Writer In The Dark – English Lyrics

• By: Lorde
• Album: Melodrama

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the emotive world of Lorde with 'Writer In The Dark.' This song is a perfect example of how to use descriptive, poetic English to express complex emotions like grief and longing, making it an evocative tool for learners to explore advanced vocabulary and lyrical storytelling.

[English]

Break the news, you're walking out

To be a good man for someone else

Sorry I was never good like you

Stood on my chest and kept me down

Hated hearing my name on the lips of a crowd

Did my best to exist just for you

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

Now she's gonna play and sing and lock you in her heart

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

I am my mother's child, I'll love you 'til my breathing stops

I'll love you 'til you call the cops on me

But in our darkest hours, I stumbled on a secret power

I'll find a way to be without you, babe

I still feel you, now and then

Slow like Pseudoephedrine

When you see me, will you say I've changed?

I ride the subway, read the signs

I let the seasons change my mind

I love it here, since I've stopped needing you

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

Now she's gonna play and sing and lock you in her heart

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

I am my mother's child, I'll love you 'til my breathing stops

I'll love you 'til you call the cops on me

But in our darkest hours, I stumbled on a secret power

I'll find a way to be without you, babe

I am my mother's child, I'll love you 'til my breathing stops

I'll love you 'til you call the cops on me

But in our darkest hours, I stumbled on a secret power

I'll find a way to be without you, babe

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rue /ruː/ C2	verb - to bitterly regret something
stumble /ˈstʌmbl/ B2	verb - to find or discover something by chance
exist /ɪɡˈzɪst/ B1	verb - to have objective reality or being
pseudoephedrine /ˌsuːdəʊɪˈfɛdrɪn/ C2	noun - a drug used to relieve nasal congestion
secret /ˈsiːkrət/ A2	adjective - not known or seen or not meant to be known or seen by others
breathing /ˈbriːðɪŋ/ B1	noun - the process of taking air into and expelling it from the lungs
subway /ˈsʌbweɪ/ A2	noun - an underground electric railroad
seasons /ˈsiːzənz/ A1	noun - each of the four divisions of the year
darkest /ˈdɑːrkɪst/ A2	adjective - having the least light; most gloomy
cops /kɒps/ B2	noun - police officers (informal)
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps blood
crowd /kraʊd/ A2	noun - a large number of people gathered together
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events
child /tʃaɪld/ A1	noun - a young human being below the age of puberty
news /njuːz/ A1	noun - newly received or noteworthy information

Key Grammar Structures

• Sorry I was never good like you

  ➔ Past tense 'to be' + Adjective comparison

  ➔ The speaker uses '"was"' to describe a past state, and '"good like you"' for comparison.

• Now she's gonna play and sing

  ➔ Future intention ('be going to')

  ➔ '"'s gonna'"' is a contraction of 'is going to', indicating a planned action in the future.

• I'll love you 'til my breathing stops

  ➔ Future Simple and Time Clause ('til')

  ➔ The use of '"'ll'"' indicates a lifelong commitment, while '"'til'"' sets the duration.

• I'll love you 'til you call the cops on me

  ➔ Conditional-like structure with 'until'

  ➔ The speaker suggests a hypothetical future scenario: '"call the cops on me"' marks the end point of the love.

• I stumbled on a secret power

  ➔ Past Simple + Phrasal Verb

  ➔ '"stumbled on"' is a phrasal verb meaning to discover something by chance.

• I'll find a way to be without you, babe

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ '"to be without you"' explains the purpose or the content of the '"way"' the speaker is finding.

• I love it here, since I've stopped needing you

  ➔ Present Perfect + Gerund

  ➔ '"I've stopped"' uses the Present Perfect to show a completed change in state, followed by the gerund '"needing"'.

• When you see me, will you say I've changed?

  ➔ Time clause + Future Simple interrogative

  ➔ The speaker uses '"When you see me"' to set a condition in time, followed by a future question '"will you say..."'.