worldstar money – English Lyrics

• By: joji
• Album: SMITHEREENS

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotional landscape of Joji's "worldstar money (interlude)" to unlock a rich vocabulary for expressing vulnerability and introspection. This poignant track, with its haunting ukulele and honest lyrics, offers a unique window into conveying deep feelings of doubt, love, and the human struggle for meaning, making it an exceptional piece for language learners to connect with authentic emotional expression.

[English]

I looked at you and said, oh-oh-oh

Don't hate me, am I crazy?

So tenderly you watch me burn, you watch me burn, oh

So tell me, am I crazy?

'Cause I do, 'cause I do

'Cause I do, 'cause I do

'Cause I do, 'cause I do

Ooh

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (goddamn)

Ooh (oh)

And I don't wanna die

No, I don't wanna die

I don't wanna die

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
look /lʊk/ A1	verb - to direct one's eyes toward someone or something
say /seɪ/ A1	verb - to utter words so as to convey information, an opinion, a feeling or intention
do /duː/ A1	verb - to perform an action or activity
want /wɒnt/ A1	verb - to wish for or desire something
hate /heɪt/ B1	verb - to feel intense or passionate dislike for something or someone
watch /wɒtʃ/ B1	verb - to look at or observe attentively over a period of time
burn /bɜːn/ B2	verb - to be on fire; to cause something to catch fire; to feel intense heat
tell /tɛl/ B1	verb - to give information to someone, especially by speaking
die /daɪ/ B1	verb - to stop living; to cease to exist
cause /kɔːz/ B2	verb - to make something happen, especially something negative
crazy /ˈkreɪ.zi/ B2	adjective - extremely foolish or out of control; mentally ill (informal)
tender /ˈtɛn.dər/ B2	adjective - showing gentleness and concern; soft and easily damaged
worldstar /ˈwɜːld.stɑːr/ C2	noun - a proper name often used to denote a global celebrity or a brand; in the song it functions as a stylised title
money /ˈmʌn.i/ A2	noun - a medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; wealth in general
goddamn /ˈɡɒd.dæm/ C1	adjective - used as an intensifier, often expressing frustration or anger; considered vulgar

Key Grammar Structures

• Don't hate me, am I crazy?

  ➔ Negative Imperative + Tag Question

  ➔ "Don't hate" is a negative imperative commanding avoidance. "Am I crazy?" acts as a tag question seeking confirmation.

• So tenderly you watch me burn

  ➔ Adverb Fronting

  ➔ The adverb "so tenderly" is placed at the beginning for emphasis, modifying "watch" to intensify emotional contrast.

• 'Cause I do, 'cause I do

  ➔ Ellipsis & Repetition for Emphasis

  ➔ "'Cause" is a contraction of "because". The repetition omits the verb's object (implied from context) to create rhythmic insistence.

• And I don't wanna die

  ➔ Sentence-initial Conjunction & Double Contraction

  ➔ "And" starts the sentence informally. "Don't wanna" combines two contractions (do not → don't; want to → wanna) for colloquial flow.

• No, I don't wanna die

  ➔ Emphatic Negation

  ➔ The standalone "No" intensifies the following negation "don't wanna die", expressing urgent refusal.

• So tell me, am I crazy?

  ➔ Imperative + Direct Question

  ➔ "Tell me" is a command. "Am I crazy?" is a direct yes/no question seeking validation, connected without conjunctions.

• La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (goddamn)

  ➔ Non-lexical Vocables & Parenthetical Exclamation

  ➔ "La" repetitions are non-linguistic vocalizations conveying emotion. "(goddamn)" is a parenthetical interjection showing frustration.

• So tenderly you watch me burn, you watch me burn, oh

  ➔ Parallelism & Repetition

  ➔ The repeated phrase "you watch me burn" creates parallel structure for rhythmic emphasis. "Oh" serves as an emotional interjection.