtaposition of cheeriness with profound existential themes, making it a captivating and memorable piece for any language learner.

[English]

Hey!

...

I'm not that nice

I'm mean and I'm evil

Don't call me nice

I'm gonna eat your heart out

I've got some work to do

Baby, I'm ready, I'm ready, ready, ready

To blow my lid off

...

(Yeah)

...

Go fuck yourself!

You heard me right

Don't call me nice again

Don't you have somewhere to be at seven thirty?

Baby, I'm ready, I'm ready, ready, ready

To blow my brains out

You die!

And words don't do anything, it's permanently night

And I won't feel anything

We'll all be laughing with you when you die

Words don't do anything, it's permanently night

And I won't feel anything

We'll all be laughing with you when you die

...

Go fuck yourself!

...

I'm mean, not nice

You said it twice

You said it twice

...

Don't you have somewhere to be at seven thirty?

...

I've got some work to do

I'm gonna eat your heart out

...

(I heard you the first time)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
nice /naɪs/ A1	adjective - pleasant; kind
mean /miːn/ A2	adjective - unkind; cruel
evil /ˈiːvəl/ B2	adjective - morally wrong; wicked
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to speak to someone by telephone or shout for attention
eat /iːt/ A1	verb - to consume food
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood; the centre of emotion
work /wɜːk/ A1	noun - a task or job to be done verb - to do a job or task
ready /ˈredi/ A2	adjective - prepared; willing
blow /bloʊ/ B1	verb - to force air out of the mouth; to explode (slang “blow my lid”)
lid /lɪd/ B2	noun - a cover or top for a container; slang for “head” in “blow my lid”
fuck /fʌk/ C1	verb (vulgar) - to have sexual intercourse; also used as strong profanity
heard /hɜːd/ A2	verb (past tense of hear) - perceived sound with the ears
somewhere /ˈsʌm.wer/ B1	adverb - in, at, or to an unknown place
brains /breɪnz/ B2	noun (plural) - the organ inside the skull; intellect
die /daɪ/ A2	verb - to cease living
words /wɜːdz/ A1	noun (plural) - units of language that convey meaning
permanently /ˈpɜːrmənəntli/ B2	adverb - in a way that lasts forever; forever
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to sense something with the body or mind
laughing /ˈlæfɪŋ/ B1	verb (present participle) - making sounds of joy or amusement

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm not that nice

  ➔ Present simple with contraction

  ➔ The contraction "I'm" (I am) is used for informal or spoken language.

• I'm gonna eat your heart out

  ➔ Going to for future plans

  ➔ "I'm gonna" is a colloquial form of "I am going to", used to express future intentions.

• Don't call me nice again

  ➔ Negative imperative

  ➔ "Don't" is used to form a negative imperative, instructing not to do something.

• Don't you have somewhere to be at seven thirty?

  ➔ Tag question

  ➔ The phrase "Don't you...?" is a tag question, used to confirm information or seek agreement.

• We'll all be laughing with you when you die

  ➔ Future with 'will' for prediction

  ➔ "We'll" (we will) is used to make a prediction about the future.

• I won't feel anything

  ➔ Negative contraction with 'will'

  ➔ "Won't" (will not) is a negative contraction used to express something will not happen.

• You said it twice

  ➔ Past simple with 'said'

  ➔ 'Said' is the past form of 'say', used to describe a completed action in the past.

• I've got some work to do

  ➔ Present perfect with 'have got'

  ➔ 'I've got' (I have got) is the present perfect form, used to describe a past action with present relevance.