When You're Mad – English Lyrics

• By: Ne-Yo

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the playful and provocative side of relationships with Ne-Yo's hit "When You're Mad." This song offers a unique opportunity to learn English through its conversational and descriptive lyrics, exploring emotions and interactions in a way that is both entertaining and relatable. The song's clever wordplay and smooth R&B style make it a memorable and enjoyable way to expand your vocabulary and understanding of nuanced expressions in English.

[English]

It's just the cutest thing

When you get to fussing (cussing)

Yelling and throwing things

I just wanna eat you up

I don't mean no disrespect

When I start staring

Knowing that it makes you madder (uh, oh)

I'm sorry but seeing you mad is so sexy

Could it be the little wrinkle over your nose

When you make your angry face

That makes me wanna just take off all your clothes

And sex you all over the place, yeah

Could it be the lil' way you storm around

That makes me wanna tear you down

Baby, I ain't sure, but one thing that I do know is

Every time you scream at me

I wanna kiss you

When you put your hands on me

I wanna touch you

And when we get to arguing

Just gotta kiss you

Baby, I don't know why it's like that

But you're just so damn sexy

When you're mad

Baby, don't think I don't take you seriously

But I just can't help the fact that

Your attitude excites me (so exciting)

And you know ain't nothing better

Then when we get

Mad together and have angry sex (I'll blow you out)

Then we forget what we were mad about

Could it be the little wrinkle over your nose

When you make your angry face

That makes me wanna just take off all your clothes

And sex you all over the place

Could it be the lil' way you storm around

That makes me wanna tear you down

Baby, I'm not sure, but one thing that I do know is

Every time you scream at me

I wanna kiss you

Baby when you put your hands on me

I wanna touch you

And when we get to arguing

Just gotta kiss you

Baby, I don't know why it's like that

But you're just so damn sexy

Every time you scream at me

I wanna kiss you

Baby when you put your hands on me

I wanna touch you

And when we get to arguing

Just gotta kiss you, hey, hey

Baby, I don't know why it's like that

But you're just so damn sexy

When you're mad

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fussing /ˈfʊsɪŋ/ B2	verb - to complain or worry about trivial matters
yelling /ˈjɛlɪŋ/ B1	verb - to shout loudly
throwing /ˈθroʊɪŋ/ B1	verb - to propel something through the air with force
disrespect /ˌdɪsrɪˈspɛkt/ B2	noun - lack of respect or courtesy
staring /ˈstɛərɪŋ/ B2	verb - to look fixedly at something or someone
madder /ˈmædər/ B2	adjective - more angry
wrinkle /ˈrɪŋkəl/ B1	noun - a small line or fold in the skin or fabric
anger /ˈæŋgər/ B2	noun - a strong feeling of displeasure or annoyance
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head that includes the eyes, nose, and mouth
face /ˈfeɪs/ A1	noun - the expression displayed by the face
clothes /kloʊðz/ A1	noun - garments worn to cover the body
touch /tʌtʃ/ A2	verb - to come into contact with something or someone
arguing /ˈɑːrɡjuːɪŋ/ B2	verb - to have a heated discussion or disagreement
sex /sɛks/ C1	noun - the biological difference between male and female; sexual activity

Key Grammar Structures

• I just wanna eat you up

  ➔ Informal contraction of "want to" as "wanna"

  ➔ This line uses the colloquial "wanna" instead of "want to," which is common in informal speech and song lyrics. "Eat you up" is an idiom expressing strong affection, not literal cannibalism.

• I don't mean no disrespect

  ➔ Double negative (non-standard)

  ➔ The phrase "I don't mean no disrespect" contains a double negative. In standard English, it should be "I don't mean any disrespect" or "I mean no disrespect." The use of a double negative is common in some dialects and adds to the informal tone of the song.

• Knowing that it makes you madder

  ➔ Comparative adjective "madder"

  ➔ "Madder" is the comparative form of the adjective "mad," indicating a greater degree of anger. This shows a comparison - the subject is becoming *more* mad.

• Could it be the little wrinkle over your nose

  ➔ Inversion for question formation with modal verb "could"

  ➔ The sentence is a question, and it uses inversion to form the question. The modal verb "could" comes before the subject "it" (representing the reason). Standard question formation.

• That makes me wanna just take off all your clothes

  ➔ Causative "make" + object + infinitive without "to" (bare infinitive)

  ➔ The verb "make" is used in a causative structure. It means something is causing another action to happen. The structure is "make someone do something" (without "to" before "do"). Here, the wrinkle/angry face is causing the speaker to want to take off the clothes.

• Could it be the lil' way you storm around

  ➔ Adjective modifying noun ('lil' way')

  ➔ The adjective "lil'" (short for 'little') modifies the noun "way", describing the manner in which the person storms around.

• Baby, I don't know why it's like that

  ➔ Embedded question with "why"

  ➔ This sentence contains an embedded question. "Why it's like that" is a clause functioning as the object of the verb "know". The word order is statement order, not question order (it's like that, not is it like that).